National Heroes Day in Jamaica is celebrated annually on the third Monday of October. This year, the celebration takes place on October 21.
National Heroes Day is a public holiday to honor Jamaica’s seven accredited national heroes for their monumental contributions to the nation’s freedom and societal development. The National Heroes Day tradition began in 1969, seven years after the British Monarch granted Jamaica independence.
Our seven esteemed national heroes include:
- Sir Alexander Bustamante: Jamaica’s first Prime Minister.
- Paul Bogle: A Baptist deacon and leader of the Morant Bay Rebellion in 1865, a significant event in Jamaican history. Paul Bogle led a protest march to the Morant Bay courthouse. The march was a direct response to social injustices and economic hardships faced by the black population in Jamaica at the time.
- George William Gordon: A politician and businessman who advocated for poor people in the nation.
- Marcus Garvey: A prominent Black nationalist and leader of the Pan-African movement.
- Norman Washington Manley: A key figure in Jamaica’s independence movement and the first Premier of Jamaica.
- Nanny of the Maroons: A leader of the Maroons who fought against British colonization.
- Samuel Sharpe: An enslaved Baptist deacon who led the 1831 Christmas Rebellion, also known as the Baptist War. The Sam Sharpe-led rebellion was to achieve freedom and better working conditions for enslaved people in Jamaica. Sharpe, a Baptist deacon, organized a peaceful general strike to start on Christmas Day, where the enslaved workers would refuse to return to work unless their demands for freedom and wages were met.
The growing abolitionist movement in London inspired the rebellion, and Sharpe believed that a non-violent strike could pressure the plantation owners and the colonial masters to grant their demands. This movement was commemorated as part of National Heroes Day.
Even though the uprising was later suppressed, it played a significant role in accelerating the process of emancipation in the British West Indies.
This year, the National Heroes Day celebration includes a ceremony where 232 Jamaicans will be honored for their contributions to the nation. The event will take place at the National Indoor Sports Center.
Among the honorees are four members of the Judiciary, all of whom are High Court Justices.
Chief Justice Bryan Sykes congratulated the four justices who will be awarded the Order of Distinction for their contributions to developing the Judiciary of Jamaica on National Heroes Day.
The honorees are Justices David Batts, Evan Brown, Bertram Morrison, and Lorna Shelly-Williams.
“I wish to congratulate the justices who have received national recognition for their service to governance, the rule of law, and the enhancement of democracy,” the Chief Justice said during the event for National Heroes Day.
Each recipient has contributed immensely to the Judiciary and served the people of Jamaica excellently.