‘Let us not forget 360 years of colonisation & oppression’- Bishop John I. Cline
Noting that he was travelling to Africa today, July 25, 2025, for his usual biennial mission, Bishop Cline stated in a Facebook Live that he wanted to give his best wishes to the territory as it commemorates Emancipation.
‘Our ancestors endured unimaginable cruelty’
‘We are in that season and that time of the year when we honour the legacy and we commemorate our Emancipation Day. We honour the resilience and the strength and the sacrifice of our ancestors who endured unimaginable cruelty, the lynching, the rape, the torture, the long hours of hard work without rest or pay and yet they worked tirelessly to secure their freedom.”
Bishop Cline continued that August 1, 1834, marked the beginning of the end of one of the darkest and most inhumane and evil periods known to mankind- the Atlantic Slave Trade.
“Therefore, it is only fitting to remember and honour the resilience and the strength and the faith and the sacrifice of our ancestors. Let us celebrate them in the spirit they stood and fought. May their legacy inspire us to strive for justice and equality for all people around the world, and peace and safety and prosperity at home.
“As we celebrate our emancipation, let us honour the memory of those who paved the way for us to be free today.”
‘We are not quite free’
Bishop Cline added that Virgin Islanders must work together to secure a brighter future for those who are coming behind, just as our foreparents did.
Further, Bishop urged Virgin Islanders to work together for a future in the VI where peace, safety, and prosperity for all are a national priority.
“May the spirit of our emancipation be felt in this country and around the Caribbean. Let us never forget that our history is rooted in a strong, resilient, forward-thinking people. This is our emancipation time. Let us not take our emancipation for granted. Let us not ever forget the sacrifice of our ancestors. Let us not forget the brutality they faced. Let us not forget, you know, 360 years of colonisation and oppression and still we are not quite free, but we work diligently toward that freedom, and we believe that we will achieve it in our lifetime.
“We are committed to doing what we will to realise our self-governance.”
Bishop Cline said he was praying for a safe emancipation celebration and urged everyone to act and behave responsibly.
“Yes, you will have a good time, but let us not in our celebration and in the festivities, forget. Take time to remember the lives that were lost during the Atlantic Slave Trade and those who died, those who fought, those who survived, so that we can be here today.”
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45 Responses to “‘Let us not forget 360 years of colonisation & oppression’- Bishop John I. Cline”
Imagine he is a so-called Pastor and look at his comment. Instead, he should be preaching the gospel and calling men and women out of their sins, as the coming of the Lord is near. You can't try to hold God in one hand and the devil in the other. You have to choose a side, Mr. Cline.
What is wrong about what he said. The world expects Black people to forget about the BRUTALITY our Ancestors endured but everyone one else can remember their ancestors bad experience. WHY...we must forget and others can remember. Is people like you that will like to see us suffer again... I wish the spirits of our Ancestors pay you a visit for that BS you said.... Fire Burn you
And let's not forget
COVID grant scheme
Fake students
Fake fishers
Fake farmers
Ssb money
Deteriorating roads for the the past decades
Government buildings unfixed since Irma but money for a parties and music artist that sings about sex drugs violence and gangs
Tax money putting into bank of Asia without the public knowledge
Awarding a criminal with a serious offence nationality cuz "you felt bad"
13 yes olds with guns
Calling everyone with big chains , tattoos, big solid, etc a business man
Having clear indication of Coco trade but ntn ever in the news for money laundering
Paying rent to family friends while government buildings remain mash up for years
Paying barges money to patrol the boarder only for them to be docked up throughout
Prolonged time to increase minimum wage to measly amount but quick to pass greedy bill
Refuse to implement a sex offender list despite knowing offenders in vulnerable areas like schools daycare hospitals etc
Lack of price control while the businesses continue to abuse residents with price increases every week and giving 10c discount
Bi water schemes
Airport schemes
Pier park scheme
Water off after 6pm
Sewage running into the streets
1 yr plus to build a stretch of road and still going
Lastly let's not forget that our past leader was willing to sell the territory to cartels to enrich is friends family and whoever in their close circle
Instead he don't want Myron interrogate natalio too hard on these matter.
That's the way of our for slave master natalio behaving like, power devolve in colonialism, our black people are what once a white position over the people and the economy, and as slave wealth was extracted from our labor in the fields to cut cane and pick cotton , the wealth that was generated was extracted to the UK and built real estate and affluent lifestyle, so to premiere Wheatley engage in wealth extraction to Vybz Kartel giving he $250k to build a new house in Jamaica, and our $5 million USD is extracted to Asia to enrich other races while our people suffer just like how the white colonial slave master have us, you must see colonialism will still be with us as neocolonialism like the independent Caribbean, they all swear to the royal family of UK, and the commonwealth system corrupt the politicians to behave like a coconut, brown outside and white inside, the do things like there white predecessor, even you as the bishop want to placate the population to behave like obedient slave and let the entitlement political family and friends do as they like with public funds, and that's true because you torturing Myron and the alliance to keep quiet.
Moreover, through hardwork, Virgin Islanders’ characteristic ‘ rugged individualism,’ etc, the VI has made progress, eg, it boasts of having one of the highest standards of living, quality of life, human development index, per capita income, etc., in the region. Further, it has been financially self-sufficient since 1979 under the Willard Wheatley Administration. The UN lists the VI as a non-self governing territory. Like people elsewhere, the people of the VI has the right to voluntarily pursue a self-determination status of its choosing. Options include a) integration b) independence, c) free association, among others. Nevertheless, in my humble opinion, it seems to haunted by the ghost of divide and rule dogma, meritorious manumission, appeasement, Stockholm Syndrome, disunity,,” etc..In moving forward, the VI must unite, practice group economics, ethno-aggregate, develop self-empowerment plans, etc. This among other actions are needed, so that our forebears can rest easy. Furthermore, VI people must be given the opportunity through a referendum to determine the next political status.
Leonard, disunity , divide and rule, appeasement,,meritorious manumission, political patronage,,dependency, etc juxtaposing against progress, self-determination, the way forward. Virgin Islanders have a love affair with materialism , paying little to no attention to how civic responsibilities,,overall socioeconomic, political issues affect the community and their lives. While Virgin Islanders slumber, others are wide awake laying down their markers , footprint, etc., to build influence and control Virgin Islanders at warp speed are becoming a minority in their homeland, while they standby like a goat in the head light wondering what the hell has happened and is happening. A broken clock/watch is correct twice a day. A smart decision government did recently is not signing on regional freedom of movement. Large countries can absorb migration with little to no immediate social friction in their communities. Small locales cannot behave like large developed countries relative to immigration. Commentator Thomas Famous hit the nail on the head, driving it home, recently with his comment that ‘ Sheep head and Goat head’ are not the same. Many of us don’t give a rat’s @$$ about the brutality, sacrifices, abuse,,..exploitation, disrespect,etc., our foreparents endured. They see that as ancient history and time to move on. Marcus Garvey said: A people without knowledge of past history, origins, and culture is like a tree without roots.
[Let’s lead like eagles,,not careen off the cliff like buffaloes and sheep]
“the VI indigenous people…”? Who are they? Are they extinct?
“a separate colony…, a dependent territory… and an overseas territory”. That’s all just domestic UK legal nomenclature. Its international status is the same at the UN.
“VI … boasts of having one of the highest standards of living, quality of life, human development index, per capita income, etc., in the region.” The roads alone tell us enough.
“Options include a) integration” Really? Is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland offering to transform itself into the United Kingdom of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Virgin Islands? Similar re ‘free association’ a term not on a menu.