One of the Caribbean's most compelling public intellectuals and the region's foremost advocate for reparatory justice will take centre stage at Antigua and Barbuda's most significant Emancipation observance this year, as the Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission announces Professor Sir Hilary Beckles as the feature speaker at its annual Watchnight Gathering.
The gathering is scheduled for Friday, July 31, 2026, at the Botanical Gardens — the night before Emancipation Day — and forms part of a full week of 2026 Emancipation Observances that the ABRSC has described as a series of events designed to honour the resilience, sacrifices, and triumphs of ancestors while celebrating the enduring spirit of freedom.
A Full Week of Emancipation Activities
This year's programme begins with Africa Dress Day on July 24, followed by the UHURU Television Programme — Spiritual Awakening — on July 29. The Watchnight Gathering on July 31 carries the theme "A Night of Reflection, Remembrance and Renewal." The observances culminate on August 1 with Emancipation Day, which will feature the traditional Emancipation Breakfast Service at the Greenbay Moravian Church beginning at 6:00 a.m., followed by the Emancipation Village at the V.C. Bird Bust from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Who Is Sir Hilary Beckles?
Sir Hilary Beckles is the Vice-Chancellor of The University of the West Indies and Chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission — the body of which the ABRSC is a member. His scholarship over several decades has fundamentally reshaped the global understanding of Caribbean history, and he is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers and advocates the region has produced.
His extensive body of research spans the economics of plantation slavery, resistance and emancipation, gender in slave societies, Indigenous genocide, reparatory justice, and the enduring developmental consequences of colonialism. He is the author of more than twenty books, including works that have become essential texts in the global reparations debate — among them his landmark examination of Britain's economic relationship with Caribbean slavery and the case for reparatory accountability.
As Chairman of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, Sir Hilary has carried the Caribbean's case to the United Nations, the African Union, the UK Parliament, the United States Congress, universities, churches, and civil society organisations around the world — helping to place reparations firmly on the international policy agenda as a matter of human rights, historical accountability, and sustainable development.
