St. Augustine Remembrance Ceremony

UNESCO has named August 23 the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. On that day, from 5:00 to 5:30 p.m., there will be a ceremony at the Plaza de La Constitućion to commemorate the lives of the ten million Africans who were transported from their homes to this country as slaves and the two million who died before reaching these shores.

Between 1767 and 1776, nine slave ships with more than 1,200 Africans were brought to St. Augustine.

The event begins at 4:45 p.m. with African drumming and a Native American smudging ceremony. The remembrance ceremony begins at 5:00 p.m. with the ringing of the bells of Trinity Parish. The ceremony will include a proclamation by the City's representatives, a libation ceremony, the participation of local faith leaders, and naming of the African Ancestral Homelands.

Presented by the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Heritage Center, this event is sponsored by the St. Photios Foundation and the St. Johns Cultural Council.

Admission: Free

When: Wednesday, August 23, 2023, from 4:45 to 5:00 p.m.

Where: The gazebo in the Plaza de la Constitućion, 

About the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition: Overnight, on August 22 to 23, 1791, Haitian slaves started an uprising that ultimately played a role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. In 1804, Haiti abolished slavery, and in the 1990s various countries designated August 23 as a day of remembrance, which is now commemorated around the world.