Caddle: Sarah Ann Gill paved the way for other courageous women to follow

AS Barbados gears up to celebrate National Heroes Day on April 28, Minister in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Investment, Marsha Caddle, took the opportunity to lay a wreath on the grave of the Right Excellent Sarah Ann Gill, National Hero of Barbados.

The occasion was a Remembrance and Wreath Laying Ceremony held at the James Street Methodist Church yesterday. Captain The Reverend Al Walcott, who officiated the ceremony, noted that it is an event that is fixed in the Methodist calendar and it takes place at Gill’s gravesite, located at the church in Bridgetown.

Speaking with the media following the ceremony, Minister Caddle pointed out the importance of the work of Sarah Ann Gill, who kept Methodism alive in her time, educated slaves and promoted religious and racial tolerance. She meanwhile suggested that as the island’s lone female National Hero, she has paved the way for other courageous women to follow.

“Today, as I reflect, I think the work of Sarah Ann Gill was important because not only was she the heroine of Methodism, but the reason that she was important is because it was a faith that prioritised equality, racial equality over everything else and that’s why she was considered such a threat, that is why she was so courageous and that is why we honour her today,” Caddle remarked.

She added, “Sarah Ann Gill opened her home, so that people could practise their faith under threat of insecurity, under threat of potential death. There are many women at that time and since, that have used their homes, that have used their resources, wherever they work, to be able to expand the freedoms of Barbadians.”

“What I will also say is that she is the lone woman, (among) the national heroes. The Government of Barbados recently asked that the people of Barbados make some recommendations on who they would want to see as national heroes and I believe that we will begin to see many women come to be counted among the heroes of Barbados, because we do know that this country, this region and our entire traditional human rights was built on the work not just of men, but largely of women. I wouldn’t make my recommendations, I have some of my own, but I will leave it to the people of Barbados to make theirs,” Caddle further commented.

During the brief ceremony, the work of Sarah Ann Gill was also heralded by Mrs. Folasade Mayers-Richards and Mrs. Worrellyn Charles, who both shared a historic perspective. Two minutes of silence were also offered, followed by a hymn. Wreaths were also laid by Samoya and Arin Richards for the James Street/Speightstown Circuit, Sis. Sharon Ward of the Bethel Circuit, and Mekhi and Mikah Charles of the Ebenezer Circuit. (RSM)