White supremacy snatched so much from our people for generations. Rest and joy were felt few and far between by enslaved people, so when they were finally free, the people of this island country decided to take their power back.
They refused to work. On August 1st, 1835, Black people didn't show up to their jobs in honor of the centuries of enslavement they had endured; instead, they celebrated.
Whites were BIG mad about it, but our people never backed down.
This refusal became a custom that lasted for over a century before it became an "official" holiday–although they never needed white permission. People called in sick, and some even lost their jobs.
But eventually, employers and the government had no choice but to accept it.
Today, Cup Match is an "official" two-day holiday‒full of camping, boating, swimming, an annual Cricket match, and of course, BLACK JOY. Resistance is a powerful testament to our people's collective power to create new realities when we come together.
Like Black Bermudians, we must realize our power and refuse to back down. We don't have to obey white supremacy. They need us; we NEVER needed them.