Tribute: In the footsteps of the brave

Each year, as the third Monday in October arrives, Jamaica pauses not merely for a holiday, but for a profound act of remembrance. National Heroes’ Day, officially observed since 1969, honours those whose lives were offered so that we might walk more freely.

We remember the leaders who fought for freedom. We recognise the heroes who gave their lives to make changes to pave a better life for us. We salute the heroes. We salute the unsung heroes. We salute those who have sacrificed for others unselfishly. As we pay our respects today, in this celebration of heroes, let us show, in our own way and style, that selfless way of giving and love to family, to friends, to neighbours.

GUARDIANS OF OUR PAST, BEACONS FOR OUR FUTURE

The roster of Jamaica’s seven National Heroes reads like the heartbeat of our nation’s journey:

• Paul Bogle, leader of the Morant Bay Protest in 1865, stood unflinchingly against injustice.

• Samuel Sharpe, known for leading the Baptist War (Christmas Rebellion) of 1831–32, anchored the moral argument that slavery should end.

• George William Gordon, businessman and politician, championed the rights of the poor and became a martyr to his convictions.

• Norman Washington Manley, scholar, political strategist, and nation-builder, guided Jamaica’s path toward self-determination.

• Sir Alexander Bustamante, trade unionist and Jamaica’s first prime minister, gave voice to labour, dignity, and nationhood.

• Marcus Garvey, the Pan-Africanist visionary, taught us global black pride, self-reliance, and the power of identity.

• Nanny of the Maroons, our heroic matriarch, led guerilla resistance and safeguarded freedom for generations.

These are not distant names. Their stories are our inheritance. Their courage calls us to live up to their sacrifice.

UNSUNG HEROES: THE QUIET FORCE

But history does not belong only to the officially named. In every parish, in every town and hamlet, there live unsung heroes: teachers who have nurtured generations, health workers who brought care to remote hills, community elders who mediate grief, youth mentors who guide the wayward. Their sacrifices are quieter but no less essential.

On this day, let us remember not only the martyrs but the everyday givers, the silent carers. Let us extend gratitude to mothers, fathers, and children who pick up burdens in love, who heal wounds, who whisper hope where shadows loom.

BUILD IN THE SPIRIT OF SACRIFICE

To mark National Heroes’ Day is not enough by itself. What we honour today must shape how we live tomorrow. The legacy of selflessness demands that we serve not only in grand gestures but in daily acts: a kind word, a helping hand, integrity in our work, compassion in our choices.

Let us each become living tributes, bright beacons in our own circles so that the torch passed down by Bogle, Sharpe, Gordon, Manley, Bustamante, Garvey, and Nanny may blaze anew in our times.

We remember. We salute. And we vow: this Jamaica, our people, our land, our future will rise ever higher because we carry their sacrifice in the way we love, in the way we act, in the way we serve.

Have an inspiring day. One Love.

Contributed by Dr Lorenzo Gordon, a diabetologist, internal medicine consultant, biochemist, and a history and heritage enthusiast. Send feedback to inspiring876@gmail.com.