Every year on March 25, the world pauses to commemorate the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Established in 2007 by the United Nations General Assembly, this day is not only a time of remembrance, but also a powerful warning against the horror and injustice that have marked human history.
A remembrance, a warning
For more than four hundred years, a river of suffering crossed the Atlantic. More than fifteen million human beings - men, women, and children - were violently torn from their homes, families, and lands to become commodities in a tragic transatlantic slave trade. This was the largest forced migration in history, a dark chapter steeped in unimaginable brutality and inhumanity. Millions of people, most of them from the African coasts, were forcibly taken to the Americas and the Caribbean islands, stripped of their dignity and fundamental rights.
This International Day offers us all the opportunity to honor and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of this ruthless system. It is a time to reflect on the pain inflicted, the lives shattered, and the cultures destroyed by the barbarity of slavery. But that is not all. This observance also aims to raise public awareness of the persistent dangers of racism and prejudice, whose roots run deep in this history of exploitation and dehumanization.
A beacon of resilience
On this day of remembrance, one name shines as a beacon of hope and resilience amid the horror: Saint Josephine Bakhita. Born in a village in Sudan around 1869, into a peaceful family, her childhood was brutally interrupted at the age of 8: she was kidnapped and taken away from her loved ones. The trauma was so profound that she forgot her own name; it was her kidnappers who gave her the name Bakhita, which means βfortunateβ in Arabic. But for little Bakhita, fortune seemed like a distant mirage as she was sold and resold in African slave markets, enduring unspeakable physical and moral suffering, cruel tattoos, and forced labor.
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Her story is a harrowing testament to the inhumanity of slavery. Bakhita encountered cruel masters, but she also experienced kindness when, in 1882, she was bought in Khartoum by the Italian consul Calisto Legnani. Finally, in 1885, she followed Legnani to Italy, a new world that would offer her the possibility of a different destiny. Once again, she changed masters, becoming the nanny of Augusto Michieli's daughter in Veneto. It was here, upon coming into contact with the Canossian Sisters of Venice, that Bakhita discovered the Christian faith. On January 9, 1890, she asked to be baptized, taking the name Giuseppina. Her desire to dedicate her life to God grew within her, and in 1893 she became a Canossian nun. Sister Giuseppina lived in Schio (Vicenza), carrying out humble tasks with generosity and simplicity for fifty years. Everyone loved her for her kindness and faith, so much so that she was affectionately called βsuor Morettaβ.
Say no to racism
The life of Saint Josephine Bakhita is a powerful warning against the horror of slavery and a symbol of redemption and hope. Her personal story reflects the suffering of millions of victims of the transatlantic slave trade, reminding us that behind the numbers were individual stories of pain, loss, and resilience.
Remembering victims such as Saint Josephine Bakhita urges us to renew our commitment to a world in which the freedom and dignity of every human being are inviolable. Her life, from slave to saint, teaches us that even from the darkest experiences, the light of hope, forgiveness, and love can blossom.
This March 25, let us cherish its history and renew our commitment against every form of slavery and discrimination.
