In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Caricom member states will observe one minute of silence on Sunday, March 25, the actual date on which the Act abolishing the slave trade was passed in the British Parliament. At their 18th Inter-Sessional Meeting held in St Vincent and the Grenadines last February, Caricom heads of government had agreed that all member states would carry out activities to commemorate the event on March 25, or during the week beginning that Sunday. It was agreed that a synchronised one-minute period of silence would be observed at 12 noon Eastern Caribbean time (11 o'clock Jamaica time). The public is encouraged to observe this minute of silence in remembrance of our ancestors who crossed the middle passage. Reprinted from jamaicaobserver.com