Bermuda still has unfinished business in the journey towards a place where people of all races can live together in freedom.

That is the view of United Bermuda Party leader Michael Dunkley who was speaking about Emancipation Day, which marked the first legal step to freeing people denied their human rights and dignity.

Mr. Dunkley said one of the most important days for Bermudians to celebrate was Emancipation Day. "It is fitting that it has become an integral part of Cup Match, which I think everyone would agree is the pinnacle of all Bermuda holidays," he said.

Mr. Dunkley said Emancipation Day, August 1, marked the first real step toward the promise of a better world where people of all races live together in freedom, equality and mutual respect.

But he added: "It is a journey not yet complete. It has been more than 170 years since 'freedom day', but we still have a long way to go. There is plenty of unfinished business to take care of.

"You can see it in income disparities and corporate ladders; you can see it in social gatherings and hear it on radio talk shows,'' he added.

The Royal Gazette launched a campaign on Emancipation Day asking people to 'Run for Freedom' in a race next year, and the paper relaunched its Break The Chains campaign encouraging people to sign a petition calling on Governments worldwide to halt all forms of modern-day slavery.

Mr. Dunkley added: "The challenge in finishing the unfinished business is bringing people together to agree on what needs to be done. This, I think, is the big challenge facing us as Bermudians. If we can get to a point where we agree on the diagnosis, then we can probably agree on the prescription.

"That would be a start, but we have to work to get there. As a white Bermudian from a relatively privileged background, and as someone who deeply cares about our society, I make a conscious effort to understand other perspectives and other experiences rather than remain in the comfort zone of my upbringing," said Mr. Dunkley.

"I also know that my belief in equality and justice for all Bermudians is the right place to start. I know my faith in people to be good and my faith in God to guide their actions gives me the optimism to work for that better world.

"Those are my starting points, but I'm realist enough to know that idealism and optimism are not enough. Emancipation Day, after all, was a beginning not an end. The battles here and elsewhere for voting rights, for desegregation and for economic opportunity can all be connected back to the system of slavery when one race used its social, legal and national resources to keep in place another race. It is a heavy legacy.

"Slavery lasted long enough to become part of the landscape of our history. The system was ingrained in our ancestors, black and white, and while diminishing over time it has not yet disappeared. So the struggle must continue.

"I believe one way to continue that struggle is to set a good example. Be the change you want to be. Live by doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. Live this way and we will bring that better world closer.

"It's about striving for something better. In that, I believe, lies the great meaning of Emancipation Day, a very important day for Bermudians to celebrate."