Bryan issued statement marking Emancipation Day in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. issued a statement on July 2, 2025, commemorating Emancipation Day in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In the statement, Bryan said Emancipation in the Virgin Islands began on St. Croix on July 3, 1848, when bells rang and conch shells sounded across the island. He said enslaved people, led by Moses "Buddhoe" Gottlieb, rose in protest and that Danish Gov. Peter von Scholten declared slavery abolished that day.

Bryan said July 3 is observed each year in remembrance of those who fought for freedom and of the end of slavery in the territory.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/statement-from-governor-bryan-commemorating-emancipation-day/