Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon, says Jamaicans must not only celebrate their proud and bold heritage, but renew their covenant with it to preserve and strengthen the legacy built by generations of sacrifice.

He made the call while addressing Sunday’s Heritage Week Thanksgiving Service at the First Church of the Open Bible in Montego Bay, St James. The service was held under the theme ‘Celebrating a Proud and Bold Heritage’.

“Heritage is a possession of brave responsibility. It is a sacred inheritance of a people who endured slavery, resisted colonialism and built a sovereign nation,” Vernon stated.

He added that Jamaicans must make it their mission to protect and enhance the inheritance that has profoundly shaped the nation’s culture, democracy, intellect, and creativity.

Vernon, who chairs the St James Municipal Corporation, noted that this legacy is not only historical, but actively lived, as Jamaicans continue to make significant contributions across local and global fields—from science and technology to the arts, politics, space exploration, health, and music.

“We are the dreams and hopes of many who could only dream and hope. Therefore, we owe it in reverence to the past. We have built a heritage that is bold in creativity and proud in its purpose,” he further stated.

Meanwhile, Vernon charged the youth to act as custodians of Jamaica’s legacy and architects of the ‘Caribbean Renaissance’. He urged them to learn with purpose, serve with humility, and innovate boldly. The Mayor also traced Jamaica’s heritage through the enduring contributions of the nation’s National Heroes.

He cited the examples of National Heroes—Nanny of the Maroons, Paul Bogle, George William Gordon, Marcus Garvey, Sam Sharpe, Norman Manley, and Sir Alexander Bustamante—all of whom played a vital role in shaping the moral, spiritual, and political foundation of the nation.

“Today, we must ask what are we doing with the heritage they left us? Are we cultivating our culture more than we commodified? Are we defending faith or diluting it? Are we deepening democracy or the foreign reform? Constitutional reform must not be delayed. Our heroes fought for freedom, and now we must finish the work,” Vernon maintained.