Spiritual Baptists’ Holiday, Pivotal says Historian

by Christian Smith

The first national holiday for the Spiritual Baptists, to be celebrated on May 21, has been described as one of the most pivotal moments in the history of the faith.

This was the view expressed by historian, Dr Cleve Scott during the last of a three-part lecture series hosted by The University of the West Indies, Global Campus SVG on Thursday, May 8, 2025 in Rose Hall.

Commenting on the significance of May 21 to practitioners of the faith, Dr Scott said next Wednesday’s day of recognition will be a step-up on that celebration.

“This holiday is going to do more than [May 21] 1951. 1951 allowed the lifting of the ban, because even before the lifting of the ban… you had Baptists doing their thing all over.”

May 21, 1951 is recorded as Liberation Day for Spiritual Baptists, when they, under the representation of Premier, Robert Milton Cato, secured a landmark victory in the courts in their fight for religious freedom.

Dr Scott noted the holiday will elevate Spiritual Baptists to a position of importance in the country, in much the same way that Heroes Day has done for the Garifuna people here and in the Diaspora.

“… this holiday, what it is going to do is inscribe into the consciousness of Vincentians, the significance and the importance of the Baptists. Just like how National Heroes Day has inscribed into the consciousness of people, the importance of the Garifuna. The Garifuna, like the Spiritual Baptists, it belongs to ‘arwe’.”

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