The government of the Republic of Panama, by means of Law No. 9 of the 30th. of May, 2000, established Black Ethnicity Day. The original idea around the creation of a Law for this effect was born of the inspiration and the vision of a son of the Province of Chiriquí, specifically from la Arenas de Puerto Armuelles. He is the Honorable Claral Richards, afropanamanian whose personal attributes stands out as been the national champion disc thrower during the Ist. National games of 1955 and as a pitcher with the San Francisco Giants, in the minor leagues. This outstanding athlete to the date of his retirement was Supervisor in the United Fruit Co.
The Honorable Ing. Osman Gómez, who in fulfillment of an electoral campaign promise made to the Hon. Richards, took before the Legislative Assembly the corresponding First draft of the law. For such effect, on coordination with the Legislators and the then Ad hoc Committee for the Commemoration of the Day of the Black Man and Woman, settled down to draft the Law. It's important to emphasize that the historical knowledge that Professor Elias Colley developed, due to an intense work of investigation and documentation, was the technical sustentation of the First draft of the Law in the Commission of Human rights of the legislative Assembly and it was later integrated into the basic guidance of the law.
The contribution of the members of the Ad hoc Committee Pro Commemoration of the Day of the Black Ethnicity; the Director of the Camera de Comercio Afropanameña (CAMCAP); the Cooperative of Savings and Loans of Cristóbal; the Society of Friends of the AfroWest Indian Museum of Panamá (SAMAAP) and a group of citizens, made possible what is proudly herald by the afropanamanian population: the 30 of May, "National Black Ethnicity Day", which is commemorated on this opportunity 150 years after the enactment of the law that ended slavery in New Granada (1851) in what is now known as the Republic of Panama.
