Bocce champion Jurgen Leon (left) receiving the book from author Walter Hellebrand (centre), with Leon’s mother Maya Pandt looking on.
ST. EUSTATIUS–Jurgen Leon, a gold and bronze medallist at the recent Special Olympics in the Netherlands, received a copy of the newly released book “From Slavery to Freedom”.
Leon competed in the bocce tournament at Special Olympics Netherlands in Breda and Tilburg June 14-16. He won a gold medal in the team event with Lejairo Lake, and a bronze in the singles.
While in the Netherlands, St. Eustatius historian Walter Hellebrand attended the games to congratulate Leon on his achievements and present him with the book “From Slavery to Freedom”, published last month.
The book is a collection of prose and poetry about Dutch slavery by authors from both sides of the Atlantic, including Suriname. Hellebrand contributed a story about the St. Eustatius slave revolt of 1848.
The book, aimed at young adults ages 15 and up, is an initiative of Loekie Morales’ Beyond Kultura Events Foundation and was published by LM Publishers. While an English edition is in the works, it is currently only available in Dutch.
