Tuesday marks the third annual Emancipation Day in Canada, the anniversary of when the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect across the British Empire in 1834.
The historic act freed about 800,000 enslaved people of African descent across the colonies, including in Canada and Nova Scotia.
“The day acknowledges the tragedies of the transatlantic slave trade in which millions of African-descended people were enslaved or lost their lives,” the province of Nova Scotia said in a release.
Canadian senator Wanda Thomas Bernard – who pushed for years for Emancipation Day to be officially recognized before legislation was finally passed in 2021 – said this is an opportunity to tell “Canada’s full history.”
It’s a day “to look back, reflect on the past, reflect on the harms of the past, remember our ancestors and how hard they worked for our freedom,” Bernard told Global News Morning Tuesday.
“But it’s also a time for us to look forward. What do we do next? How do we move forward in a way that brings justice, where there has been so much injustice for African Canadians?”
In March 2021, the House of Commons voted unanimously to officially designate Aug. 1 as Emancipation Day. The Nova Scotia legislature also passed the Emancipation Day Act in April 2021.
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“Emancipation Day marks a significant recognition of the past business of Slavery in our province and Country as well as the lasting effect on the Black Community,” Russell Grosse, the executive director of the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, in a release.
“While this day is a harsh reminder of the past, it also speaks to the strength and perseverance of a people that overcame.”
According to the province, enslaved Black people made up more than 13 per cent of Halifax’s population in 1750 – representing about 400 among 3,000 residents.
In a statement on its website, the Government of Canada said Canadians “are not always aware that Black and Indigenous Peoples were once enslaved on the land that is now Canada.”
“Those who fought enslavement were pivotal in shaping our society to be as diverse as it is today,” it said.
“Therefore, each August 1, Canadians are invited to reflect, educate and engage in the ongoing fight against both anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism and discrimination.”
In terms of recognizing the harms of the past and working for a future without systemic barriers, Bernard said “there’s room for all of us to engage in this work.”
“I think it’s important for people to see themselves in the work – to recognize that there’s space here for all of us to engage,” she said.
She encourages people to pause today and think about the three pillars for the International Decade for People of African Descent – recognition, justice, and development – and to think about what they can do to enact any of those three pillars.
“Each of us needs to do that,” she said.
Bernard took note of the Halifax Declaration for the Eradication of Racial Discrimination, which she called a “wonderful gift” from the Michaëlle Jean Foundation and the National Black Canadians Summits.
The declaration is a call to action for governments, organizations and communities to uphold those three pillars.
“On this emancipation day, my critical hope is that everyone move forward with an action,” she said.
The senator also noted that Emancipation Day is also a time to celebrate to perseverance of African Canadians.
“Part of the celebration for me is remembering our ancestors,” she said. “When I think of all that they have done, with so little, it fuels my energy to keep going.”
A number of events are happening around the province Tuesday to mark Emancipation Day. A list of events can be found here.
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