Emancipation Day 2023

Tuesday, August 1st was Emancipation Day.

It was an honour to attend and speak at the Emancipation Day Celebration that was arranged by the Aurora Black Caucus.

On March 24, 2021, the House of Commons voted unanimously to officially designate August 1 as Emancipation Day. It marks the actual day in 1834 when the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 came into effect across the British Empire.

It is important that we engage in conversations around the history of enslavement and its impacts. A key part of Black culture in Canada, Emancipation Day is celebrated today, August 1st, to mark the end of slavery in the British Empire. 

I was honored to stand with Aurora in celebration of this solemn day alongside the Aurora Black Caucus.