Reflection: Remembering August 1st
August 1st 1834 - The Abolition of Slavery in Canada - Slavery ended in Canada on August 1, 1834.
Many Canadians view slavery as something that happened in the United States of America from the arrival of the first slave ships in 1619 until the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, but fail to understand that the buying, selling, and enslavement of Black and Indigenous people went on for about 200 years in our own country (beginning with the arrival of Olivier le Jeune in 1628 to New France and ending with the Slavery Abolition Act, August 1, 1834). . .
Nightshade (2017): Adegbesan used digital collage, illustration and photography to create this album cover for musician Allie. (Photo: Adeyemi Adegbesan)
From the UCC’s Broadview, 5 things to read for Emancipation Day
Aug. 1 is Emancipation Day. It marks the day in 1834 that the act abolishing slavery in most British colonies, including Canada, took effect. Ontario has recognized Emancipation Day since 2008, and the Senate did the same 10 years later. Still, advocates are calling for the day to be a national public holiday, and Liberal MP Majid Jowhari introduced a motion in the House of Commons to have Aug. 1 officially designated Emancipation Day.
This year, Broadview is recognizing the day by elevating Black voices and celebrating Black history and art. Read on for a selection of stories from our web archives.