Canadians have a lot to learn about this country's history of slavery, experts say [View all]

Emancipation Day is being marked nationwide for the first time

As Sharon Robart-Johnson walks around the Black history room at the Yarmouth County Museum, she points out paintings of Black educators, the first Black Nova Scotian to join the RCMP, and even a painting of herself, as the first person to write a book about Black people in the area.

But she saves the one most dear to her for last.

It's a wooden carving of an enslaved woman named Jude being beaten by her owner's son.

Court records show Jude died of her injuries on Dec. 28, 1800. She was 28.

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Emancipation Day recognizes Aug. 1, 1834, when the British Empire abolished slavery, freeing around 800,000 people of African descent throughout the British colonies, including what's now known as Canada.

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/emancipation-day-slavery-canada-nova-scotia-1.6102969


Edited to add another article on the same subject:

Emancipation Day celebrations predate Canada's official proclamation by decades

Emancipation Day is being recognized by the federal government this year for the first time, but at least one Canadian community has celebrated it since before Confederation.

On March 24, members of Parliament voted unanimously to designate Aug. 1 as Emancipation Day in Canada. The date marks Aug. 1, 1834, when slavery was abolished in the British colonies, including Canada.

The motion was introduced by Liberal MP Majid Jowhari, who represents the riding of Richmond Hill, Ont. It was seconded by Conservative MP Alex Ruff of Owen Sound, Ont., where Emancipation Day has been celebrated since 1862.

Owen Sound was the farthest-north end point for the Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses for Black people to escape slavery in the United States, according to the area's Emancipation Festival website.

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/emancipation-day-celebrations-canada-1.6124826