Emancipation Month recognizes the struggle for human rights and the rich contributions made by Peoples of African descent. Recognizing Emancipation Month in August acknowledges an abhorrent period in our history and our ongoing commitment to eliminate discrimination in all forms. August 1, 1834 marks the day that the Slavery Abolition Act, 1833 came into effect emancipating more than 800,000 enslaved Africans across the British Empire, including Canada. Here in Toronto, we recognize the entire month of August as Emancipation Month and celebrate the rich contributions that Peoples of African descent have made to our city and country.
Explore how Toronto is addressing the legacies of the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and systemic anti-Black racism through targeted strategies that promote equity, justice, and resilience. Join the call to “Confront the Past, Change the Future.”
WHEREAS this month we celebrate abolition from enslavement for Canadians of African descent in Canada. For over 400 years, people of African descent endured and survived the Transatlantic Slave Trade, which operated within French and British colonies that would later become Canada.
The Slavery Abolition Act, 1833, which officially came into effect on August 1, 1834, confirmed Canada as a free territory for enslaved Africans. August 1st is now known as Emancipation Day and the month of August is Emancipation Month, a time to celebrate the strength and perseverance of Black communities.
During Emancipation Month, we also acknowledge the continued struggle for equity and justice for people of African descent. The deeply rooted legacies of colonialism in public institutions particularly in the areas of employment, education, justice, and social participation continue to impact Black communities. To achieve true justice, we must all work to eliminate systemic discrimination and advance racial equity. We can work together to help create a city that implements equity, diversity and inclusion for all residents.
The City of Toronto remains intent on eradicating anti-Black racism, implementing systemic change with the historic Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism, and further in the current development of the renewed 10-year Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism. Through partnerships with organizations and agencies dedicated to addressing anti-Black racism, the City of Toronto is committed to promoting the well-being of all communities.
NOW THEREFORE, I, Mayor Olivia Chow, on behalf of Toronto City Council, do hereby proclaim August 2024 as “Emancipation Month” in the City of Toronto.
The first Black person thought to have set foot on land now referred to as Canada, was Mathieu Da Costa, a free man who was hired as an interpreter for Samuel de Champlain’s 1605 excursion.
Olivier LeJeune, who was 6 years old, was the first recorded enslaved person, from the country now known as Madagascar.
King Louis XIV formally authorized slavery in New France.
Enslaved Black woman Marie-Josephe Angélique was accused of setting fire to the house of her “owner” in Montréal. Although it remains unclear whether Angélique actually set the fire, she was tortured and hanged for her “crime.”
The British promised freedom, land and rights to enslaved persons and free Black people who settle in Nova Scotia, in exchange for service during the American Revolution, 1775–1783.
The Black Loyalists were among the first settlers in Shelburne, Nova Scotia. They established their own community, Birchtown. Hundreds of White, disbanded soldiers started a riot when they found themselves competing for jobs with Black neighbours who were paid less for the same work.
The Imperial Statute of 1790 effectively allowed settlers to bring enslaved persons to Upper Canada. Under the statute, those enslaved only needed to be fed and clothed.
In the face of widespread discrimination and due to difficulty in supporting themselves, almost 1,200 Black Loyalists left Halifax and relocated to Africa (Sierra Leone).
Attorney General John White introduced Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe’s anti-slavery measure and it passed. While the bill did not ban slavery completely, it marked its gradual prohibition.
Richard Pierpoint and other Black veterans petitioned the government of Upper Canada to grant them land adjacent to each other rather than disperse it amongst White settlers. The Petition of Free Negroes, as it was known, aimed to create a Black community where members would help and support each other. The petition was rejected for unknown reasons.
A group of almost 600 freedom fighters called Maroons landed in Halifax. They came from the Jamaican community of escaped enslaved people, who guarded their freedom for more than a century and fought off countless attempts to re-enslave them. Once in Nova Scotia, they helped build Citadel Hill, were part of a militia unit, cleared woods for roads, and were employed as general labourers.
After several years of neglect, poor conditions and intolerance, several hundred Jamaican Maroons abandoned Nova Scotia and set sail for Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Thousands of Black volunteers fought for the British during the War of 1812.
Canada’s reputation as a safe haven for Black people grew during and after the War of 1812. Between 1815 and 1860, tens of thousands of African- Americans bravely sought refuge in Canada via the legendary Underground Railroad.
Slavery was abolished throughout the British colonies by an Imperial Act that took effect on August 1, 1834. Many Canadians continue to celebrate August 1 as Emancipation Day.
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was enacted by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850. It greatly influenced the migration of African- Americans into Canada. It was repealed on June 28, 1864.
The number of abolitionist sympathizers grew in Canada in the 1850s–1860s. The Anti- Slavery Society of Canada was formed “to aid in the extinction of Slavery all over the world.”
In 1851, James Douglas became the first appointed Black politician in Canada and then took over as governor of the colony of British Columbia. He invited African-Americans to emigrate from California to Victoria to establish Canada’s first and only all-Black police force.
By 1909, hundreds of Black people from Oklahoma moved to the Canadian Prairies, where they were met with severe discrimination. In 1911, a few newspapers in Winnipeg even predicted that the Dominion government would move to exclude “Negro immigrants.”
In 1916, military officials authorized the creation of the No. 2 Construction Battalion. This battalion made up of exclusively Black soldiers was not permitted to fight. Instead, they served in France with the Canadian Forestry Corps.
The Canadian military initially rejected Black volunteers, but many were later accepted into the Regular Army and officer corps. On the home front, the all-Black Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, was one of the greatest success stories of the war years.
Ontario was the first province to respond to the battle against oppression when it passed the Racial Discrimination Act of 1944. It was landmark legislation prohibiting the publication and display of any symbol, sign, or notice that expressed ethnic, racial, or religious discrimination. On April 1 1947, The Saskatchewan Bill of Rights Act passed under Tommy Douglas, marking Canada’s first general law prohibiting discrimination.
The Act declared, “no one can deny to any person or class of persons the accommodation, services or facilities usually available to members of the public.” The Act also precluded anyone from posting discriminatory signs.
Ellen Fairclough served as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and radically reformed the country’s “White Canada” immigration policy, helping to reduce racial discrimination in Canada’s policies.
Leonard Braithwaite became the first Black person in a provincial legislature when he was elected the Liberal member for Etobicoke, Ontario, in 1963. In 1964, Braithwaite introduced legislation to remove the law that allowed segregated schools to exist.
Canada’s multiculturalism policy grew partly in reaction to the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism.
Jean Augustine was the first Black woman to be elected to the House of Commons in a federal Cabinet.
Donovan Bailey assumed the title of “World’s Fastest Human” by winning the 100-metre sprint at the World Track Championships in Göteborg, Sweden.
In 1962, the City of Halifax decided to demolish Africville, the historic Black neighbourhood of Halifax. Anti-Black racism combined with a drive for “urban renewal” led the city to threaten eviction of the neighbourhood’s property-owning Black residents if they did not voluntarily sell their properties and relocate. In 2010, the mayor of Halifax apologized for the destruction of Africville and provided compensation, on behalf of the City of Halifax.
Lincoln Alexander was elected Canada’s first Black MP representing Hamilton West, Ontario, from 1968 to 1980. In 1979, he was appointed Minister of Labour, becoming the country’s first Black federal Cabinet minister. Lincoln Alexander made history again by becoming the province’s first Black Lieutenant-Governor, serving from 1985 to 1991.
The City of Toronto’s Confronting Anti-Black Racism initiative is launched, following protests of Black Lives Matter Toronto and responding to decades of organizing, advocacy and government reports on anti-Black racism’s impacts on the well-being of Black Torontonians.
Toronto City Council votes unanimously to adopt the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism.
The City of Toronto’s first staff members begin working to support the implementation of the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism.
The Black Staff Network seeks to promote an inclusive workplace that provides professional development and mentorship for Black City staff, forums for members to meet and share knowledge, and provide coaching and networking opportunities.
This serves as an annual day to confront the effects and legacies of trauma from anti-Black racism on the mental health of Black communities.
The Toronto Board of Health affirms its commitment to continuing to address the social determinants of health by supporting policies and programs that address the inequities that marginalized groups continue to face, with a focus on Black communities and residents, including in the following areas: employment, education, housing, child care, policing and law enforcement, the criminal justice system, and access to health and mental health services.
The Confronting Anti-Black Racism Advisory Committee will provide expert advice to City Council on strategic and emerging issues to ensure City policies, programs and initiatives adequately serve people of African descent in Toronto.
Source: Historica Canada
Browse an Emancipation Month curated reading list of books and resources that can be used to help reflect, educate and engage in the on-going fight against anti-Black racism and discrimination.
Watch a recorded event from 2023 with Dr. Garvey, the son of civil rights activist Marcus Garvey, joined by community leader Aina-Nia Ayo’dele, discussing a range of issues, including Dr. Garvey’s experience with his father and present-day activism during the International Decade for People of African Descent.
Subscribe or follow the City of Toronto’s CultureTO and Toronto History Museums channels for the latest news about events and exhibits that happen year round honouring and celebrating both the past and present contributions of Toronto’s Black communities to the city.