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Launch of the Commemoration and
Memorialization of the Abolition of the
Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade |
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February 11, 2007
Welcome to City Hall
I am pleased to co-host the launch of the commemoration of the 200th Anniversary of the abolition of the British Trans-Atlantic Slave trade.
I want to acknowledge and thank Dr. Afua Cooper and the members of the CMAST committee for ensuring that this bi-centenary is made real for Torontonians.
In his address to the United Nations, the Honourable Justin Simcoe, Attorney General for Antigua and Barbuda stated:
"Slavery is today perhaps the most under-recognized crime against humanity in spite of its vicious displacement and brutal treatment of an entire race."
As we commemorate this bi-centenary, we must face our global and local history
- Estimates are that during the 4 centuries of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, over 50 million Africans were forcibly removed from their homes and taken to the Americas to labour in sugar, cotton and tobacco plantations
- 9 members of Upper Canada's Legislative Council owned slaves or were members of slave owning families
- the Black Loyalists who fought for the British during the American war of independence and then came to Canada, never received the fertile land they were promised
- the first recorded slave in Canada, Olivier Le Jeune, who arrived in 1628, was a mere child of 6 - younger than my own children - separated from family, torn from his home and sold into slavery
The atrocities of slavery enrage us all.
The stories of resistance inspire us all. The story of Chloe Cooley, the story of Marie Joseph Angelique and her struggle against the tyranny of slavery, are but two examples, and Dr. Cooper, we thank you for your work in keeping Marie Joseph Angelique's story alive.
We are also strengthened by those who stood up for what was right and fought for the abolition of slavery. Whether it was Governor John Graves Simcoe or Chief Justice Osgoode, or abolitionists such as Mary Ann Shadd, Henry Bibb or Thornton and Lucie Blackburn, whose harrowing flight to freedom is legendary and whose contribution to our City is only beginning to be fully recognized.
As we reflect on the legacy of slavery, it is incumbent upon us to also recognize and honour the immense contributions that people of African descent have made to the social, economic, political and cultural reality of our City and this continent.
I recently read an article that illustrated that North American society as we know it, could not function without the inventions of people of African descent.
I've often said that the history of the African Canadian community is also the history of our City. Toronto is recognized as being in the forefront of social change and the fight for social justice.
When the true history of our City and country is told, it is clear that African Canadians have been and continue to be at the forefront of making our City and our country, a better place to live.
It is therefore fitting that the launch of this bi-centenary is held here at Toronto City Hall.
Today, we commemorate our past, recognize the achievements and how far we've come as a community and as a city. But it is clear that we have a long way to go. One can not look at the history of Toronto's African Canadian community without seeing the ongoing struggle for fair treatment and equality of opportunity.
Our society has not fully come to terms with the lingering impact of the slave trade, which is at the heart of the injustice which people of African descent continue to face all over the world.
We must address the modern day versions of slavery - oppression, injustice and racism - whether in education, employment or the justice system.
The City of Toronto has made great strides in improving equitable access to services and employment. City Council has adopted many policies and programs aimed at eliminating racism and discrimination. We are implementing programs that help to strengthen communities.
But we recognize that it is not enough. That is why the City's Community Safety Plan provides for a special focus on African Canadian youth in relation to employment, training and educational opportunities. We recognize that community safety is not simply an absence of violence or reduction in crime.
It is social equity.
We have also launched the African Canadian Employees Pilot project - a two year program which focuses on removing barriers in hiring and promotion processes that affect African Canadian employees in exempt and management level positions. The project will include mentoring and internship programs and measures to increase management accountability for employment equity.
Kofi Anan said, "this 200th anniversary will be a powerful reminder of centuries of struggle and progress in combating slavery - but also of the fact that we still have not managed to eliminate it completely. Contemporary forms of slavery - from bonded labour to human trafficking - are flourishing as a result of discrimination, social exclusion and vulnerability exacerbated by poverty. Because of our failure to alleviate poverty, defend the human rights of all, and address impunity effectively, potential victims are unable to protect themselves against exploitation and abuse."
Dr. Martin Luther King, said, "The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood."
He also said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter".
I believe that together we can build a liveable city with opportunity for all.
I also believe that building prosperity is a shared dream and fighting despair a shared duty for all of us.
I want to again congratulate the community leaders and volunteers who have planned the commemoration program which we are launching today.
In recognition of the 200th anniversary, I have issued a proclamation which reads as follows:
International Day for the Commemoration of the
200th Anniversary of the Abolition of the
Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
March 25, 2007
WHEREAS on November 20, 2006 the United Nations General Assembly designated March 25, 2007 as the "International Day for the Commemoration of the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
Commemoration of the 1807 decision by the British Parliament to abolish the slave trade, acknowledges that this trade in human lives is a crime against humanity and that the forced transportation of millions of Africans as slaves, among the worst violations of human rights.
This anniversary is a time to honour the memory of those who died as a result of slavery or who resisted enslavement, and to acknowledge that the legacy of slavery is at the heart of social and economic inequality and racism which continue to affect people of African descent.
The history of Canadians of African descent and the struggle against slavery, racism and inequality has been central to the history of Toronto. In 1793, Governor Simcoe passed the Abolition Act to prohibit the importation of slaves thereby becoming the first jurisdiction in the British Empire to move towards the abolition of slavery and establishing Toronto's importance as a hub in the "underground railroad."
NOW THEREFORE, I, Mayor David Miller, do hereby proclaim March 25, 2007 as the "International Day for the Commemoration of the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade" in the City of Toronto.
Mayor David Miller
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