The trans-Atlantic Slave Trade is one of many foundations for modern-day slavery, human trafficking, racism, as well as the inequalities that affect Indigenous, Black, and other marginalized communities across the world today. From the early 1600s to 1800s slavery was practiced in Canada. Abolished in 1833, the end of slavery and the trans-Atlantic slave trade did not mean that the negative attitudes, stereotypes, and beliefs about Black people disappeared. It also does not mean that the social, cultural and economic inequalities inherited from the trans-Atlantic slave trade vanished.
These inequalities live on today. In Toronto, it takes on the form of anti-Black racism and other types of systemic discrimination. This can be seen in the individuals, events and histories we choose to commemorate in public spaces, as well as in the disparities Black communities face accessing services such as childcare, education, employment, housing and healthcare.
This is a part of our shared history. Acknowledging and confronting the past, allows us as a city to continue to advance efforts to address anti-Black racism and all other forms of systemic discrimination.
Commemorative initiatives such as Emancipation Month and the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent confront the past in order to change the future through understanding how past actions impact our collective present and is crucial as we work toward building an inclusive city for all. Here are some ways you can learn about the legacies of slavery:
Kanisha Dabreo, a member of Toronto’s Black artist community AstroSankofa Arts Initiatives, was commissioned to create a special digital triptych (a work of art divided into three sections or panels) that brings to life the campaign theme of Confront the Past, Change the Future. The three-panel piece tells a powerful narrative from the past to the future.
In the first panel, a close-up of a woman holding a lantern symbolizes the pre-emancipation era, honouring the enslaved people who courageously paved the way for us today. This figure embodies key named and unnamed women – such as Harriet Tubman, Carlota Lucumi, Rosa Parks – our ancestors and everyday heroes. The lantern’s light forms a silhouette of the Sankofa bird Adinkra symbol, representing the importance of remembering our past to shape a better future. This Adinkra symbol is associated with the proverb, “Se wo were fi na wosankofa a yenkyi,” which translates to “it is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.”
Within the rays of this light, the commemoration of Emancipation Day is illustrated in the second panel. Representing the present, the middle panel depicts crowds of people engaging in celebration with their hands outstretched to the sky and dancers adorned in colourful attire, symbolizing the activities of today. The dancers have their arms raised and outstretched like the wings of birds ready to take flight, representing freedom. Behind the dancers is an open sky with clouds and confetti, further illustrating themes of freedom and celebration.
The final panel features the Sankofa (bird) symbol with the egg reimagined as a futuristic portal. Inside, two children walk toward a galaxy to depict the vast future of possibilities for the next generation. This panel is an Afrofuturistic element emphasizing continued progress and a hopeful future.
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