Education a priority for Emancipation Day activities in Yellowknife

The president of a Black advocacy group in Yellowknife says Monday's free Emancipation Day event is both an opportunity to celebrate the strength and diversity of the area's Black community and to educate people about what emancipation means.

On Aug. 1, 1834, the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect, marking the end of slavery in the British Empire and freeing more 800,000 enslaved people in most British colonies, including Canada. The House of Commons voted unanimously to designate the date as Emancipation Day in March 2021.

According to Ambe Chenemu, the president of the non-profit Black Advocacy Coalition (BACupNorth), many people don't know what it means to be emancipated. 

"So we're bringing out a couple of folks within our community to talk about what it means to them personally and to share short messages," he said. 

The government of Canada website notes that in the book Canada's Forgotten Slaves: Two Hundred Years of Bondage Quebec historian Marcel Trudel estimated that approximately 4,200 people who were Indigenous and Black were enslaved between 1671 and 1831 in the area of Canada known as Nouvelle France, and later in Upper and Lower Canada.

Chenemu said it's important to explain the significance of the day, especially because the federal government only recently recognized the date. 

"There's a lot of education that still needs to happen, not just here in the North, as well across Canada," he said.

"And I think what we're doing here as a Black advocacy group is to do our own part and play our own role in spreading the message and also finding those opportunities to discuss."

The event, which is scheduled to start at Somba K'e park at 2 p.m., will include a barbecue and performances by local artists. 

WATCH | The FreeUp! 2022 Emancipation Day Special streaming on CBC Gem: