Emancipation Day Celebrations in Ontario
By Natasha L. Henry B.A. (Honours), B. Ed.

August 1st, 2010 marks the 176th anniversary of Emancipation Day. Emancipation Day celebrations have been a red letter day on the social calendar of Black Ontarians early as 1835. The abolition of the enslavement of Africans in British colonies on August 1, 1834 was commemorated in parts of the Caribbean, the United States, and in villages and large centres in Canada with street processions, speeches, banquets, balls/ parties, musical concerts, and church services. August First has been commemorated in places across Ontario including: Amherstburg, Brantford, Chatham, Collingwood, Dawn, Dresden, Hamilton, Kitchener London, Niagara Falls, Oakville, Oro, Owen Sound, Oxford County, Queen’s Bush,Sandwich, St. Catharines, Toronto and Windsor.

The enactment of the 1793 Anti-slavery Act by Governor John Graves Simcoe recognized Ontario’s (then Upper Canada) leading role as the first British colony to move towards ending African slavery. However, this historical legislation only reduced the number of Africans in bondage through gradual abolition. By 1819 the majority of the remaining Black slaves held in Upper Canada were officially free. Then on August 28, 1833 the passage of An Act for the Abolition of Slavery throughout the British Colonies; for promoting the Industry of the manumitted Slaves; and for compensating the Persons hitherto entitled to the Services of such Slaves (citation 3 & 4 Will IV, c. 73), the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 for short, liberated several million enslaved Africans in most British colonies, including a small number in Canada on August 1st 1834. Still millions more in colonies such as Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados, and South Africa would have to wait until 1838 to obtain their full freedom. This long awaited day had to be rejoiced by former slaves and abolitionists, both Black and White.

Ontario’s diverse Black population in the 1800s comprised of Canadian-born Africans, some likely the descendants of local slaves, Black Loyalist descendants, and free Blacks and fugitive slaves from the United States. Hundreds of these individuals, out-of-town guests from surrounding towns and nearby American centres, along with Native and White community members celebrated African liberation at various locations in Ontario.

There are many traditional features to Emancipation Day commemorations. Thanksgiving church services were an integral part of Emancipation Day observances. Celebrants attended many different churches: African Methodist Episcopal, British Methodist Episcopal, Baptist, Anglican, and Wesleyan denominations for poignant sermon and speeches, fellowship, and entertainment. Parading was an important public ritual in the 1800s and was a significant component of August First. Marchers led by musical bands walked for miles, publicly displaying colourful banners, emblems, ribbons, flags, and signs. Hundreds of people, Black, White, and Native observers watched the public demonstrations that included a strong military presence with the participation of Black soldiers.

Emancipation Day also provided the opportunity for camaraderie among citizens and visitors. People of different racial, economic, and social backgrounds worshipped together, ate together, partied together, and built important community networks. It was a public arena where the evolving social interaction between races and gender during the Victorian era act became evident.

The first of August observances in emerging urban centres and smaller towns were an opportunity for newly freed slaves to demonstrate their patriotism and allegiance to the British crown and gratitude for freedom. They were also used to mobilize people in the fight to end American slavery and as a platform to bring awareness to the many social and political issues faced by African Canadians well into the twentieth century.

While certain locations witnessed the demise of Emancipation Day by the early 1900s, other sites continued to hold annual festivals, and others still experienced an expansion of participation. It is commemorated today in Owen Sound organized by the Emancipation Festival; in Toronto under the auspices of the Ontario Black History Society; in Dresden at Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site; in Ancaster at Griffin House/ Fieldcote Memorial Park and Museum; in Windsor sponsored by the Windsor Council of Elders and Emancipation Planning Committee with the support of several other community organizations and the City of Windsor; in Oakville in partnership with the Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton and the Oakville Museum at Erchless Estate; and in St. Catharines at the St. Catharines Museum and by local descendants of early Black settlers at a family reunion picnic. Other events held in Toronto such as Caribana, the Irie Music Festival, and Jambana all have roots in Emancipation Day celebrations in the Caribbean islands.

In the push for the legal recognition of Emancipation Day both in Ontario and Canada Bill 111 was passed into law at Queen’s Park in 2008 to officially recognize the first of August as Emancipation Day in Ontario. The Ontario Black History Society lobbied MPP’s and the premier of Ontario to enact acknowledgement of Canada’s history of enslavement and its role as a haven for fugitive American slaves.

Emancipation Day continues to be a remembrance of celebration of the horrific and triumphant experiences and sacrifices of people of African descent and their strength in overcoming insurmountable adversity and challenges in all aspects of life in Canada. It also acknowledges the extensive history and contributions of African- nation-wide and the need to continue the fight for global human rights.