A number of events will take place on Tuesday in Toronto to mark the start of Emancipation Month.
From noon to 2:30 p.m. today, the Blackhurst Cultural Centre will host a community walk to commemorate this important milestone for descendants of enslaved Africans.
Co-sponsored by the city’s Confronting Anti-Black Racism unit, the event will begin at the Blackhurst Cultural Centre at 777 Bathurst St. and run westward along Bloor Street West to Christie Pits Park at 750 Bloor St. W. Pannists and other performers will be stationed on sidewalks along the way.
At 12:30 p.m., the City of Toronto will host a flag-raising ceremony and community gathering will be held Tuesday afternoon outside Toronto City Hall.
The gathering will take place at the podium roof and will include raising the Black Liberation flag, remarks from City staff and Black community leaders, and a performance from saxophonist Rudy Ray.
The city will also host Black Liberation flag raising ceremonies today outside the Scarborough, Etobicoke, East York, and York civic centres.
The Toronto sign will also be illuminated today in the red, black, and green Pan-African colours.
The City of Toronto has recognized the struggle for human rights and the rich contributions made by people of African descent and celebrate the abolition of slavery by roclaiming August as Emancipation Month since 2019. It has also proclaimed Emancipation Day since 1998 as well as the International Decade for People of African Descent annually since March 2019.
The Ontario Black History Society will also be hosting an Emancipation Day event this afternoon at Fort York.
Emancipation Day at Fort York aims to celebrate Toronto’s diverse Black communities through performances, food, music, art, and presentations. The event will run from 4 to 8 p.m. and all are welcome.
Last night, hundreds of people gathered at Union and Downsview Park stations for the 10th annual Underground Freedom Train Ride. The unique event, which was hosted by the Toronto Transit Commission, in support of Blackhurst Cultural Centre (formerly A Different Booklist Cultural Centre), was held to commemorate the abolition of slavery in the British Empire.
Emancipation Day marks the freeing from slavery of more than 800,000 Africans in British-controlled regions around the world including Canada and is observed annually on Aug. 1, the day that the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect in 1833.
A range of special events will also be taking place throughout the city during Emancipation Month. A full list of the activities can be viewed online.
