Emancipation Day commemorates the abolition of slavery across the British Empire on Aug. 1. On that historic day in 1834, the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect, freeing more than 800,000 people of African descent in Canada and throughout the British Empire.
This year, House of Commons voted unanimously to designate Aug. 1 as Emancipation Day across Canada.
From Toronto’s Little Jamaica to Africville, Nova Scotia and the fields of Saskatoon, FreeUp! Emancipation Day 2021 will stream on Sunday, Aug. 1, at 1 p.m. ET on CBC Gem and YouTube. The program will feature music and performances from artists, expressing how they celebrate this day and the journey it took to get there.
Read more about 20 books by Black Canadian authors to read in honour of Emancipation Day 2021.