Emancipation Day 2025 Commemorated

Nova Scotia will mark Emancipation Day today, August 1, recognizing Britain’s abolition of slavery across its empire in 1834.

Emancipation Day acknowledges the history and ongoing impacts of the transatlantic slave trade on people of African descent and African Nova Scotians.

“Emancipation Day is a time to remember, reflect and recommit,” said Premier Tim Houston. “It reminds us of the resilience of people of African descent and African Nova Scotians and challenges us to strengthen inclusion, justice and equity across our province.”

This year’s theme is Harbouring Freedom: Honouring the Past, Shaping the Future.

A series of events will recognize Emancipation Day. A flag raising at Province House at 9 a.m. and a reception on the Halifax waterfront at 11 a.m. will be livestreamed at: https://www.youtube.com/@bcc_ns. There will also be community gatherings throughout the province. Details and a full schedule are available at: https://emancipationdayns.ca/.

Quotes:

“On the Halifax waterfront, the Atlantic once carried enslaved African people to our shores and later carried 1,200 Black Loyalists seeking freedom in Sierra Leone. Those waters held pain and injustice, but also resilience and hope. Emancipation Day reminds us that we must confront racism and continue the work of building a more just future.”
— Twila Grosse, Minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs

Quick Facts:

• Nova Scotia designated August 1 as Emancipation Day on April 13, 2021
• the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 took effect in 1834 and freed about 800,000 enslaved people of African descent throughout the British colonies
• during the time of enslavement, more than 15 million African women, men and children were victims of the transatlantic slave trade
• the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is observed on August 23, recognizing the 1791 uprisings in Haiti and the Dominican Republic that led to liberation from European colonizers
• in 2022, the Jamaican Maroons in Nova Scotia were designated as being of national historic significance under Parks Canada’s National Program of Historical Commemoration, with a plaque unveiled at the Halifax Citadel

Additional Resources:

News release – Legislation Recognizes Emancipation Day in Nova Scotia: https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20210413007

Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia: https://bccns.com

African Nova Scotian Affairs – Commemorating Emancipation Day: https://ansa.novascotia.ca/content/commemorating-emancipation-day