This Tuesday, Aug. 1 marks Nova Scotia’s third annual Emancipation Day—a day to reflect on the history and impacts of slavery in Canada. On that day in 1834, the Slavery Abolition Act took effect across the British empire. It freed over 800,000 enslaved Africans across the Caribbean, South Africa and here in Canada, too.
Halifax’s history is not exempt from slavery’s legacy, either: The port city hosted slaver’s ships, and the last ship to transport Africans to slavery was captained by a Nova Scotian.
As art historian Charmaine Nelson, founder of the Institute for the Study of Canadian Slavery told The Coast in 2021, “We’re in a nation that has never apologized for slavery—and broadly, never had any level of governments acknowledge that slavery ever happened in Canada.
“We understand that because slavery ends doesn’t mean that racism ends. We have… a world where anti-Black racism has been the foundation.”
But the day is also about Black resilience—and Black excellence. Here’s a look at what’s happening around the HRM to mark the occasion:
1. Join the Pan-African flag-raising at City Hall. The first Emancipation Day event on Tuesday, Aug. 1 begins at 9am at the Grand Parade (1770 Barrington Street). Halifax mayor Mike Savage will deliver a municipal proclamation reading, and city staff will raise a Pan-African flag above City Hall. Can’t make it in-person? The ceremony will also be live streamed on YouTube.
2. Visit the Dalhousie Art Gallery for a “journey through African Nova Scotian quilts.”
Drop in from 1 to 5pm on Tuesday, Aug. 1 and Wednesday, Aug. 2 for a full day of exhibitions at the Dalhousie Art Gallery (6101 University Avenue). All day on Tuesday, the gallery will host 30-minute highlight tours. Then, at at 1:30pm on Wednesday, curator David Woods will deliver a talk about the quiltmaking traditions of African Nova Scotians, including “the origins of the Underground Railroad patterns.” At 2:30pm on Wednesday, quilter Heather Cromwell of the Vale Quilters Association—the only Black quilters guild in Nova Scotia—will lead an exhibition tour. Then, at 4pm on Wednesday, visitors are invited to bring in their own family quilts and share the stories behind them. Admission is free.
3. See spoken word performances and live music at the Grand Parade. The festivities return to the Grand Parade (1770 Barrington Street) from 6 to 9:30pm on Aug. 1. Canadian senator Wanda Thomas Bernard—a founding member and past-president of the Association of Black Social Workers, and the first African Nova Scotian tenure-track professor at Dalhousie University—will offer remarks. So, too, will HRM councillor Lindell Smith, mayor Mike Savage and Tracey Jones-Grant, managing director of the HRM’s office of diversity and inclusion.
Then, the party kicks off: Halifax’s youth poet laureates, Damini Awoyiga and Asiah Sparks, will perform spoken word pieces, followed by drumming, dancing and entertainment from Halifax dance duo Wontanara Drum & Dance, R&B/funk ensemble Asia & NuGruv, Afrobeat collective Rhythms of Africa, rapper/singer Jupiter Reign and deejay Evolution HD.
4. Enjoy the ANSMA Freedom Festival at Alderney Landing. The Emancipation Day-themed ceremonies continue on Sunday, Aug. 6 with the African Nova Scotian Music Association’s Freedom Festival. This year, the showrunners have put together both a gospel and hip hop lineup of performers, with the likes of Adina Fraser and Revello Smith headlining the former, and JRDN, Universal Soul and DJ Bucky Blanks starring in the latter. Industry mainstay Tremayne “Trobiz” Howe will host the hip hop showcase at Alderney Landing from 6:30 to 9:45pm, while the gospel showcase will run from 2 to 5pm.
—With files from Morgan Mullin.
