Emancipation Day – August 1, 2022

Dufferin County Canadian Black Association’s President was proud to submit a proclamation request to both the Town of Shelburne and Dufferin County to formally recognize Emancipation Day on August 1st, 2021.

The proclamation from the County can be viewed in the picture while the Town of Shelburne’s proclamation can be viewed below.

Source: Town of Shelburne

August 1, 2021 as Emancipation Day in the Town of Shelburne

WHEREAS August 1, 1834 was the date that slavery was abolished throughout the British Colonies by King William IV pursuant to the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833; and

WHEREAS within fifteen years of the abolition of slavery, between 35,000 and 40,000 Black settlers made their way to Ontario, in large part, by the Underground Railroad into Southwestern Ontario;

NOW THEREFORE as an expression of our respect for human liberty and freedom and in recognition of the richness of the culture and history brought to Ontario by African Canadians, I, Mayor Wade Mills, do hereby proclaim August 1, 2021 as Emancipation Day in the Town of Shelburne.

Resources:

The story of slavery in Canadian history - It happened here, too

Snow-Job: Why is Black Slavery “Whited Out” in Canadian History?