Celebrations planned for first Emancipation Day in P.E.I.

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — P.E.I.’s Black Cultural Society is preparing for Prince Edward Island’s first official Emancipation Day celebration. 

Final March, P.E.I.’s legislature handed the Emancipation Day Proclamation Act, which formally acknowledges Aug. 1 as Emancipation Day – the date when slavery was abolished in most British colonies in 1834. 

Final 12 months, the Black Cultural Society celebrated Emancipation Day, nevertheless it wasn’t formally acknowledged within the Island legislature.

Tamara Steele, government director of P.E.I.’s Black Cultural Society, mentioned it’s essential to have P.E.I.’s legislature formally acknowledge Emancipation Day as a result of there’s a historical past of slavery on P.E.I. earlier than Confederation. 

“It’s a method to acknowledge P.E.I.’s historical past with slavery, P.E.I.’s historical past with Black communities and Black folks that for thus lengthy had gone unacknowledged (and) hasn’t been taught in colleges,” Steele mentioned. “It’s a extremely essential present of religion to P.E.I.’s Black communities that there’s dedication throughout the authorities to do higher and be higher for Black populations.” 

In 1781, P.E.I., then referred to as Saint John’s Island, was the one British North American (pre-Confederation Canada) colony to cross the Slave Act in its legislature. 

Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly mentioned it’s only honest to have Emancipation Day laws in P.E.I. since there as soon as have been slave possession legal guidelines. 

“If slavery was written within the legal guidelines of Prince Edward Island and the legal guidelines of Britain, it must be acknowledged that it (ended) and we’ve got to do higher. So, let’s put it within the legal guidelines that we will have a good time our freedom,” he mentioned. “It’s actually a celebration for everybody on Prince Edward Island to have a good time their freedoms, regardless of the color of their pores and skin.”

The theme of this 12 months’s Emancipation Day celebration is What does freedom imply to you? From 10 a.m. till 2 p.m., the Black Cultural Society will host a sequence of panel discussions, one among which entails discussions with youth descendants of the Lavatory – a former neighbourhood (round Rochford Sq.) that turned a settlement for former Black slaves within the nineteenth century. 

Steele acknowledges that not all Black communities in P.E.I. have a good time Emancipation Day of their residence international locations, so this 12 months, she is planning a dialogue through the day entitled Emancipation vs Independence.

“We wish to have interaction in a dialogue this 12 months that may assist deliver that group of individuals into the dialogue and assist to show them why this present day is essential and why this present day is essential for all of us as a folks,” Steele mentioned.

From 6 p.m., there will likely be speeches, music and dance performances, spoken phrase poetry, flag shows and delicacies from a number of Black communities. 

Within the coming years, Steele hopes Emancipation Day turns into a no-work vacation.

“Slavery was one of the vital atrocious issues that occurred in world historical past, and I believe it ought to be a vacation identical to some other independence day for some other nation,” she mentioned. 

McNeilly mentioned P.E.I.’s authorities is taking the essential steps in making Black communities really feel at residence, however much more must be completed.

“Our public service would not measure variety knowledge the best way it ought to. Our authorities has made guarantees to present funding to the neighborhood that they haven’t offered, so they aren’t within the clear about this.”

Steele agrees. She additionally believes that diversifying authorities positions would assist Black communities much more. 

“We’re speaking about opening up authorities hiring practices. We’re speaking about placing folks of color, placing Black folks in positions of authority, in decision-making roles and management roles,” she mentioned.