July 31, members of the 14 Wing Greenwood Defence Racialized Persons Advisory Group, with base personnel and community friends, held a Pan-African flag-raising event at the base main gate to mark the August 1 Emancipation Day.
March 24, 2021, the Canadian House of Commons voted unanimously to officially designate August 1 as Emancipation Day, marking the actual day in 1834 the Slavery Abolition Act
of 1833 came into effect across the British Empire. Canadians are not always aware Black and Indigenous Peoples were once enslaved on the land that is now Canada.
Those who fought enslavement were pivotal in shaping our society to be as diverse as it is today. Therefore, each August 1, Canadians are invited to reflect, educate and engage in the ongoing fight against both anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism and discrimination.
Emancipation Day celebrates the strength and perseverance of Black communities in Canada.
