The official designation of Emancipation Day three years ago has sparked a “groundswell of awareness” regarding the history of slavery in Canada, according to Russell Grosse, executive director of the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia. Grosse emphasized that while it is crucial to celebrate the resilience and achievements of people of African descent, it is equally important to reflect on the enduring impact of slavery on their communities.

“It’s a time for sober reflection on the ills of slavery and its lasting effects,” Grosse stated. “Some of the trauma inflicted by slavery still reverberates in our communities today.”

The significance of Emancipation Day and the legacy of the Jamaican Maroons in Nova Scotia were highlighted during a ceremony held at Citadel Hill in Halifax on Thursday. Emancipation Day, officially recognized by the House of Commons and the provincial legislature in 2021, commemorates the day the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 came into effect in 1834, ending slavery in the British Empire, including Canada.

During the ceremony, Lt.-Gov. Arthur LeBlanc addressed the ongoing legacy of slavery, noting that systemic inequalities, racial discrimination, and marginalization continue to affect African Nova Scotians. The event also featured the unveiling of a plaque dedicated to the Jamaican Maroons, celebrating their historic contributions to the province.

The Jamaican Maroons were formerly enslaved Africans who escaped and established independent communities in Jamaica, defying British colonial authorities. In 1795, the Maroons initiated an uprising known as the Second Maroon War. After a truce in 1796, the British authorities deported them to Nova Scotia to address a labor shortage caused by the departure of Black Loyalists to Africa.

Marsha Coore Lobban, Jamaican high commissioner to Canada, speaking at the plaque unveiling, said, “Although their time in Nova Scotia was short, lasting only four years, the Maroons’ legacy is one of pride, defiance, and resilience,” Lobban said.

The ceremony underscored the importance of recognizing and understanding the complex history of slavery and the contributions of marginalized communities in shaping Canada’s history.

  Halifax-Declaration, NovaScotia