Yellowknife marks Emancipation Day with reflection and celebration
Over a hundred people gathered at Yellowknife's Somba K'e Civic Plaza for Emancipation Day on Saturday. They were there to learn and reflect on the history of slavery in Canada and to celebrate Yellowknife's Black community.
It was the third annual Emancipation Day celebration organized by Black Advocacy Coalition up North (BACupNorth).
The event ran from noon to to 4 p.m., with free food, cultural presentations, an art display, and live music by the Yellowknives Dene Drummers and Munya Mataruse and friends.
Grace Nchangnwi attended with her family.
"Emancipation day to us, it's freedom," she said. "It's a special day."
Grace Nchangnwi and her son Bryson proudly honoured their heritage in traditional clothing with colours from the flag of Cameroon, where Grace was born and raised. (Jared Monkman/CBC)
Canada has officially recognised Aug. 1 as Emancipation Day since 2021, marking the day the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 went into effect in 1834. The act ended slavery in the British Empire, including Canada.
Gilbert Langsi, who helped organize this year's celebration, said Emancipation Day presents an important opportunity to educate Canadians about this history.
"There's this old adage in my Native language that says, 'If you don't know where you're coming from, you can't definitely know where you're going to,'" he explained.
"This is to know our history as Black people, and also to educate those who don't know so we can all together work collectively towards our struggles and move ahead... Where I am today, where we are, all of us as a collective, is because somebody taught for this."
There was music from Munya Mataruse and friends at Yellowknife Emancipation Day celebrations. (Jared Monkman/CBC)
But there was also a lot of joy, as people of all ages danced along to the music and enjoyed the sun. BACupNorth founder Ambe Chenemu said it was by design.
"Hopefully, what we're portraying in this event is that what we're winning," Chenemu said.
"We have a community that supports one another to create better memories, a better journey, for those that are coming behind us."
