Pan-African flag-raising at Georgina Civic Centre celebrates Emancipation Day

By Mike Anderson

While Americans celebrate Juneteenth, a federal holiday which commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S., Canadians now have their own day to mark the end of slavery in Canada.

It’s called Emancipation Day.

Emancipation Day, celebrated in many of Britain’s former colonies, marks the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act (1833) on August 1, 1834, by the British Parliament, formally abolishing slavery across the British Empire.

On March 24, 2021, the House of Commons voted unanimously to designate August 1 as Emancipation Day in Canada — although it stopped short of declaring it a national holiday.

“Emancipation Day celebrates the strength and perseverance of Black communities in Canada,” the Government of Canada website states.

Every August 1, Canadians are invited to “reflect, educate and engage in the ongoing fight against anti-Black racism and discrimination.”

On August 1, a small crowd of 30 people, including members of Georgina’s Black community, gathered in front of the Georgina Civic Centre to raise the Pan-African flag to celebrate Emancipation Day.

The flag-raising was led by Kendra Mullings, a Keswick resident who is also a member of the Georgina Equity & Diversity Advisory Committee (GEDAC) and marks the first time the Pan-African flag has been officially raised at the Civic Centre.

“The raising of the Pan-African flag in Georgina means a lot to me; it signifies a wider change in attitude and recognizes my presence as a part of this community. It recognizes the history of people like me. It tells the truth. It gives a moment of cultural justice,” Mullings said in her opening remarks.

But, for Mullings, a mother of three, born in Jamaica and raised in Canada, the event was also an opportunity to point out that anti-Black racism persists in Georgina.

“Having my sons and my daughter see the flag raised and to feel that they matter and that they are part of this community is so important,” Mullings said. “Because they haven’t always felt that way. My son is visibly Black. He was called the N-word at school by another child. He was also harassed by a group of boys on the school bus who used racial slurs.”

“Often, children don’t know what they’re saying. They may have heard it in the media. It’s not necessarily a reflection on the parents or anything like that. But my issue was with the school and the wider community. It was brushed off as, oh, well, these things happen.”

Many of the speakers at the event also pointed out the need to address anti-Black racism in Georgina and York Region.

Josie Rose, a social worker, social activist and Chair of the York Regional Police Community Advisory Council (PCAC), argued that changes are still needed to eliminate systemic anti-Black racism, including disproportionately high incarceration rates for Black males, Black students facing racial slurs in York Region schools, and landlords discriminating against Black tenants.

“Emancipation Day allows us to face our history, which has been erased and continues to be erased. It is working to bring the history of slavery out of the shadows and into the light,” Rose said.

“This symbolic day is also an opportunity to address the road that remains to be travelled. We need more from Canadians and governments than just an acknowledgement that there is a shameful history. Observing a historical moment is one thing, but doing something proactive to address the legacy is another.”

GEDAC Chair Andrew Snowball, who also spoke at the event, noted that while 2016 census data indicates that one per cent of the people in Georgina identify themselves as Black – nearly 700 people – a recent survey of residents found that 61 per cent of respondents agreed that more needs to be done to address racism and specifically anti-Black racism.

“One per cent of our community is Black, 60 per cent of the people who live here think racism and specifically anti-Black racism is an issue that we need to focus on,” Snowball said.

“We want to celebrate and empower folks in the Black community. But our committee is focused on the elimination of anti-Black racism, which is prevalent in our community.”

Still, Snowball acknowledged that some progress is being made, pointing out that council recently passed a resolution recognizing the UN Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2025).

“We’re about six years late to the party, but we’re getting there,” Snowball said.

Mayor Quirk, who was joined by Councillors Mike Waddington and Dave Neeson, also acknowledged the challenges that Black residents face in Georgina.

“We all know racism is alive and well in our community. We’re not unlike many communities across Ontario and Canada. But it’s what we do to try and combat that,” Mayor Quirk said.

“We need to stand up, and we need not just to be a bystander, but an upstander. We need to have the courage to stand up and say, no, you can’t say that. That’s not right.”

“We’re all the same, in terms of wanting to raise our families in our community and to see them thrive and grow. We all have the same values. We may have been late to the party, but we’re here now. And that’s what’s important.”

“The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. And I think this is our first step in recognizing and combating the anti-Black racism that exists everywhere.”

While Mullings also believes the flag-raising is an essential first step, she argues more needs to be done to combat racism and promote inclusivity in Georgina.

“It’s a beautiful beginning and a great start. But it’s not enough. Unless we are actually making changes at a system level in our education system, in our housing system, you know these systems are supposed to be for everyone. Unless we start making changes there, none of this really matters.”

But Mullings is hopeful the wider community is beginning to turn a corner of sorts.

The Town recently supported an online version of her educational initiative Black Saturday School, which teaches kids about Black history in Canada.

And there is a promise to make the celebration of Emancipation Day, and the raising of the Pan-African flag an annual event at the Civic Centre.

“I’m very happy to see the wider shift in mindset in the community of Georgina. I think we’re going in a very positive direction, and it’s nice to have the support of council and the Mayor,” Mullings said.

“But I want to see where we are five years from now. Have we just jumped on the bandwagon and put on a show for the time being, or are we continuing to do the work and make this a safer place for everyone?”