Emancipation Day in Canada

Happy Emancipation Day!

On August 1st, 1834, slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire, which includes Canada. History is, of course, quite a bit messier than a flick of a switch, and while we in Canada are often proud of our diversity and multi-culturalism and especially things like our Underground Railroad, we also have had slavery, bigotry, and overt and systemic racism with effects lasting to today.

Toronto recently released information on COVID-19 infection rates based on race, as well as by other measures, and it would surprise no one to see how it has disproportionately affected Black and other racialized communities.

To celebrate Emancipation Day, we’ve made a $500 donation to Black Health Alliance, a community-led charity that works across Canada to address and improve the racial disparities in health outcomes of Black communities.