Emancipation Day celebrations continue across our region. On Monday, the Oakville Museum hosted a picnic.
READ MORE: Communities across Canada celebrate Emancipation Day
Over ten years ago, the Canadian Caribbean Association of Halton (CCAH) and the Town of Oakville joined forces to revive the Emancipation Day Picnic at the Oakville Museum.
It’s a day to mark August 1, 1834, when the British Empire proclaimed the end of slavery.
CCAH president, Sheldon Williams said, “Other people immigrate to this country on their own choice we came here as slaves. General trauma has impacted us for centuries.”
With events like these, Williams says the conversations continue and the community comes together and tackles the problem.
“Education is key. It’s the only way to a positive future,” Williams told CHCH News.
CCAH vice president, Richard Pinnock told CHCH News that the Oakville area is important because “this is the promised land where people got their first taste of freedom. Some of these beautiful trees, maybe they weren’t as big but they were on this very ground.”
If you would like to learn more about the Emancipation Day picnic or future events put on by the association click here.