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9781554887170_INT_0204_002



Dissent and Diminution

Only through hardship, sacrifice, and militant action can freedom be won. The struggle is my life. I will continue fighting for freedom until the end of my days.

— Nelson Mandela, The Struggle is My Life, 1978.

In the immediate aftermath of the Emancipation Act, there was no general consensus among Blacks in Canadian cities and towns as to how Emancipation Day should be acknowledged or even if it warranted any recognition at all. African Canadians were not then, and are not today, a homogeneous group. They came from different social, economic, religious, and educational backgrounds, all of which influenced the organization of and participation in the celebrations. Even among those who agreed that the abolition of slavery of African people should receive some form of public observance, there was a divergence of opinion on what should be celebrated, how it should be celebrated, and on what should be remembered or forgotten.

While a portion of Blacks felt that no one should ever forget the horrors and atrocities of enslavement that their ancestors endured, another camp contended that the act of freeing enslaved Blacks should not be celebrated because the passing of that piece of legislation was the right, just, and moral thing to do. They wanted to forget pieces of the past, primarily the enslavement of Africans, because they felt that slavery was a degrading, painful experience that bred racial humiliation, fed the contempt of the larger society, and increased prejudice and contempt from Whites. The argument was made that the common history of people of African descent should not focus on the slave history. Instead this public platform should be used to remember and pay tribute to useful, positive experiences and contributions made by people of African descent.

Thousands, as evidenced by the attendance of these affairs, were in accordance that Emancipation Day should be commemorated by all people, inclusive of both Black and White citizens who admire liberty and justice, and not just an occasion for Blacks to thank Britain for a free life and opportunities in Canada.

Some African Canadians completely opposed any form of commemoration and boycotted Emancipation Day, because Blacks continued to face racial discrimination in all facets of their lives. This sentiment persisted well into the early 1900s, espoused by those who felt there was nothing to celebrate because Africans did not receive anything to be joyous about. There should be no celebration for justice. One person who held this view was Dr. Anderson Ruffin Abbott, who expressed there was not “any cause for jubilation” and provided a scenario to support his opinion: “if I am robbed by a highwayman and he afterwards returns my property, my first efforts would be directed towards bringing the thief to justice instead of jubilating over the recovery of what I had been wantonly deprived.”1

In places that held regular commemorations, occasional boycotts were organized by individuals who wished to make a public statement about a particular grievance. An example of this would be the demonstrations in St. Catharines in 1871 to protest segregated common schools and in Chatham in 1874 when anti-Black racism was widespread.

Others saw Emancipation Day as a buyout, citing the £20 million compensation package slave masters in all British possessions, except Canada, received from the British government as merely another purchase of African slaves and not a “true victory of rights seized by those in held in bondage.” As such, from this perspective no festivities were necessary.

Shortly after Confederation and the end of the American Civil War, there was an increase in complaints against Emancipation Day celebrations made by some members of the Black community, an increase that correlates with the decrease in Canada’s Black population. In the 1870s there was a mass migration of Blacks moving back to the United States from centres that had high populations of people of African descent — especially from such towns in Ontario as Windsor, Chatham, and St. Catharines, and from Victoria, British Columbia. They were followed by Canadian-born Blacks in search of better prospects. There was growing objection to celebrating freedom when the democratic rights of Blacks were being blatantly infringed, with segregated schools, restricted public access, and the denial of jury duty. The decrease in African-Canadian residents in some areas resulted in the decline and gradual end of large Emancipation Day observances. Tied to this was the fact that many felt that the need to express gratitude to Britain had run its course. And there was yet another opposing point of view regarding these grand events. Some felt that the money spent to put on these often elaborate functions could be better spent in helping less fortunate, struggling workers who barely earned enough to sustain their families.

In the early 1900s there was a steady decline in the number of August First celebrations in particular towns and cities. Festivities occurred less frequently and interest began to wane, not only in Canada but in other regions in the United States and the Caribbean that acknowledged the anniversary.

Author Mitchell Kachun identifies several reasons for the downturn. The elders — those former freedom seekers who were able to provide vivid, first-hand accounts of the experiences of bondsmen and bondswomen or retell the stories connected to the anti-slavery movement — were few and far between. Consequently, the original meaning of the date being observed was fading away.

Secondly, once slavery was abolished in the United States, there was a decrease in interest from the White community in Black social issues. Another factor contributing to the decline in this type of celebration was the gradual disappearance of the communal experience as part of the fabric of life. It was being replaced by the proliferation of other social outlets and the rise of popular culture. When gambling and more alcohol consumption were integrated into Emancipation Day as acceptable social practices, the conduct of the “once well-ordered crowds” became negatively influenced. The speeches and lectures that previously educated and informed gatherers no longer captivated audiences as they preferred other ways of gaining knowledge about African history and were more interested in mass entertainment. Newer generations felt less of a need to maintain the level of social and political activism subscribed to by their forefathers and foremothers.2 The increased social integration of African Canadians into mainstream society, including interracial marriages, also had an impact. As Colin McFarquhar surmised, an event that reminded “Blacks of their previous low positions as slaves and … whites of their role in keeping them in servitude hardly seemed … subjects to discuss continually.”3 This was not something that some people from either race wanted to attend, especially those in a personal interracial relationship.

While certain locations witnessed the demise of Emancipation Day, other sites continued to hold annual festivals, and others still experienced an expansion of participation. The end of the nineteenth century was the beginning of a period of transformation.