Emancipation 2025: Through the Middle Passage

_{“Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
 I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
 I rise
 I rise
 I rise.”}

_{—Excerpt from And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou}

Note: This blog post contains mentions of enslavement, the Middle Passage, and themes of loss and other upsetting topics.

August 1 marks the day in 1834 when the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 came into effect in what is currently called Canada. This marked the official end to over 250 years of enslavement throughout the British Empire. Emancipation happened immediately here, but the colonial system of enslavement took several years of transition in other areas of the British Empire. By 1838, approximately one million people of African descent had been legally freed in the British colonies.

Over the years, annual celebrations connected to emancipation have taken several forms in Canada — first known as West Indian Day, then August First, and now Emancipation Day. Past events mobilized folks to abolish enslavement in the United States, which eventually happened in 1865. In 2021, the House of Commons of Canada voted unanimously to designate August 1 as Emancipation Day, a time to reflect on the history and legacy of slavery in North America. This is a day to remind us of the perseverance and strength of African Canadians in the fight for racial justice and equity throughout the 19 and 20 centuries and into the present day.

Traditions, disrupted 

The transatlantic slave trade caused the loss of many varied African traditions. Attempts to forcibly assimilate enslaved persons from Africa included suppressing African cultural practices. Some parts of culture did persist, often as resistance to slavery; other traditions were lost due to the brutal conditions and because of the deliberate and violent efforts to erase African identities.

The Middle Passage was a traumatic experience for enslaved Africans, who were forcibly removed from their homelands, subjected to inhumane conditions, and forcibly transported across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas.

This journey not only cut ties to family and community but also stripped enslaved Africans of the ability to openly practise their cultures. As a result, many traditions and languages were lost or diminished, profoundly impacting their identity. Those enslaved were often forbidden from speaking their native languages (which eventually resulted in the organic creation of pidgin, creole, and patois.)

Traditional African practices were suppressed, and many enslaved people were forced to adopt Christianity. Family form and functions were disrupted, and systems imposed by the enslavers replaced traditional social structures and governance. Many aspects of material culture were significantly impacted, including traditional crafts and skills, food preparation, farming practices, and burial practices. Some were completely lost.

Loss, resisted 

Enslaved individuals resisted cultural loss by creatively adapting their heritage into new forms that could survive under their oppressive conditions. 

They preserved parts of their African languages through secret communication and adapted traditional music into spirituals to express both suffering and hope. As a continuation of their spiritual traditions, African religious practices were combined with Christianity. Traditional medicine was preserved and practised by some enslaved people in the Americas. They would combine traditional plant knowledge with the herbs and resources available to heal, endure, and survive. Plants were used to treat wounds, swelling, dysentery, and headaches. For enslaved Africans, herbal knowledge was a tool for liberation and spiritual, emotional, and physical health.    

Some examples of preserved culture include: 

• The use of West African electoral practices throughout the Caribbean, where free and enslaved African people would choose leadership roles in the community to maintain order and communal structure among themselves   
• The call-and-response pattern in songs, which was influenced by West African styles of song 
• Folklore such as Brer Rabbit in the Southern United States, the Anansi tales from Jamaica, and the Bouki stories from Haiti 
• Stories that shared perspectives on death, as recorded in The Annotated African American Folktales book
• Certain foods like ackee and saltfish (now a national dish in Jamaica) — ackee fruit was brought from West Africa and combined with fish preserved in salt, provided to Caribbean plantations from Newfoundland fisheries  

The cultural loss experienced during the Middle Passage has had profound, long-term impacts. While many traditions were lost or transformed during slavery, today Black folks work tirelessly to reclaim aspects of their heritage. This reclamation is alive through jazz and hip-hop, literature reflecting Black experiences, and ongoing modern social movements that celebrate Black identities. The resilience displayed in preserving and reinventing culture underscores a powerful survival despite historical trauma.

Culture, returning

According to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, 12.5 million people from Africa were forcibly transported to the Americas. These were men, women, and children who occupied varied social positions in Africa and the Americas. While the trauma of the Middle Passage and slavery was significant, it did not erase all connections to African cultural, political, and ancestral origins.

Across the globe, efforts continue to reclaim history and repair the injustices of slavery and colonialism. Many discussions focus on methods to heal African heritage in a way that Black people feel ownership over it. In Toronto, for example, NSAA Community works to cultivate Afrocentric engagement and education through programs such as their rites of passage workshops. 

At the YMCA of Greater Toronto, we encourage folks to continue exploring the history of slavery in Canada through the links in this post. To support Emancipation Day, you could also attend events in your municipality and support Black-led organizations in your community.

Additional resources

Listen

Canada’s slavery secret: The whitewashing of 200 years of enslavement from CBC Radio 

Read

The Hanging of Angelique: The Untold Story of Canadian Slavery and the Burning of Old Montreal by Afua Cooper

Watch

Enslaved Episode 1: Cultures Left Behind with Samuel L. Jackson, a CBC documentary 

Events 

Celebrate Emancipation Day 2025, presented by the City of Brampton

Emancipation Day at Fieldcote Memorial Park & Museum, a free celebration of freedom, culture, and community hosted by Black Canadian Creators

Emancipation Day “Underground Freedom Train” Ride, a Blackhurst Cultural Centre event

Owen Sound’s Emancipation Festival, in partnership with Grey Roots Museum & Archives 

Emancipation Event, program by the City of Toronto

Toronto Caribbean Carnival, managed by the Festival Management Committee