‘Justice for all of us’: N.S. recognizes third annual Emancipation Day

Applause was thunderous at Province House on Tuesday morning as provincial leaders commemorated Emancipation Day.

Associate Deputy Minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs Dwayne Provo took to the podium, addressing the progress made in Black communities.

“Think about where we are today — standing here in a room which our ancestors weren’t given access to — and if they were given access to it, it was to clean it,” Provo said. “We’re here today and we’re here to grow.”

Emancipation Day commemorates the abolition of slavery across the British Empire in 1834. The province of Nova Scotia voted to recognize August 1 as Emancipation Day in 2021.

The commemoration serves as a look back at triumphs and a look forward.

A stark silence fell over the room as Russel Grosse, executive director of the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, touched on the culture, heritage, languages and millions of lives lost to the slave trade.

“We realize … it does not define us as a people,” Grosse said. “Today we have hope to ensure that the pain is never forgotten.”

Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard addressed both African Nova Scotians and non-African Nova Scotians, calling for policy changes, safer workplaces and communities and encouraged the implementation of tools to allow for African Nova Scotians to build successful lives.

“I want everyone to be thinking ‘what more can I do?’” Bernard said. “Yes, some exciting changes and improvements have happened … your efforts matter, but we know there’s much more to be done.”

There was more happening than just political talk — it was also a celebration of culture and heritage. Esther Medley-Smith and Shawn Downey performed a number of gospel and soul songs including a rendition of the Canadian national anthem.

A libation was also performed, offering water to honour the ancestral spirits of the African Nova Scotians present.