This story was previously posted on Stratford Today.
A small but mighty celebration took place on Thursday in Stratford.
August 1 is Emancipation Day, a national day of celebration commemorates the day in 1834 when the Slavery Abolition Act came into force throughout the British Empire including British Colonies, which also included what is known as Canada.
Locally the Multicultural Association of Perth Huron, invited dignitaries, speakers and the community to the Falstaff Family Centre for a gathering to celebrate the event.
Stratford city councillor and Multicultural Association of Perth Huron founder Geza Wordofa delivered comments as part of the festivities, expressing his feelings on a day with such significant history.
“I am happy that the quilt can be displayed in Stratford,” he said, referring to a quilt from author and poet Nadine Williams. “We as the black community, whether you are from Jamaica or Ethiopia, the City of Stratford is a place where you can be celebrated.”
Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma was in attendance, and brought greetings from council, along with support.
“The Demographics of our community is changing, with a high number of people coming from African countries, and with today being Emancipation Day, we think about slavery, and about the people who for many years carried the burdens of being black and being enslaved,” the mayor said. “It is important to recognize the date in history, but also recognize there is lots of work to still do.”
Williams, whose family is originally of Jamaican descent, joined the celebration on her way home from an event in the GTA, presented a poem about Emancipation Day to everyone in attendance. The quilt Williams presented to the City of Stratford will become an art installation in the community, one of just 175 others in the province.
Ritsma added that while the problem is getting better we still have lots of work to do.
“Racism is a child of slavery and emancipation, so by declaring it with a law that says it's over is one thing but people need to declare it in their communities and in their hearts,” he said.
In 2023, there were nearly 4,800 police calls around the country involving hate related crimes, with over 2,100 of those calls being related to race. This year's Emancipation Day marked the 190th anniversary.
