Victims of slave trade remembered in Birchtown during special ceremony | Saltwire – SaltWire Network

One by one, red roses gently floated towards the ocean from Birchtown Bay, past the national historic site and burial ground commemorating the Black Loyalist landing in 1783.

The rose laying ceremony was part of a service of remembrance hosted by the Black Loyalist Heritage Center on Aug. 23, which was also the United Nations International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.

This day is recognized by the United Nations for the 1791 uprising in Santo Domingo which played a pivotal role in the abolishment of the transatlantic slave trade, said Darlene Cooper, during the service. Cooper is a board member with the Black Loyalist Heritage Society.

Slavery existed in what we know as Canada for nearly three centuries. The first record we have of enslaved Africans in Canada is the sale of a young boy named Olivier, who was sold in New France in the 1600s, said Cooper.

The same ships that carried thousands of free Black Loyalists to Nova Scotia and other parts of British North America in 1783 also carried enslaved people being forcibly transported by their white Loyalist masters, she said. "By 1790, records show there were approximately 2,000 people enslaved in the Maritimes alone, said Cooper.

Even with the promise of freedom in Nova Scotia, re-enslavement was a very real fear for the Black Loyalists. One such person was Mary Postell, who had escaped her master and worked on British lines during the American revolution," said Cooper. "Before she could be brought to Nova Scotia, or another British port, her certificate of freedom was taken from her.

"She was then re-enslaved and sold multiple times before being brought to Shelburne. She tried to prove her freedom to the courts, with residents of Birchtown testifying her service to the British during the war, but it was no use. She was sold once again, this time for a hundred bushels of potatoes.

Cooper said while Canada is often associated with being the land of freedom at the end of the Underground Railroad, what has been ignored is the harsh reality that slavery existed in Canada.

"Even in the earliest days of the Underground Railroad, after the Act to Limit Slavery in Upper Canada has passed, there were still people living in situations of forced servitude and enslavement in our country," she said, explaining it would not be until Aug. 1, 1834, when the Slavery Abolition Act would come into effect across the British Empire that those enslaved were finally free.

Known as Emancipation Day, it has been celebrated by the African Canadian community for years, said Cooper, but it wasnt until this year that the Canadian House of Commons voted unanimously to recognize the day.

The Black Loyalist Heritage Center partnered with the Municipality of Shelburne to create a learning trail on the Black Loyalist heritage site trail during the month of August; taking visitors through a brief history of slavery, emancipation and the ongoing efforts to fight racial discrimination and intolerance.

Council and staff of the municipality recognize our responsibility to provide education within our organization and we support the community initiatives that will continue to establish and sustain an inclusive society and we will continue to actively seek out opportunities to learn, support and stand against racism and racial profiling in our communities, said Coun. Sherry Thorburn Irvine in her address during the service. We must continue to reflect on past wrongs and learn from them; we must seek opportunities to educate ourselves about the impacts of anti-Black racism and systemic racism in our society.

The Black Loyalist Heritage Society is committed to sharing the history and legacy of the Black Loyalists with visitors from around the world, added Cooper, who said a pivotal part of this story is the history of the transatlantic slave trade.

"We must acknowledge that slavery was part of our past and despite emancipation being achieved in 1834, people of African descent have continued to face systemic marginalization and oppression across Canada, said Copper. So, this month, this day, and every day we ask Nova Scotians Canadians and people across the world to reflect, educate and hold open discussions about our past and work toward a future that is equitable for all.

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