As we mark Emancipation Day on August 1, we commemorate the abolition of chattel slavery in the British Empire and reaffirm our commitment to justice for Black people in Canada. The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 came into force on this day in 1834, legally freeing enslaved people across British colonies, including what is now…
On March 21, we stand in solidarity with all those marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The day commemorates the events in Sharpeville, South Africa in 1960, when 69 people were killed by police during a peaceful protest against the pass laws of the apartheid state. We carry that memory with…
On March 21, we stand in solidarity with all those marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The day commemorates the events in Sharpeville, South Africa in 1960, when 69 people were killed by police during a peaceful protest against the pass laws of the apartheid state. We carry that memory with…
CUPE Ontario and the Racial Justice Committee are proud to observe August 1 as Emancipation Day. The day commemorates the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act,1833, which came into effect in 1834. The law liberated enslaved people in the British colonies, including Canada. In 2021, Canada proclaimed August 1 Emancipation Day. As we reflect on the…
On March 21, CUPE Ontario joins allies and supporters around the world in honouring the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The day commemorates the tragic events 65 years ago in the township of Sharpeville, South Africa, when apartheid-era police murdered 69 peaceful protesters who were demonstrating against the system’s oppressive pass…
At CUPE Ontario, we recognize that Black excellence and Black history should be honoured year-round, not restricted to a single month of celebration and appreciation. The strength, solidarity and leadership of Black trade unionists have marked our labour movement in profound ways and we owe an enormous debt to the resilience and contributions of the…
On Martin Luther King Day, CUPE Ontario honours and remembers one of the most iconic figures in the struggle for civil rights and racial and social justice. Dr. King is celebrated and recognized in the United States to the extent that his birthday is a federal holiday there. We mark the day here too, because…
Emancipation Day, observed on August 1, commemorates the day in 1834, when the Slavery Abolition Act,1833 came into effect. The law liberated enslaved people in the British colonies, including Canada. And yet it was only in 2021 that Canadian parliament designated August 1 National Emancipation Day. The abolition of enslavement did not end the struggle…
CUPE Ontario recognizes and honours March 21 as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD). The day was proclaimed by the United Nations to commemorate the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa where, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful anti-apartheid demonstration. The theme this year is “A…
CUPE Ontario is proud to celebrate February as Black History Month and recognize it as a time to reflect on the enormous and ongoing contributions of Black communities in our province and in the labour movement. It is also an occasion to reaffirm our commitment to carrying out the work of racial justice and to…
