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June 19th is Juneteenth
This Saturday, June 19th, the College encourages all British Columbians to join us in commemorating and honouring Juneteenth, and to continue to show our support for Black Communities in Canada, the US, and around the World and to stand with them in solidarity against systemic, anti-Black racism and police brutality.
While Juneteenth isn’t officially celebrated in Canada, it is an important time for Canadians to reflect upon, and learn about, Canada’s complicated history with racism and discrimination against the Black Community.
What is Juneteenth?Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. On June 19, 1865, enslaved African-Americans in Galveston, Texas were informed of their freedom and told that the Civil War had ended. This announcement also put into effect the Emancipation Proclamation, which had been issued more than two and a half years earlier on Jan 1, 1863, by President Abraham Lincoln. Juneteenth received its name by combining June and 19 and is also sometimes referred to as “Juneteenth Independence Day,” “Freedom Day,” or “Emancipation Day.” |
Juneteenth takes on an even greater significance after the events of the past year. Throughout 2020, we mourned alongside Black Communities and allies across the US, Canada and abroad for the lives of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade and countless others who lost their lives at the hands of police brutality, perpetrated by a culture of systemic racism and violence.
The global outpour of grief in response to these events serves as a reminder that society has ignored the fundamental, historical issues affecting Black Communities for far too long, and that these issues must be recognized by all of us in order to achieve true liberation.
“Recognizing emancipation is a step forward in recognizing African Canadian history as part of Canada’s story and teaches the next generation about the shameful and forgotten parts of the past that must not be repeated.”
On March 24, 2021, MPs in the House of Commons voted unanimously to designate August 1 as Emancipation Day across Canada. This date marks the anniversary of when Britain’s Parliament abolished slavery in the British Empire in 1834.
Both Juneteenth and Emancipation Day are opportunities for us to take a moment to reflect on what it means to be an inclusive and informed society, and to acknowledge the wrongdoings of the past and to understand the connection between the challenges faced by Black Canadians today and the enduring legacy of slavery, prejudice and discrimination.
The Importance of Self-Education
As health professionals, self-education is especially important in addressing the unconscious or implicit biases that are all too present within our health system. It’s important to recognize that these biases are rooted in our history and culture. “There is little mention of the fact that slavery once existed in Canada, or that many of the Loyalists who came here after the American Revolution and settled in the Maritimes were black.” (BC Teachers Federation.) These omissions are at the heart of the inequities faced by Black Canadians in our health system.
The College encourages all British Columbians to take some time to self-educate, reflect on and learn about the history of slavery in Canada and about the foundational role of Black Canadians in shaping our country’s history.
The College Stands in Solidarity with Black Canadians
In June 2020, College CEO & Registrar, Bob Nakagawa, pledged the College’s commitment to developing a plan to guide our organization in raising awareness of, and combatting the racism faced by Black People in BC. In order to achieve this, the College established an internal working group to help lead the change and identify ways to address racism within our health system.
Since then, the College’s Black Lives Matter Working Group has been working to develop an organizational framework to guide the College as we move toward a more equitable future for Black Canadians.
Additionally, all College staff will be participating in anti-oppression training this month. This training is intended to empower and enable staff to view and approach the world, and their work at the College, through an anti-oppressive lens. This training is an important component of the College’s organizational strategy toward holding ourselves accountable as an anti-racist organization, and ensuring that unconscious bias does not impact the work we do as a regulator.
Juneteenth and Emancipation Day Resources
Explore the following resources to learn more about Juneteenth, Emancipation Day and how we can address the current inequities faced by Black Canadians by learning about the history of emancipation.
- MPs unanimously vote to declare August 1 Emancipation Day (CBC)
- What is Juneteenth – and why are people marching for it in Vancouver? (CBC)
- This is what Juneteenth is all about (CBC Kids News)
- Have a Proud and Happy Juneteenth!
- M-36 Emancipation Day, 43rd Parliament, 1st Session
- What is Juneteenth? (PBS)
- Emancipation Day in Canada: Past, Present and Future (BC Black History Awareness Society)
- Canadians Celebrate Our Juneteenth in August. Here’s Why (Montecristo Magazine)
- 25 Books About Being Black in Canada (CBC)
- BC Office of the Human Rights Commissioner – How to Be Anti-Racist
- Anti-Racism Resources for Health Professionals (CPBC)