August 1st marks the end of legal slavery in Canada since 1834. This is important because the Slavery Abolition Act not only affected the lives of those enslaved but also their descendants. Emancipation Day is also a vital first step in recognizing the hardships of Black Canadians who continued to be enslaved under the label of "apprenticeship." It took another four years before they fully achieved freedom from bondage on August 1, 1838.

There was a time when educator & historian Natasha Henry knew more about Jamaica and its history than that of Blacks in Canada.