This year, the House of Commons voted unanimously to designate Aug. 1 as Emancipation Day in Canada, a day to celebrate, educate, and reflect on what freedom means.

For the inaugural Emancipation Day in Canada, CBC Books has curated a list of “20 books by Canadian authors that explore the enduring legacy of slavery and human trafficking across the African diaspora.” View the reading list now.

CBC Arts invites Canadians to FreeUp! Emancipation Day 2021, being streamed on Sunday, August 1st at 1pm ET on YouTube. FreeUp! is “…coast-to-coast festivity filled with music and performances from artists expressing how they celebrate this day and the journey it took to get there.”

Learn more about Emancipation Day in Canada at canada.ca