​BRAMPTON, ON (August 1, 2020) – On July 8, Brampton City Council unanimously passed a motion to rename Dixie 407 Sports Park to Emancipation Park in honour of the abolition of slavery. The motion was conceived by City Councillor Charmaine Williams, and endorsed by all members of Council. This year, August 1 is proclaimed as Emancipation Day, and August is proclaimed as Emancipation Month in Brampton.

Emancipation Park
Dixie 407 Sports Park has been renamed to Emancipation Park. The park, located south of Highway 407 in Ward 7, was constructed in 2004 and includes minor and major soccer pitches, and cricket grounds.

Mayor Patrick Brown and Councillors will be unveiling the new park name sign in August.

Emancipation Month
August 1 is Emancipation Day, and August is Emancipation Month in Brampton. The City of Brampton is committed to celebrating Brampton’s diversity and honouring this important day and month with events throughout August. To help prevent from the spread of COVID-19, all events will be held online. For a full list of events, visit www.brampton.ca.

Virtual flag raisings will take place on August 1 for Emancipation Day, August 6 for Jamaican Independence Day, August 22 for Dominican Republic Restoration Day, and August 31 for Trinidad and Tobago Independence Day. All virtual flag raising ceremonies will be available online here.

Brampton’s Black African and Caribbean Social, Cultural and Economic Empowerment and Anti-Black Racism Unit
On June 10, 2020, City Council approved a Black African and Caribbean Social, Cultural and Economic Empowerment and Anti-Black Racism Unit. Lead by Senior Advisor, Gwyneth Chapman, the Unit will support and lead the establishment of the unit and develop its action plan on eradicating systemic anti-Black racism in Brampton. Guided by local community stakeholders, work will be centered on uplifting the social, cultural, and economic position of Brampton’s Black community.

To learn more or to express an interest in being involved as the City develops the Anti-Black Racism Unit, please contact the City at AntiBlackRacismUnit@brampton.ca. 

Quotes
“Around the world, we are witnessing a historic moment in time. People of all backgrounds are coming together to collectively confront systemic anti-Black racism. Here in Brampton, honouring Emancipation Month and naming a City park Emancipation Park is a powerful way for us to acknowledge the past and reiterate that we stand with Brampton’s Black community.”
- Patrick Brown, Mayor, City of Brampton

“As the first Black woman elected to city council in the history of Brampton, I was proud to move the motion to create a recognition of Emancipation in October of 2019. The recent events that have elevated our understanding of anti-Black racism could not have been foreseen when I brought this initiative forward. However, I am so proud to say that Brampton is home to Emancipation Park. To the best of my knowledge it is the first Emancipation Park anywhere in Canada. I look forward to seeing more initiatives that increase our historical understanding of the roots of anti Black racism as we work to tear down the barriers that hold back human potential.”
- Charmaine Williams, City Councillor, Wards 7 & 8

“Last month, City Council approved the creation of a Black African and Caribbean Social, Cultural and Economic Empowerment and Anti-Black Racism Unit to connect with Brampton’s Black community and uplift their social, cultural, and economic position. Now, just one short month later, we are renaming a community park to highlight this important part of our history. Moving forward, we will continue to work with the Black community to address their needs.”
- Pat Fortini, Regional Councillor, Wards 7 & 8

“Honouring Emancipation Month and renaming a part of Brampton Emancipation Park are significant steps forward for Brampton. It is important for people to know the history and understand that we had slavery in Canada. Movements like the park renaming give me great confidence that we will make immense progress in Brampton.” 
- Gwyneth Chapman, Senior Advisor, Economic Empowerment and Anti-Black Racism, City of Brampton

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