Emancipate Your Mind: discussing Emancipation Day in Canada and Living Africentrically
On Wednesday August 11 the Town of Antigonish hosted a panel organized by the Delmore Buddy Daye Learning Institute. This event in Antigonish was Session 4 in a 4-part series that began on Emancipation Day (August 1) and included panel discussions at JACBA in Digby, NSCC in Truro, and Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax.
The panel discussion, moderated by Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard, welcomed experiences, research findings, and anecdotes from the panelists.
CEO of the Delmore Buddy Daye Learning Institute Sylvia Parris Drummond introduced speakers Dr. Wendy Mackey, Lorraine Reddick, and Tara Reddick. All three speakers are deeply connected to the Antigonish region, and they each highlighted the importance of community, courage, and celebration when reflecting on the theme of Living Africentrically.
Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard asked panelists to reflect on principles of kujichagulia (self-determination) and of ubuntu (collective liberation), a philosophy that includes the concept "I am because we are".
Thank you to the panelists, to the attendees online and in person, to the Black Cultural Centre for videography and sound, and to Town Hall and Shannon Long for preparing the space for the event.