In observance of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the United Nations Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery, in collaboration with the Government of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, will present A History Exposed: The Enslavement of Black People in Canada at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 18 March to 20 April.

Members of the press are invited to the opening reception for the exhibition on Tuesday, 24 March, from 6:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the United Nations Visitors' Lobby. RSVP by 22 March to [email protected].

The opening will include remarks from high-level officials from the United Nations, the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations, and the Consulate General of Canada in New York will deliver remarks. The event will include a guided tour by the former curator of the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Dan Conlin, and a spoken-word performance created for the exhibit by Toronto's first Youth Poet Laureate, Shahaddah Jack. Attendees will also include the Barbados Poet Laureate, Esther Phillips, who will speak at the General Assembly on 25 March to commemorate the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Media seeking interviews with Mr. Conlin (English), Ms. Jack (English and French), or Ms. Phillips (English) should contact Paulina Kubiak at email: [email protected].

All journalists will also need valid UN media accreditation.

The Exhibition

A History Exposed: The Enslavement of Black People in Canada reveals more than two centuries of slavery in Canada under French and British colonial rule, examining the country's involvement in the enslavement and trade of Africans within the larger system of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The exhibition demonstrates how slavery operated as a legally sanctioned institution across the colonies that would later form Canada. It incorporates powerful storytelling that humanizes this history including that of Marie Josèphe Angélique whose act of setting a fire in Montreal in 1734 was a vivid challenge to slavery.

This is Canada's first national exhibition dedicated to the history of slavery. Created by the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in partnership with guest curator Afua Cooper and the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, the exhibition was inaugurated in 2024 and is scheduled to travel to nearly 20 locations across Canada through 2029. Its presentation at the United Nations in New York marks its first international appearance.

Quotes

"This powerful exhibit sheds light on the complex realities and long-silenced histories of enslavement. It honours the resilience, creativity and enduring cultural traditions of communities who sustained their humanity in the face of profound injustice and unimaginable hardship."

Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres

«Cette exposition saisissante met en lumière les réalités complexes et les récits longtemps passés sous silence de l'esclavage. Elle rend hommage à la résilience, à la créativité et aux traditions culturelles durables des communautés qui ont préservé leur humanité face à une injustice profonde et à des épreuves inimaginables.

António Guterres, Secrétaire général des Nations Unies

"The history of the enslavement of Black people in Canada is a painful reminder of the injustices and cruelty inflicted on generations of human beings. As we confront this history, we honour the resilience, courage and dignity of those who suffered, and we reaffirm our commitment to truth, justice and equality. Exhibitions like this challenge us to remember, to educate and to ensure that the legacy of slavery never defines the future of our societies. Together, we must confront the past in order to build a world rooted in human rights, inclusion and dignity for all."

Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming

"It is an honour to work with the United Nations to bring this exhibition to the world stage. The Transatlantic Slave Trade had profound impact and left a lasting legacy, including in Canada. This powerful exhibit sheds light on Canada's involvement in slavery and the experiences of those enslaved."

Vice President, Visitor Experience, Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Carrie-Ann Smith

"While the study of the enslavement of Africans in the Americas is a vast field, and its knowledge constantly produced, very little is known about slavery in Canada despite its presence under both the French and British colonial regimes, from 1629 to 1834.

This exhibit, A History Exposed, remedies this oversight, and puts slavery front and centre in the history of Black people in Canada. It was with supreme pleasure that as a scholar of slavery, African Diaspora history and a descendant of enslaved people, I guest-curated this exhibit.

I am very proud to present this exhibit to the world."

Distinguished professor of history, University of Toronto, Afua Cooper

"Bringing this exhibition to the United Nations during the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is an important moment for Canada. A History Exposed shines a necessary light on a chapter of Canadian history that was too long overlooked. In acknowledging the enslavement of Black people in Canada, we honour the resilience of those who suffered and accept our responsibility to remember, to educate and to confront the legacies of slavery that persist today."

David Lametti, Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations

About

UN Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery

The Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery was established in 2007 with the adoption of United Nations General Assembly resolution 62/122. The Programme raises awareness of the history of the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans, its impact on the modern world and its legacies, including racism and prejudice.

Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21

The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is Canada's sixth national museum, dedicated to sharing the ongoing story of immigration to Canada - past to present and coast to coast to coast. The Museum is located at the Pier 21 National Historic Site on the Halifax seaport, where nearly 1 million immigrants arrived in Canada between 1928 and 1971.