Ottawa February 12, 2001 – The exhibition, The Anti-Slavery Movement in Canada that opens today give visitors a glimpse of an important but little-known chapter in Canadian history.

The exhibition – to mark the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Anti-Slavery Society of Canada – was created by the National Archives of Canada and the National Library of Canada, at the invitation of the J'Nikira Dinqinesh Education Centre. It runs until February 13 to May 27, 2001 at 395 Wellington Street in Ottawa and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily. Admission is free.

The Anti-Slavery Movement in Canada contains photos, drawings, original manuscripts, books, maps and more. They tell some of the stories of the approximately 30,000 Blacks who left the United States for Canada.

The Anti-Slavery Society of Canada was founded by the Honourable George Brown, editor of The Globe and later a Father of Confederation, in Toronto on February 26, 1851. When it was founded, slavery was still being practised in the southern United States.

The collections of the National Archives of Canada and National Library of Canada constitute a rich documentary source of information about the advocacy of human rights. Both the National Archives of Canada and National Library of Canada are open and available to the public.

The J'Nikira Dinqinesh Education Centre’s mandate is to “promote the power of the presence and spirit of Africa in Canada”. Community initiatives in cooperation with federal departments offer opportunities for greater awareness among the public.

For more information on this exhibition, please contact:
Louisa Coates
Communications and Public Programs Division
National Archives of Canada
Telephone: (613) 992-9361
E-mail: media@lac-bac.gc.ca