By Stephen Weir
Drummers pounded out the countdown simply earlier than midnight. It was seconds earlier than the beginning of August 1st. Drones lit the sky above the Downsview subway station with hearts and phrases of affection. Singing. Cheering. It was all a part of the eleventh annual Underground Freedom Prepare journey in Toronto.
No Justin Trudeau wasn’t there, that was final 12 months. And judging by the dimensions of the turnout final Wednesday evening, there wouldn’t have been a shoehorn large enough to squeeze him into the devoted subway prepare that carried near a thousand individuals from Union Station to Downsview Station to honour the Underground Railroad of the1850s and to mark the arrival of Canada’s Emancipation Day.
The official launch was dealt with by the honourary whistle-blowing conductor, Amah Harris. The distinguished educator, producer, mentor, playwright, and researcher led this 12 months’s journey. Harris and others began the night off on a short lived stage arrange inside Union Station.
She gave her conductor’s deal with earlier than a rising crowd. She was joined on the microphone by Itah Sadu, the supervisor of the Blackhurst Cultural Centre and the founding father of the annual Prepare Journey eleven years in the past. Mayor Olivia Chow and TTC Chief Individuals Officer Shakira Naraine additionally welcomed the prepare riders. The TTC provided the subway prepare and a military of staff (many have been volunteers) to assist individuals on and off the prepare and, in fact, to drive it!
This particular subway prepare travelled nonstop to Downsview Station. On the journey, there was a lot singing of conventional spirituals and Bob Marley songs. Lilian Allen, Toronto’s Poet Laureate, learn a poem she wrote for the journey. There have been just a few performers and audio system on the prepare who didn’t make it to the entrance to handle the gang via the conductor’s telephone as a result of the aisles of the automobiles have been jammed with individuals.
Whereas the messages heard have been a strong reminder of the historical past, legacy, and significance of Emancipation, extending the spirit of the Underground Railroad and celebrating the resilience exemplified by Harriet Tubman, there have been reminders that whereas Canada welcomed Black individuals escaping American slavery between 1629 and 1834, there have been greater than 4,000 enslaved Black individuals within the British and French colonies that grew to become Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick.
When the prepare arrived at Downsview Station, the passengers disembarked and went outdoors to a TTC parkette to mark the beginning of Emancipation Day at midnight. Music, dancing, and speeches stuffed the evening. This 12 months, for the primary time, drones flew within the air close to the gathering, lighting up the sky with inspirational phrases and the Canadian Maple Leaf.
The drone lights additionally spelled out the title of the late Louis March within the sky, whereas on the TTC parkette stage, the founding father of the Zero Gun Violence Motion was eulogized. March died Saturday, July 20, at Sunnybrook Hospital, together with his spouse and son by his facet. He was 68.
The Scarborough resident was a long-time volunteer with the Freedom Prepare and the Blackhurst Cultural Centre. He labored with youth and households and championed the reason for non-violence, providing options and showing on platforms, together with public conferences and tv reveals.
When March’s title light from the sky, a pink Maple Leaf reappeared, and everybody sang the Black Nationwide Anthem, “Raise Each Voice and Sing.”
“Because the prepare rolled again to Toronto’s Union Station this 12 months, it carried with it the hopes, goals, and resilient spirit of those that fought for freedom, reminding us all the ongoing journey in the direction of equality and justice,” recalled Itah Sadu on social media after the occasion.
