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EQUITY
We believe in creating a world where all people have equal access to opportunities and resources, regardless of their race or ethnicity.
EXCELLENCE
We strive for excellence in all areas of our work, and believe in setting high standards for ourselves and our partners.
EMPOWERMENT
We believe in giving people the tools and resources they need to succeed, and in amplifying their voices and stories to create positive change.
mission statement
Matter of Black’s mission is to uplift Black voices and businesses within our community; promote Black excellence, and celebrate our rich history in the Niagara Region. Organizers are committed to ensuring programming remains accessible to all and pledge that our events will always remain free of charge to our community.
About
Matter of Black is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2020 by Erika Smith, Jaida Steenhuis, and Natasha Bell, all of whom are descendents of freedom seekers who settled in the Niagara Region. In partnership with community groups and allies, the group has revitalized Emancipation Day celebrations in the city of St. Catharines since 2020.
EXPERIENCE
In 1924 the Toronto branch of the international United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) rented Lakeside Park in Port Dalhousie, booked passage on the steamships that frequently crossed Lake Ontario from Toronto to St. Catharines, and brought thousands of Black Torontonians over to Port Dalhousie for what came to be called “The Big Picnic.”
The first such gathering was held in Lakeside Park in August 1924. It apparently was so inconsequential in that year that it received no coverage in either the Toronto or the St. Catharines newspapers. But the institution grew steadily with each passing year.
HISTORY
Historically, the annual Emancipation Day Picnic was said to have rivalled only Christmas as the high point in the lives of Black Canadians living in Niagara. And from 1924 until the early 1970s, as many as 8,000 people could be expected to converge at Lakeside Park in Port Dalhousie to attend the “Big Picnic” each year. People came from Toronto to Owen Sound and throughout the Great Lakes region, with some even travelling from Virginia and Tennessee in the U.S. to attend.
The annual Emancipation celebrations remained popular for some time. However, visitors from Toronto declined suddenly after the daily cross-lake steamer service ended in 1950. Further decline came when the event’s longtime organizer, lawyer B. J. Spencer Pitt of UNIA, retired in 1954, and when Lakeside Park’s amusement rides and games closed down.
Black residents of St. Catharines have by no means forgotten the Emancipation holiday, but in recent decades it has usually been celebrated on a more modest scale than in the ’30s and ’40s. Matter of Black acknowledges and praises the many individuals who were dedicated to carrying on the tradition of the Big Picnic over the years.
Since 2020, Matter of Black has proudly presented #EmancipationDaySTC, a celebration to reawaken old traditions and foster greater solidarity and pride among members of the Black Canadian community in memory of its remarkable achievements and in face of persistent racism.
– Partial credit to Dennis Gannon
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🚨EMANCIPATION DAY🚨 CELEBRATIONS IN NIAGARA
#EmancipationDaySTC
Celebrations at Lakeside Park Beach in St Catherines, presented by blackowned905 and matterofblackniagara Black with ma3onzo spinning the ones and twos and carlosmorganmusic , AKA "MC Los" cuttin` up with his super cute crew..."the Pee Wee Crew" 🥰🕺🏾🕺🏾
B.L.A.C.K (Boldly Loving And Courageously Kind) t-shirt Carlos is wearing is from the Carll Parkes Collection -carll_parkescollection
www.carllparkescollection.com
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#EmancipationDaySTC #blacowned905 #matterofblackniagara #emancipationday #niagara #stcatharines #ontario #yesvisitniagara #tuesdaytunes #niagaraneverstops #music #dance #fun black #blackpeople #blackhistory #blackisbeautiful #blackownedbusinesses #byblacks #blacklivesmatter #blm #reels #reelsinstagram #viralvideos
Congratulations to matterofblackniagara & blackowned905 for an INCREDIBLE return to in-person #EmancipationDaySTC events!
It has been such a great opportunity for the community to come together to both learn and celebrate this important day rich with history.
Looking forward to next year!
It’s Emancipation Day! There’s no better time to make doubles.
For the record, I’ve never made doubles before in my entire life. Like NEVER ever. Truth be told I found them daunting. How could I replicate something so damn delicious by myself?
I did it, y’all. Even down to the cucumber chutney. They were hella good!! Now they will sit for at least 2 days so the flavours can meld and get happy. #yasssss #emancipationdaystc #doublestastesogood #decolonizeyourplate #gyalcancook
Happy Emancipation Day!
Swipe through for a list of orgs and ways to support Emancipation Day and Black activism in Niagara today and beyond August 1st.
Don’t forget to stop by and check out all the amazing Emancipation Day activities going on at Lakeside Park in St. Catharines today, hosted by matterofblack and blackowned905!
🔗Find all the links in our bio!
#EmancipationDayStC #BlackOwned905 #MatterOfBlackNiagara
#StatusForAll
#JusticeForJeleel
Happy #EmancipationDay!
As we celebrate the beginning of Emancipation Month in Ontario—recognizing the important contributions of Black communities—we must also recommit to the ongoing work of eliminating discrimination and anti-Black racism.
This day is a victory for the Black communities who fought for freedom.
Be sure to drop by for live entertainment & family activities at Lakeside Park today!
Take a look at the schedule put together by matterofblack & blackowned905
👉fb.watch/eDBT25XpD6/
(link in stories)
Happy #EmancipationDaySTC!
What is Emancipation Day and how can we as white people celebrate in respectful ways?
August 1 is celebrated as a day of liberation, particularly in former British colonies, to mark the end of one aspect of chattel slavery in 1834. Enslaved people over the age of 6 years old, however, legally remained in bondage. It wasn`t until 1838 that full legal emancipation was brought to fruition.
In her fantastic book about Emancipation Day celebrations in so-called Canada (swipe to the end to see it➡️), Natasha Henry explains that formerly enslaved Black people collectively started marking August First for 3 reasons:
🔸️ To celebrate & show gratitude for the refuge offered north of the border and the chance for a new life
🔸️ To signal to U.S. enslavers that their time was ending and that slavery would continue to be defeated
🔸️ To show solidarity with Black Caribbean people in their struggle & victory to win emancipation
🇹🇹 Trinidad was the first country to declare August 1 a holiday in 1985, but the Canadian government only officially recognized Emanicpation Day in 2021 - nearly 200 years after Black people in the country first started celebrating. Even now, some white organizations still refer to this long weekend as a "civic holiday", ignoring the significance of Emancipation Day celebrations.
➡️How will you celebrate #EmancipationDay?⬅️
👉 Swipe for some ideas to get you started, share your own in the comments!
👉 Check out matterofblackniagara for today`s activities at Lakeside Park in Pt Dalhousie, historical site of one of the largest & longest running Emancipation Day celebrations in the country. Bring grandma & the kids, I`ll see you there!
👉 Check back here at noon for a closer look at the history of Emancipation Day celebrations here in #Niagara
📸 on first image & Natasha`s book cover is Moses Brantford Jr leading Emancipation procession in Amherstburg
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#EmancipationDaySTC
It was such a joy to see so many of our #StCath community took the time out of their Sunday on a long weekend to learn more about the history of the salemchapelchurch, the #UnderGroundRailroad, and our local hero: #HarrietTubman
Thank you to resident historian Rockstar, Rochelle Bush, for being an amazing story-teller and showing us how important this history is to our city and our country.
And thank you blackowned905 and matterofblackniagara for organizing this Open House and Tour Talk today and all the incredible #EmancipationDaySTC events tomorrow in #LakesidePark
A brilliant talk today by historian Rochelle Bush on the famed BME Salem Chapel - the only Canadian stop in the underground railroad - in St. Catharines. Standing room only. #rochellebush #tubmantourscanada #emancipationday #emancipationdaystc #matterofblack #blackowned905
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