On the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, Canadian anti-racism expert June Francis shed light on how the brutal legacy of slavery continues to shape North America’s social and economic landscape. Francis, a respected scholar and the director of the Institute for Black and African Diaspora Research and Engagement at Simon Fraser University (SFU), emphasized that the wealth enjoyed across North America is deeply rooted in the exploitation and forced labor of enslaved Africans.
In an interview with China Central Television (CCTV), Francis stated, “Much of the wealth that we see in all of North America can be traced back to this forced bondage that allowed all that labor to be subjugated to and given to the white masters.” She noted that Canada was complicit in this historical atrocity, having initially benefited from the exploitation of African people through the transatlantic slave trade.
Francis highlighted the severe conditions faced by enslaved Africans in North America, where they were stripped of their freedom and subjected to unimaginable violence, exclusion, and systematic oppression. The trauma inflicted during this period, she argued, has left a lasting mark of injustice that continues to affect people of African descent in Canada and beyond. Despite the abolition of slavery, Francis pointed out that Black communities remain vulnerable, facing fear and discrimination rooted in centuries of racial violence.
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The Canadian scholar also expressed concern over the widespread lack of awareness about Canada’s role in the slave trade and the country’s history of racial segregation. “In the same way that Indigenous history is wiped and taken out, it’s a way for a society that wants to hide its shame,” Francis said. She stressed that those in positions of power control the narratives found in school curricula and history books, effectively erasing uncomfortable truths from public consciousness.
While acknowledging that the Canadian government has taken steps to address these historical wrongs, Francis believes these efforts are inadequate. She called for a more robust commitment to confronting the legacy of slavery and racism, starting with a formal apology from the government. In her view, such a gesture is essential to not only acknowledging the deep-rooted pain caused by slavery but also paving the way for meaningful reconciliation and progress toward a more just future.
Francis’s reflections serve as a stark reminder that the legacy of slavery is far from being a chapter relegated to the past. The socioeconomic inequalities and racial injustices still prevalent in North America today are, in many ways, direct consequences of this brutal history—a reality that must be confronted head-on if true equity is to be achieved.
