Nearly 30 years after Haiti gained independence, the British Parliament signed the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 effectively ending chattel slavery across the British Empire.

The day it went into effect — Aug. 1, 1834 — would be known as Emancipation Day across Caribbean communities and serves as a moment to remember those who lived through slavery while honoring those who fought for freedom.

This year’s celebrations also happen to coincide with America’s 250th Anniversary and comes at a time temporary protected status sunsets for hundreds of thousands of Haitians living in the United States.

On Saturday, Broward County Commissioner Hazelle P. Rogers, the African American Research Library and Cultural Center, and Island SPACE Caribbean Museum are hosting Emancipation Day: Freedom Across the Caribbean, an event that will honor the history of enslaved people across the British Empire.

But Saturday’s event, held at the African American Research Library and Cultural Center in Fort Lauderdale, will serve as a trifecta of celebrating Emancipation Day by also honoring Haiti’s place as the first free Black republic in the Western Hemisphere and recognizing Juneteenth’s importance to Black Americans.

“This celebration is about making history accessible,” Rogers said in a statement. “Guests can move from children’s story time to a steel pan lesson, from an exhibit to a conversation with Caribbean leaders. It is education in motion, built for the whole community.”

Residents who attend will be treated to an afternoon that includes performances and oral histories by the Jamaica Folk Revue, a steel pan session and lesson with Mello Groove Steel Orchestra, an Emancipation panel with multiple Caribbean consuls general, and cultural presentations from Haitian educator and spoken word artist Mecca aka Grimo, and a performance by the Trinidad and Tobago Emancipation Group of Florida.

There will also be a craft station, mask making area and storytime for children. Attendees will also be treated to live performances throughout the day that represent Jamaica, The Bahamas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Haiti and Trinidad.

The event is free for the public, but attendees are encoruaged to register at islandspacefl.org/EmancipationDay26.

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