Slavery Remembrance Day for the year 2024 is celebrated/observed on Wednesday, August 23rd. There are until the next observance.

On August 23, the globe commemorates Slavery Remembrance Day, also known as the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated this day to commemorate the transatlantic slave trade.

πŸ“† When is Slavery Remembrance Day?

This year, Slavery Remembrance Day is on August 23rd. It is the 4th Wednesday in August; in 2024, it is on Friday.

Countdown to Slavery Remembrance Day

β†’ Did you know: In actuality, only around 5% of the victims of the transatlantic slave trade ended up on the coast of modern-day America; the other 90% were brought to Brazil or the Caribbean.

You can also see all cool things you didn’t know about and facts about August 23, 2023.

πŸ“œ History of Slavery Remembrance Day

Because of its significance in the history of the transatlantic trade, UNESCO designated August 23 as the official day of commemoration for slavery. During the transatlantic slave trade, the first major slave revolt happened in Saint Domingue, which is now Haiti, on the night of August 22 to the morning of August 23, 1791.
The revolt was known as the Haitian Revolution, and it lasted 13 years, from 1791 to 1804β€”when the former French colony gained freedom. Thousands of slaves revolted and assaulted their slave masters around Saint-Domingue. It was a watershed moment in the history of slavery, and it had a significant influence on the global abolition of the slave trade.
The Portuguese were the first slave dealers in the triangle slave trade, which began in the 15th century. The term “triangular trade” referred to the three parties involved in the slave trade: Africa, which supplied labor; the Americas, which acquired slaves; and Europe, which paid for them. The discovery of the American South with its sugar plantations exacerbated the slave trade. As a result, there was a greater need for unpaid labor in the form of slaves.
The transatlantic slave trade had the greatest impact on the African continent. Europeans saw them as inferior and exploited this to justify their racist views. They also learned that Africans could thrive even under the most adverse situations, the cruelest of which was enslavement.

β˜‘οΈ Slavery Remembrance Day facts

βœ… It could have ended in 1790
In 1790, Benjamin Franklin asked the United States Congress to end slavery and the slave trade. However, the petition was quickly turned down by people who supported slavery.

βœ… It hasn’t ended
More individuals are thought to be enslaved today than at any other period in human history.

βœ… Freedom was bought
The British government spent almost Β£20 million paying slave owners in return for the emancipation of all slaves throughout the Empire under the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.

✨ Things to do on Slavery Remembrance Day

⚑ Watch a movie about slavery
Slavery’s history is reflected in films such as “12 Years a Slave” and “Roots,” and on Slavery Remembrance Day, you may have a movie marathon featuring movies on slavery. Films may help picture the genuine horrors of slavery and demonstrate slaves’ resiliency.

⚑ Read up on the history of slavery
If you prefer books to movies, you may learn more about slavery’s history. Slavery has a long history, but far too many people are unaware of it. Use Slavery Remembrance Day to learn more about the global history of slavery.

⚑ Join a walk of remembrance
Walks of remembering are done in many towns and nations throughout the world to respect and remember the victims of slavery and the slave trade. If you are unable to locate a Walk of Remembrance near you, you are welcome to arrange one.

πŸ“… Slavery Remembrance Day Observances

YEAR DATE DAY
2023 August 23 Wednesday
2024 August 23 Friday
2025 August 23 Saturday
2026 August 23 Sunday
2027 August 23 Monday

View all August holidays, including Cause and other Awareness holidays.

We will continue to update this page with new information and fun facts about Slavery Remembrance Day. So be sure to check back soon.