7 Places Outside the U.S. That Celebrate Resistance and Emancipation

As we celebrate Juneteenth, it’s another opportunity to remember, understand, and honor those who suffered the horrors of enslavement during the international slave trade. Juneteenth marks the day that federal troops marched into Galveston, Texas, took control of the state, and finally ensured that its enslaved population was freed—nearly three years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. The date is considered the Black American holiday with the longest history, and it finally appears to be on the path to becoming a national holiday. 

Across the country there are monuments, memorials, statues, museums, and historical sites dedicated to the emancipation of Black Americans and the world they created once free from enslavement. However, the horrors of the Atlantic slave trade touches dozens of nations across the globe. This can be seen in these memorials, outside the United States, from The Gambia to Canada’s side of Niagara Falls, that celebrate both resistance and freedom.