Ottawans ride the Underground Freedom Train to mark Emancipation Day
by Jean-Marie Guerrier, Vice President, Black History Ottawa
Ottawa, August 1, 2025 — On the night of July 31, more than two hundred people gathered at Blair Station to take part in Ottawa’s Underground Freedom Train Ride, a symbolic journey to mark Emancipation Day, commemorating the date on which slavery was officially abolished in the British Empire, in 1834.
For nearly two hours, poetry, songs, and stories reverberated throughout the train cars. Bob Marley’s Redemption Song and Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Gonna Come carried messages of struggle and hope, while passengers of all ages reflected on the legacy of freedom. Jackie Lawrence and poet Régy Jonathan recited poems in English and French, weaving resilience and remembrance into the journey.
“I want to remember those who risked everything,” said Denise Umutoni, a Rwandan newcomer. “The freedom we enjoy today was won through struggle, and even now we continue to fight against new forms of slavery.”
The Ottawa ride was inspired by Toronto writer, activist and entrepreneur Itah Sadu, who launched the Freedom Train Ride in 2013. This year, Ottawa (for the second time) and Halifax joined Toronto in hosting simultaneous events.
From my personal experience, the symbolism of the event was powerful. “The Underground Railroad used the language of trains—conductors, stations, passengers—as a way to guide people to freedom. Recreating that experience reminds us of that journey.
The evening’s Honorary Conductor was Peter Nesbitt, who retired on that very day from OC Transpo after 34 years of service. Members of the Brotherhood Coalition served as “Porters”, ensuring that everyone boarded and disembarked from the train safely.
The initiative was led by Adrienne Coddett and her organization 3 Dreads and a Baldhead, with support from several of her co-hosts from the CHUO 89.1FM radio show Black on Black. Along the way, Black History Ottawa’s Sarah Onyango highlighted key moments and persons in Ottawa’s Black history—from Rideau-Rockcliffe ward’s Rawlson King, the city’s first Black councillor, to the Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, who in 1911 signed an order-in-council barring Black immigration to Canada. She also honoured pioneers such as Hugh Burnett, who fought for Ontario’s first anti-discrimination law in 1951, and Myrtha Lapierre, a trailblazing nurse from Ottawa’s Haitian community.
For many, the night was both a remembrance and a call to action. “We are united by a shared history and a shared experience,” said Melissa Redmond, a professor at Carleton University. “Events like this give us the chance to reflect on where we’ve come from, where we are, and where we want to go.”
Other partners of the Freedom Train Ride included OC Transpo, Black History Ottawa, The Brotherhood Coalition, Blackhurst Cultural Centre, and It’s Time Event Management.
As organizer Adrienne Coddett reminded participants: “As long as one of us is not free, none of us is truly free.”
Excerpts and background information were adapted from an article by journalist Mohammed Amine Harmach, originally published on August 1, 2025, on ONFR-TFO
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Photo credit: Sarah Onyango