2022 $20 Fine Silver Coin
Commemorating Black History: The Underground Railroad

4th coin in the series Commemorating Black History.

A key chapter in Canadian history. This is the fourth coin in the Mint’s annual Commemorating Black History series and the first to commemorate the Underground Railroad, the pathway to freedom for enslaved people of African descent in the 19th century. Canada was viewed as a safe haven after slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire on August 1 1834 (August 1 is Emancipation Day in Canada), and it became the terminus for at least 30,000 enslaved people, believed to be as many as 100,000 who travelled the Underground Railroad.

 Focused on history. To keep the focus on those who risked it all to find freedom, the only word on the coin’s reverse is “CANADA“ and it is part of the design.
 They followed the North Star to freedom. The reverse design shows men, women and children travelling along the coin’s edge to create a sense of circular motion, which symbolizes a long, continuous journey. The stars in the night sky, including the Big Dipper seen on the coin’s reverse, helped these freedom seekers find their way north to British North America (“CANADA“).
 Maple leaf pattern. Like the 2021 The Black Loyalist coin before it, this 2022 Commemorating Black History coin features a symbol of Canada on its obverse, where the maple leaf forms a repeating pattern that fills the field.

COMMEMORATING BLACK HISTORY - THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD - 2022 CANADIAN COINS 04 is categorised COINS AND PAPER MONEY / 08- ROYAL CANADIAN MINT / 13- CANADIAN HISTORY and sold by l'Imaginaire, a store and specialised website.