Heather's Historicals

Spring has sprung!

4/30/2021

(Image from the Internet)

Mother Nature is amazing! The second week in March, buds were sprouting on trees and branches, birds were frolicking to entice mates and Robins were abounding. To some seeing an American Robin is a sure sign of spring, but for me it is the majestic turkey vulture.

These massive scavengers are so graceful in flight that its mesmerizing with their massive six feet wingspan gliding effortlessly on a thermal air stream. Usually when you see one turkey vulture there will be a group. When flying, a flock of vultures are called a kettle, when resting on the ground or in trees is called a committee and a group of turkey vultures feeding together are called a wake.

Turkey vulture in flight (Image from the Internet)

These birds are so beautiful in the sky but with their red bald head, not so much up close. However, I tend to notice that when I do see a turkey vulture in the spring, there is still one more snowfall.

Turkey vulture up close (Image from the Internet)

It seems Mother Nature felt sorry for us having to deal not only with another year of the Coronavirus pandemic but with another lock down. Temperatures in early March were double digits, like summer weather. I took advantage of this by cleaning up and preparing my ponds and putting out my garden paraphernalia. I have never been this early getting my gardens ready.

Going for my daily walk was great not having to don all the winter grub. Some mornings I just wore a tee-shirt. Fantastic! But it proved to be short-lived then yoyoing. It was a winter wonderland on April 21st then a week later a high of 22 degrees Celsius. Back to wearing coats and hats then slathering on sunscreen.

April 21, 2021 (Image taken by Heather A. Rennalls)

April 22, 2021 (Image taken by Carl Rennalls)

Now on the last day of April, there is a frost advisory with the possibility of the temperatures dipping to -2 degrees Celsius. Yikes! Just like with the cases of COVID-19, Mother Nature is up and down. Just when we thought we had all clear that spring weather arrived, Mother Nature threw us a curve ball.

Frost covered trees (Image from the Internet)

Another rite of passage for spring is spring cleaning. Dreaded by many, I am sure. Being off last March due to COVID-19, I spent my time spring cleaning both inside and outside my house. I found it refreshing discarding many unused items and trying to par things done. A year later, I once again spent time spring cleaning. Now I am off due to early retirement. Loving it!

Once again, the goal was trying to pair things down. After living in my house for twenty years, I want to scale back to just the essentials. Not an easy feat but a continual work in progress.

As a homeowner, spring cleaning is not just a required and needed service, so is maintenance. Over the next weeks and months, I will be highlighting various house maintenance chores required during the spring season. Some things I was not even aware of and many maintenance jobs can be done by the homeowner rather then employing professionals. However, there are times when professionals should do some maintenance work. All this will be explored.

In the meantime, enjoy the beautiful sunshine and everything that springtime has to offer. Enjoy reading the poem Spring Has Sprung.

(Image from the Internet)

Happy Spring!

Quote: "Where flowers bloom so does hope." ~ Lady Bird Johnson ~

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A Brief Black History of Woodstock

2/22/2021

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This is the fourth and final instalment of a four-part series from the article “A Brief Black History of Woodstock” that was edited and appeared in the What’s On Woodstock Magazine in the January/February 2021 issue.

Woodstock has seen its share of outstanding Black entertainers who have and continue to achieve tremendous success in the entertainment world with the Marshall and Morton families.

The Marshall family from Woodstock were well known as the four Marshall brothers all served in the armed forces. According to the book A Safe Haven, the Marshall family first appeared in Oxford County census in 1881 in Blenheim Township where the widow Eliza Marshall lived with her eldest son Thomas and his family. Eliza's two other sons, Horace and John moved to Woodstock in 1891 their older brother Thomas followed in 1901.

Horace and his wife Jane came to Woodstock in 1890 where all five of their sons were born: Harold, Wallace, Horace, Arthur and George. They all attended public school in Woodstock and Wallace went to Woodstock Collegiate (WCI). George died at 17 years of age. Growing up they all had jobs in Woodstock. Both Horace and Wallace worked for the Thomas Organ Company. However, the four remaining Marshall brothers moved to Toronto to find employment.

Both Horace and Wallace were WW1 veterans, and both also served in the Second World War where Horace was a Sergeant-Major in the Canadian Machine Gun Training Centre. Arthur Marshall was a Quartermaster Sergeant with the Frist Battalion of the Irish Regiment of Canada in the Second World War.

The Marshall Brothers, left to right: Horace, Wallace & Arthur

In 1920, Wallace Marshall moved to Barrie, Ontario and married Vera Irene Rolling. A later their famous daughter Phyllis Marshall was born. Phyllis was an exceptionally talented woman who studied piano as a child. She was also a dress designer, an actress and an athlete who was a contender for the 1940 Olympics for a runner.

Phyllis made her debut at the age of 15 as a singer on CRCT and CBC radio stations. During the 1940s she sang blues and jazz with various Toronto dance bands. During 1947 to 1948, she toured throughout the United States with the Cab Calloway Orchestra. Phyllis appeared on a CBC radio show “Blues for Friday” from 1949 to 1952. In the 1950s she starred in two television shows: “The Big Review” 1952 to 1954 and “Cross Canada Hit Parade” from 1956 to 1959. She also performed with the great Canadian jazz pianist the late Oscar Peterson on BBC-TV.

Phyllis Marshall, daughter of Wallace & Vera Marshall

In 1959, Phyllis performed on BBC Television in England in her own show “The Phyllis Marshall Special”. In 1964 she recorded the Juno Award winning album That Girl with two American jazz stars Buck Clayton and Buddy Tate. Phyllis’s second career as an actress began in 1956 at the Crest Theatre in Toronto. She took on both dramatic and musical roles stage, radio and TV productions such as the revue Cindy-Ella in 1964; “Paul Bernard, Psychiatrist” in 1971; “Voice of the Fugitive” in 1978 and in the CBS-CTV's Night Heat during the mid-1980s.

One of Phyllis’ last performances was for Nelson Mandela’s 70th Birthday Tribute at the Freedom Fest in Harbourfront in 1988. Phyllis Marshall died in Toronto on February 2, 1996. She is remembered as one of Canada’s pioneer Black television super star.

The Morton family originally resided in Peel Township in Wellington County where James and his wife, Sarah Ann Cornwall were listed in the 1861 census. Both James and Sarah were born in the United States as was their eldest son Walter. Of their six children, five were born in Ontario and three called Woodstock home. Walter Morton moved to Woodstock where he was listed in the 1891 Census at the age of 25. His two younger brothers, George and Henry along with their wives, were here according to the 1901 Census.

For forty years, Henry Morton worked at the McIntosh Coal Company. His first wife, Hattie died in 1906. He then married Annie Lewis in 1918. The couple had ten children: six sons Harold, Donald, McKenzie, Embry, John and Douglas; and four daughters: Dorothy (husband John James), Isobel (Allan Bennett), Elizabeth and Phyllis. Henry and Annie were married for 36 years when Henry died in 1954 at 81 years old.

After Henry’s death, Annie married jack Walters. In 1965 she published a book of seventy poems entitled This is Annie. By then she was a paraplegic. Annie died in 1967 at 68. Annie’s children Isobel, Don and Douglas remained in Woodstock. Douglas Morton was married to Ida nee Lawson and they have two children: Greg, the famous entertainer, married to Debra and Nanette who is married to Mark. After 55 years of marriage, Douglas died on November 22, 2010.

Book of poetry by Annie Walters, who was previously married to Henry Morton

Greg Morton attended Woodstock Collegiate Institute. When he was 16 years old, he worked at a local department store as a P.A. Announcer. Greg graduated in animation and worked as an animator on the Scooby and Scrappy Doo Shows and the New Flintstones for Hanna Barbara. He provided voice-overs in the cartoon series of Robocop and Police Academy. Greg also has director role under his belt after directing several Saturday morning cartoons including ABC Hammerman and The Legend of White Fang that appeared on HBO

Comedian Greg Morton grew up in Woodstock, Ontario

In 1985, Morton ventured into the world of stand-op comedy. Thirty-five years later, Greg continues to entertain audiences worldwide and has opened for numerous celebrities like: Celine Dion, Dionne Warwick, Harry Connick Jr, and the late Luther Vandross. He is a long-time veteran of the famous Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal and has appeared in Laugh Factor.

Greg Morton appeared as a contestant on Season 14 of America’s Got Talent on May 28, 2019 where he impressed the judges that Howie Mandel promised to invite Greg to open for him. On the show Greg performed his famous two-minute rendition of the Star Wars Trilogy that had the audience of all ages in stitches. At 61 Greg Morton has achieved success that will continue. Greg Morton may even get a street named in his honour right here in Woodstock, Ontario.

Born in Hamilton in the 1880s, William (Hippo) Galloway came to Woodstock about 1899. He was a member of the Bain Baseball Team. This was a successful team that played in the Canadian Baseball League. Formed under the Bain Wagon Company, a manufacturer company in Woodstock, William played third baseman making him one the few Black players in organized ball until Jackie Robinson played in 1946.

William (Hippo) Galloway played both baseball & hockey

Also, in 1899, William and Charles Lightfoot from Stratford were the first Black hockey players in the Ontario Hockey Association. However, there was racial tension when an American player refused to play with William. Although his Woodstock hockey team wanted him to stay, they had to let William go. He left Woodstock for the United States where he joined the all Black team the Cuban Giants. William Galloway later played for the Page Giants.

Yet another famous, well respected and popular Black resident in Woodstock was George Gravy. He was born a slave in the southern United States around 1856. Prior to coming to Woodstock in 1925 where he proclaimed himself as the unofficial Town Crier, George resided in Chatham, Ontario. There he shined shoes at both the Hotel Rankin and the Old Hotel Garner. Aside from being the town crier, George also shined shoes and washed windows. He had a shoeshine stand in the back of Sam Kostis’ restaurant at 369 Dundas Street in Woodstock. He also worked at the Steward Manufacturing Company for less than a year.

Woodstock residents nicknamed him George “Washington Jones” a name he did not like but one that stuck and has since been immortalized. For twenty-five years George Gravy paraded around the streets in Woodstock advertising everything from hockey and baseball games to local events like dances, the Lion’s carnival, Woodstock Fair and the Rotary Bingo. Many of the Woodstock merchants hired George to advertise their products and services.

Dressed in a silk black hat, a swallow-tailed coat, striped pants and freshly polished shoes, he was bedecked with numerous medals, badges and flags, George started off with a sliver trumpet. He then had a handbell which was replaced with a double hand-bell which he rang before making his announcements through his brass megaphone. Which is now an artifact at the Woodstock Museum. He also caried a sandwich board which would promote the next motion picture showing at the Royal or theatrical production at the Capital. It was said that George’s booming voice could be heard in Eastwood, five miles away, if the wind was right.

George Gravy Woodstock's Town Crier 1925 - 1951

The late Ed Bennett wrote that during World War II, Woodstock soldiers serving in England claimed they could hear George’s voice announcing regular Saturday night dances. Bennett also mentioned that George’s favourite saying was “Well, bless my soul.” A friendly person, George was remembered as quite a character in town who “always had a big fat grin on his face.” and who referred to almost everyone as “Buster Boy” or to the very few he called “My friend.”

With failing eyesight, George Gravy would be seen around town tapping his way with his white cane. Many prominent citizens would help him across the street. On December 8, 1951, George Gravy died at the House of Refuge and was buried in the Baptist Cemetery in Woodstock. Famous businessmen were his pallbearers. In 1952, the late Percy Canfield took up a collection and erected a granite headstone that read “George Jones, 1856-1951, Town Crier”.

George Gravy, Woodstock’s famous Town Crier is now immortalized in a song written by the city’s current Town Crier. Scott Fraser was appointed Town Crier in November 1992 by Woodstock City Council. In 1994, Scott wrote about George Washington to composer James Gordon, from CBC Radio’s Ontario Morning Show, “Hometown Tunes”. That same year, James Gordon composed the song George Washington Jones. Furthermore, on August 6, 2004, close to 300 Woodstock residents gathered to remember this unofficial but loved town crier when a pathway leading to the Woodstock Museum, was named in his honour: The George Washington Jones Walk.

As illustrated, these are but a few of Woodstock’s Black residents who have been a part of history in Oxford County for over 150 years. These earlier settlers have and continue to contribute to their communities.

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A Brief Black History of Woodstock

2/15/2021

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The third instalment of a four-part series from the article “A Brief Black History of Woodstock” that was edited and appeared in the What’s On Woodstock Magazine in the January/February 2021 issue.

Reports indicate that the number of slaves who reached Canada via the Underground Railroad was between 30,000 to 75,000. Although no accurate figures can be given for the number of fugitives or Free Blacks in British North America. It is estimated that about 30,000 fugitive slaves arrived in Canada between 1800 and 1860.

Whatever the number however, not all Blacks who came to Canada were ex-slaves. Following the American Revolution many free Blacks settled here too. Some Blacks even fought in the War of 1812. Similarly, by the 1800’s, many Black people made their way to Oxford County trying to make a living in their communities. They worked in a wide variety of occupations like domestic workers, preachers, blacksmiths, framers, carpenters, bricklayers, plasters, roofers, framers and barbers just to name but a few.

The Attawandaron or Neutral Indians inhabited Southwestern Ontario before being exterminated by the Iroquois and the Hurons, who were supplied guns with the arrival of the British and French. The area then became the hunting grounds for the Iroquois. Travelling through this area during 1792-1793, the First Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, Sir John Graves Simcoe, felt the present site of Woodstock, would be a good spot for a garrison town. The area was named on the survey as “the Town Plot” and Simcoe proposed the name Woodstock after his hometown in England.

On January 1, 1851 Woodstock was incorporated and became the centre of a rich agricultural county with successful farms. Manufactures at the turn of century included the Woodstock Iron Works established in 1842 by H. P. Brown. The Vulcan Iron Foundry manufactured stoves, agricultural implements, tin and sheet-iron ware. There were a few grist and flouring mills in the city and two tanneries, a patent medicine factory, a large wholesale and retail book and paper warehouse that manufactured bookbindery. There was also an oil refinery and a brewery. Woodstock was also the chief station for the Great Western Railway which ran from the Town north, south, east and west. Documentation cites that some companies and business in Woodstock employed Black people.

A well-known barber in 1860 was Thomas Doston who escaped slavery in Kentucky in the 1840’s and came to Woodstock. Thomas and his wife Abigail had two sons, James and William. The family remained in the area until the 1880’s, when they moved to Detroit to live with their son James who became the Deputy Sherriff. Thomas died in Detroit in 1906.

Gilbert ‘Gil’ Sanders became known as the “only barber in town” who had a shop located on Dundas Street West in Woodstock. By the 1870 Census, Gilbert had two other Black men working for him as barbers, Henry Anderson and William Tillman. During the 1880s, Gilbert was married and had a family of three living in Woodstock.

Marshall Anderson, known as “Marsh”, was born in South Norwich in 1844. In 1871, when he was 27 years old, Marsh farmed on a rented property near Burgessville. He resided there with his first wife Sarah and their 3-year-old daughter Frances. Following Sarah’s death, Marsh married her younger sister Mary. The family moved to Woodstock in 1881 where Marsh joined the Woodstock town fire brigade until the fire department was made a permanent one and moved to the fire hall on Perry Street. However, that same year, Mary died. According to Joyce Pettigrew’ book A Safe Haven The Story of Black Settlers in Oxford County, the Woodstock Fire Brigade wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper as public note of condolence.

Marshall Anderson

During the 1890’s, Marsh was the municipality’s law enforcement and known as “Woodstock’s Faithful Night Watchman”. Hired by local merchants, this large Black man patrolled the city after dark when policing did not provide night coverage after six o’ clock. Lieutenant-Colonial John White came up with the idea of having Marsh protect stores and business at night. Marsh’s beat was from Vansittart Avenue to Wellington Street, on both sides of Dundas Street as well as the stores and business around City Hall Square.

Marsh had an assistant; a large Newfoundland dog named “Duke.” The two made an effective team but Duke was poisoned when he was 11 years old. Marsh’s second dog was a Great Dane named “Seeker”. While Marsh tried the doors of the local merchants, Seeker would stand and wait. If there were any sign of trouble, Marsh would let Seeker in to investigate. The beat back was in reverse; Seeker would lead the way down the allies behind the stores, followed by Marsh. If something usually was found, Seeker would “utter a deep growl and stand guard until Marsh” arrived with his gas lamp to investigate and make an arrest if necessary. If someone had to be placed in the lock-up, located in the cellar of the town hall, Marsh would lead the way, followed by the culprit and Seeker bringing up the rear. It was reported that Marsh and Seeker never lost a prisoner. In the morning, the prisoner would be freed.

However, according to the late historian, Edwin (Ed) Bennett, not all people who stayed overnight in the county jail were criminals or vagabonds. Ed once explained how his father, a well-known prosperous businessman the late Bill Bennett Sr., spent the night in jail. In the early morning in 1904, Bill first arrived in Woodstock by train. Bill met Marsh and asked if a hotel would be opened. Marsh offered Bill a bed in a section of the jail used as a hostel by prisoner’s dependants. Marsh told Bill that ‘it’s cheaper than a hotel!’ The senior Bennett accepted, and in the morning, he moved to the Oxford Hotel.

After 40 years of public service, Marsh retired at age 81 in 1925 and was granted a pension for life by the Woodstock Police Commission. In 1932, Marshall Anderson died in hospital after succumbing to illness by his coal-gas oven. A poem written about Marshall Anderson that went:

Go home to supper now.
You proud business man.
The “Seeker” and Marshall
Will secure all your land.
No crook will accost you.
No robbers appear
For in spite of brave Marshall,
It’s “Seeker” they fear.
J.C.D.

The Smith family were well-known and respected in Woodstock. Peter Smith was born into slavery on April 2, 1844 in Richmond Virginia. He escaped slavery via the Underground Railroad to Canada possibly in a crate that family members still have. Peter settled in Chatham but later moved to East Oxford in 1871, according to the Census that same year with his wife Martha who was from Chatham. The couple then lived in East Zorra then eventually moved to Innerkip. They had six children Samuel, Albert, Leonard, Martha, Annie and Rose.

Peter worked as a blacksmith, he farmed, and he also worked in the lime kilns in Ingersoll. He would gather scarps of metal, rags and bones to recycle. After his wife died on April 9, 1911, Peter moved to Woodstock to find employment. He eventually moved to the House of Refuge where he died on January 17, 1929 at the age of 85.

Samuel Walter Smith was the eldest of six children born to Peter and Maude Smith on December 13, 1871. Of his five siblings, Samuel was the only one of the six who reminded in Oxford County. He was born in Innerkip then moved to Woodstock to find employment. Samuel married Mary A. Anderson from Chatham in 1903.

Like his father, Samuel was a hardworking man and an entrepreneur. According to his son, Fred Smith, Samuel was the first person to plough the streets of Woodstock with his team of horses and a snow plough. He also delivered wood and cleaned up after fires. Sometimes Fred would accompany his father and his team of horses ploughing the streets at 4:00 in the morning.

Samuel also founded a gravel company in Woodstock. He built his home at 256 Phelan Street in 1903 which would become known as the Homestead. According to the book A Safe Haven, Samuel supplied milk from his two cows to the Silverwood’s Dairy. Samuel and Mary had nine children: John, Fred, Walter, Madeline, Leta, and Hilda, Selena who died at a young age, Mabel and Mildred. Only 4 of the Smith children remained in Oxford County.
On January 15, 1937, Samuel died from carbon monoxide poisoning while fixing his vehicle in his garage. He was 67 years old and credited as a prominent man who helped to re-build the church in his community.

The grandson of Peter Smith, John Smith and his wife Shirley resided in the family Homestead on Phelan Street. John worked at Oxford Regional Centre. Like members of the Smith family, John and Shirley were also active members of their church. In October 1974, they dedicated a Memorial Light and Plaque to the Dundas Street United Church in Woodstock in memory of John’s parents.

The memorial light is an outside light that was installed over the east side door of the church. Installed with a photocell, the light comes on automatically at dusk and turns off at dawn. The inscription on the plaque reads as follows: “This light is given to Dundas Street United Church by Mr. and Mrs. John W. Smith to the Glory of God and in loving memory of Mr. and Mrs. S.W. Smith.” John Smith died on February 1, 2002.

Born on March 22, 1909 and raised in Woodstock, Frederick (known as Fred) Alfred Smith was well-known and respected person around town. Fred was known to ‘break into song’ wherever and whenever he went. He was known as the area’s finest gospel singer who sang for churches and gatherings and even travelled to the States to sing.

Fred used to deliver the newspapers for The Daily Sentinel-Review, he worked as a polisher and janitor for James Stewart Manufacturing Company when he was 16 and worked there for 32 years. The James Stewart Manufacturing Company was established in Woodstock in 1892 then moved their operations in the early 1960s’ they wanted Smith to follow but he declined.

In 2000, Fred donated his family-owned century-old Stewart Good Cheer coal/wood burning stove to the Woodstock Museum which continues to be part of their collection. After the company left town, Fred then worked at the local freight company Overland Express Company as a janitor for 38 years.
Fred married Phyllis LaSalle and had 4 daughters: Gloria, Brenda, Shelia and Tammy. Of his 4 daughters, only one resides in Oxford County. Sheila Picknall is an Education Assistant in Woodstock and has two sons Nathan and Justin. Fred Smith died at Woodingford Lodge in Woodstock on October 2, 2007 in his 98th year.

In 1959, Mildred Smith, the youngest of Samuel Smith’s children, was appointed pastor of the British Methodist Episcopal (BME) Church in Woodstock where she had been the deaconess of the church since 1950. Her duties of a deaconess included visiting the sick and dying as well as assisting the pastor with service. In a newspaper article that appeared in the Woodstock Sentinel Review on July 9, 1959, Pastor Smith reported that she is on “old fashioned” type of minister and people would expect to hear an old-fashioned Gospel service. Despite her small congregation of five, Pastor Smith hoped that the old church would be bulging to its seams with people. This never occurred however, but the Smith family still went down in the history book.

The Smith family are one of the few remaining Black families who arrived in Oxford County via the Underground Railroad during the mid-1880s. The family has 150 years of history contributing to their community.

Built by former slaves, the British Methodist Episcopal (BME) Church was once the religious and social centre of Woodstock’s Black community. Known by various names: Hawkins’ Chapel and Park Row Community Chapel, the church opened its door on December 2, 1888. A porter at the O’Neil House George Washington and stonemason Dan Anderson, started canvassing in 1883. By 1886 the two local Black men purchased lot number 1 at 257 Park Row in Woodstock, to build the 200-seat frame church.

Also known as Hawkins’ Chapel and Park Row Community Chapel

The church was named Hawkins Church after the first minister, the Right Reverend Walter Hawkins. During the 1880s, the church serviced about 75 Black families and was one of the few Black churches in the community. The last burial service held at the church occurred on January 15, 1937 for Samuel Walter Smith (Peter Smith’s eldest son.)

After being closed for six years, Reverend George Boyce took over the church in July 1977 and re-opened it a year later as Park Row Community Chapel. To show that the church was open for any race, it was painted black and white. Reverend Boyce baptized Kevin James Mitchell, of Stratford son of Ray and Cecilia Mitchell (Mabel Smith’s daughter) on February 6, 1978, during the church’s re-opening. The child was the fourth generation of the Smith family to be baptized in the church before it was closed permanently in 1986. A single-family dwelling now stands at the site that was once a centre for Blacks in Woodstock.

Susan LeBurtis was born Susan Brown in Artemesia Township in Grey County in 1857. She was one of seventeen children born to Lemuel and Phebe Brown. Susan moved to Collingwood, Ontario to find work and met Reverend Charles William LeBurtis. In 1885, the couple moved to Woodstock where Reverend LeBurtis was a minister at the BME Church. Susan provided herbal remedies to cure her friends’ and neighbours’ numerous aliments. This became so popular that she sold herbal medicines from their home located at 331 Dundas Street. In advertisements, the business called The William LeBurtis Medicine Company in which was known for the manufacturer of LeBurtis’ Blood Purifier.

After Reverend LeBurtis died in 1910, Susan took over the business. By 1912, she renamed this business Le Burtis Medical Company and moved to 327 Dundas Street. Susan was so well known for curing ailments with her herbal remedies that many of her clients came from the United States. She only charged when there was a cure. Although charged by the Ontario Medical Association for practicing without a license, Susan’s case was dismissed. Susan LeBurtis continued to sell and practice herbal medicine until her death on April 8, 1926.

(The last instalment will be posted next week.)

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The Underground Railroad & Harriet Tubman

2/8/2021

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The second instalment of a four-part series from the article “A Brief Black History of Woodstock” that was edited and appeared in the What’s On Woodstock Magazine in the January/February 2021 issue.

The first major wave of fugitive slaves to Canada occurred between 1817 to 1820 and the choice of refuge was Essex County as it was the easiest and fastest to reach from the United States. About 20 terminals were set up in Ontario dotting along the shores of Lake Erie and the Niagara River, as well as Amhertsburg, Sandwich, Windsor, Owen Sound, Hamilton, St Catharine's, Toronto, Kingston, Brantford, Collingwood and Prescott. Many Great Lakes ships would carry runaways without charge and drop them on Canadian soil. Ships such as Bay City, United States, Arrow, Mayflower, Forest Queen, May Queen, Morning Star, and Phoebus. Areas in Oxford County that both escaped slaves and free Blacks settled included, Ingersoll, Woodstock, Blenheim, Norwich, Summerville and Otterville.

About 20 terminals were set up in Canada along the Lake Erie shore.

Escaping slaves usually travelled at night on foot through swamps, bayous, forests and waterways guided north by the stars and hid at stations or ports, during the day. Slaves passed information on escape by songs like “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” “Wade in the Water,” “Steal Away, or "Sweet Chariot”.

The most northerly terminus of the Underground Railroad was the former Wesleyan Methodist Church in Ingersoll. Led by Quakers by the way of St. Thomas, slaves escaping bondage from their plantations from Virginia, Georgia, Louisiana and even as far as New Orleans, were smuggled into the attic of the Ingersoll Church during the night. Anti-slavery supporters would try to find work for them on neighbouring farms throughout Oxford County or would transport them to other areas to work, to enable them to safely reach their destinations.

A legendary conductor on the Underground Railroad was Harriet Ross Tubman. Known as the “Black Moses” of her people, Tubman was born into slavery around 1820 on Edward Brodess plantation in Maryland, Ohio. One of 9 children, her parents Harriet (Rit) Green and Benjamin Ross named her Araminta or “Minty” Ross. Harriett grew up with the harsh realities of bondage. From the young age of 5, she was hired out to care for a baby. At nighttime she had to constantly rock the baby, if he cried, Harriett would be whipped. She received such beatings that Harriet bore scars. As an adolescent, Harriet tried to protect another slave and suffered a head injury after an overseer throw a two-pound weight aimed for a slave she helped escape. This incident left Harriet with a scar in her forehead. She suffered from terrible headaches and endured sudden loss of consciousness throughout her life.

In 1848, she married a free Black man, John Tubman. Harriet told her husband of her wish to escape but aborted it when John threatened to tell her master. After the death of Edward Brodess, the estate was divided, and Harriet’s sisters were sold. After a failed attempt to escape with her brothers, Harriett found out she and her brothers would be sold and sent to Georgia in a chain gang.

In 1849 Tubman escaped on her own foraging through the woods at night, she found shelter and was helped by free Blacks and Quakers. She eventually reached freedom in Philadelphia. There, Harriet met with the prominent abolitionist and civil rights activist William Still. Like him, she too became a conductor on the Underground Railroad. Tubman quickly gained respect among both the slaves and abolitionists. Abolitionist John Brown called her “General Tubman”.

Despite a $40,000 price on her head by a group of slave-owners, Harriett Tubman continued to lead escaping slaves to freedom. She brilliantly used disguises—sometimes posing as a deranged old man and at other times, as an old woman—to avoid suspicion when travelling in slave states. During her expeditions, Tubman carried sleeping powder to stop babies from crying and a pistol to prevent her charges from backing out once their journey began. However, Harriett never lost a passenger, although threatened, she never had to use her gun.

Over a period of ten years, Tubman made an estimated 19 expeditions into the Southern States and personally escorted about 300 slaves out of bondage to become free in Canada, including some of her siblings and her aged parents. She lived in St. Catharine’s, Ontario for ten years before returning to the United States to serve the Union Army during the American Civil War in 1861 in South Carolina. While there she served as a nurse, a scout and a spy. Harriett Tubman is still considered the first and only woman to led American troops into war. She also helped prepare food for the 54th Massachusetts Regiment—composed entirely of Black soldiers.

Following the war, Harriet continued to be a champion helping the poor newly freed slaves, raising money for clothes and adequate educational facilities. She also became a strong supporter of woman suffrage. Tubman was not able to read or write, but in 1869, her friend Sarah Bradford helped her publish her biography, Scenes from the Life of Harriet Tubman, so that her achievements could be an inspiration to others. Harriet Tubman died on March 10, 1913 at the age of 93. This extraordinary woman was buried with military rights at Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn New York.

Quote: "Slavery is the next thing to hell." ~ Harriet Tubman to Benjamin Drew [author of The Narratives of Fugitive Slaves] St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, 1855 ~

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Early Canadian Black History

2/1/2021

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February is Black History Month. For each week this month, I will be posting a segment of a larger article I wrote on A Brief Black History of Woodstock . This article was edited and appeared in the What’s On Woodstock Magazine in the January/February 2021 issue.

Black Lives Matter; marches for racial equality. Images conjured up from anywhere in the United States right? Wrong. A march for racial equality occurred right here in Woodstock Ontario on Sunday June 7, 2020 at Victoria Park. Organizers, Hannah Hodder and Jessica Hoffstetter, are two young Black women who grew up in Woodstock. They decided to join in on the nationwide protests over the killing of George Floyd on May 30th in Minneapolis and to highlight the systemic racism and violence against Black people. Growing up Black in Woodstock, both Hannah and Jessica experienced racism and described the lack of resources for Black youth during their interview by the Woodstock-Sentinel Review.

Both women were surprised but pleased by the large turnout for the protest. They were also contacted by Woodstock Police Chief Daryl Longworth who wanted to begin conversations and they now sit on a new advisory board to address diverse cultures.

Like the United States, Woodstock and Oxford County, Black people have been a part of history for quite some time. Like many parts of Canada, Oxford County was home to a number of Black communities that have since disappeared and are largely forgotten. Few monuments commemorate these long-gone hamlets neither of early Black settlers nor of the individuals who made contributions to Oxford County.

The late Mary Evans-Smith volunteered at the Oxford Historical Society who dedicated her time researching Black history in Oxford County during the 1990s. She believed if you “talk about Canada being a multicultural country, every race and colour must be included in its history.” Otterville historian, Joyce Pettigrew, documented local Black settlements in her 2006 book, A Safe Haven The Story of the Black Settlers of Oxford County. Although limited compared to other communities throughout Oxford County, Woodstock does have a rich Black history in both people and buildings that the scope of this four-part blog post will address.

However, to understand how and why Black people came to Oxford County, we must know the history of Canada, one which and to some extent, is still not taught in school. Forgotten in our history books is the mention that slavery existed Canada. Black people first arrived in Canada as slaves by the British around 1608. But the first recorded Black person to arrive on Canadian soil was Mathieu da Costa from Azores. He was not a slave but a linguist, an explorer, a pioneer and a translator between the Micmac Indians and the French explorer with Samuel de Chaplain in 1606.

Da Costa was favoured by explorers due to his knowledge in several languages: Dutch, English, French, Portuguese and pidgin Basque, the dialect that many Aboriginals used for trading purposes. As a result, his talents helped to bridge the gap between the Europeans and the Micmac Indians. It is possibly that da Costa could possibly have been in Canada as early as 1603.

Olivier Le Jeune, a boy from Madagascar, was the first recorded slave that came directly from Africa and sold in New France in 1628. Captured in Africa at 6 years old, Le Jeune was transported to Canada by David Kirke. When Kirke left in 1629, Olivier was sold to a Canadian. He was baptized in 1633 and given the last name of one of the priest, Jesuit Father Paul Le Jeune. Oliver Le Jeune died in 1654 in New France.

From 1628 to 1759 (when the British conquered New France), 1,132 slaves were transported to New France, all of African descent. In 1688, Governor Denonville’s request for royal permission to import slaves directly from Africa was denied. As a result, a direct slave trade from Africa to Canada was never established.

In 1685, The Code Noir or “Black Code” became law which provided guidelines on the sale of slaves, their religious instructions and training, and the disposition of their offspring. Although referred to as “servants” rather than slaves, both Indians and Blacks were deemed to be property by their masters and were sold. French settlers preferred Indian slaves or panis. The majority of Indian slaves were Pawnees or from closely related tribes. The English settlers chose and brought Black slaves.

The slave population increased rapidly in Canada after 1783, when the United Empire Loyalist migrated from the United States to Canada after the Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783. About 40,000 Loyalists found refuge in the British provinces of Nova Scotia, Quebec and later made their ways to other areas: like Kingston, York, Toronto, Newark, Niagara-on-the-Lake and Amherstburg. Along with these early Loyalists were Black soldiers who volunteered to serve with the British forces during the war. However, aside from Black Loyalists, some Loyalists brought over their slaves to Canada who would later see an end to slavery.

On June 19, 1793, Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe introduced a bill prohibiting the import of slaves into Upper Canada (Ontario). However, known as the “Slave Bill” faced great opposition but once passed, Upper Canada became the only British Colony to legislate for the abolition of slavery. This bill prohibited further entry of slaves into the province. Slaves already living in Upper Canada remained slaves for life, their children, born after 1793, could be free at age 25 and their children would be free at birth. It took another 41 years to abolish slavery throughout Canada.

On August 1, 1834, about 781,000 slaves were emancipated throughout British North America by the British Imperial Act. On that day, known as Emancipation Day, a slow exodus of Black people began from United States into Canada. Emancipation Day celebrations occurred in Woodstock and Ingersoll. In Natasha Henry’s book Emancipation Day, Woodstock hosted an event in 1898 that was advertised in the Daily Sentinel Review on July 22, 1898.

Between 1840 and 1850, there was a huge influx of Black people exiting the United States due to the passing of The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. (This act was a much stronger act than the earlier Fugitive Slave Law of 1793.) This law allowed slave owners to recapture runaways and even free Blacks, in northern Free states.

For many slaves, Canada represented a dream of freedom where slave catchers and lynch mobs couldn’t hurt them. Slaves on the Underground Railroad endured months and even years, of living like fugitives while bounty hunters and racist government policies were always trying to impede their flight to freedom. Most slaves started out their journey on the Underground Railroad by running away from their plantation in the middle of the night. Often the runaway slave was alone, but on many occasions whole families would escape together. Many Black people followed the North Star to Canada and some came to Oxford County via the Underground Railroad.

The Underground Railroad (also called the “Liberty Line”) was not underground nor did it have tracks but was a movement consisting of network of escape routes. The Underground Railroad emerged as a result of over 415 years of slavery in the United States that started in 1450 and continued through the Civil War until the passing of the 13th Amendment which abolished slavery in 1865. Oppressed slaves wanted a way out and with the help of Abolitionist and other Anti-Slavery advocates, many slaves escaped to freedom in Canada by following the North Star via the Underground Railroad. Slaves not only escaped to Canada but also to Mexico and the Caribbean.

The term “Underground Railroad” originated supposedly in 1831 when a Kentucky slave named Tice Davids fled his plantation with his master in hot pursuit. Tice jumped into the Ohio River determined to swim to Ripley, Ohio, on the other shore. Pursued by his master in a boat, Tice made it to shore. When his master reached the shore, however, Tice was nowhere to be found. The frustrated slave-owner declared that Tice had vanished before his very eyes disappearing on some kind of “underground road.” The success of Davids' escape soon spread among the enslaved on southern plantations.

With the advent of the steam railway, terms like the “Underground Railroad” were used as code words. The “train” would occasionally be nicknamed the “Gospel Train”. “Conductors” consisted of people or groups of people like the Quakers, freed Blacks, Sympathetic Whites, Native Americans, German farmers and various religious groups, who feed, clothed and hid escaping slaves from one point to another until freedom was reached. “Stations” were places the abolitionists hid their “cargo” - escaping slaves - like barns, churches, attics, cellars farmhouses or secret passages. The Underground Railroad began in the 1780s by the Quakers.

The relationship between Blacks and Quakers goes a long way and it is a close relationship. Quakers or - the Society of Friends - were the backbone of the abolitionist and anti-slavery movements. Being peaceful people, Quakers do not believe in violence and they also believe that all men are created equal and had concerns for social reform and education. The origins of the Quaker testimony against slavery and the slave trade can be traced back to George Fox, the founder of Society of Friends also known as the Father of Quakerism. He first spoke out against slavery in 1657.

(Levi and Catherine Coffin)

The President of the Underground Railroad was a Quaker named Levi Coffin. His home in Newport, Indiana (and later in Cincinnati, Ohio) was known as the “Grand Central Station.” Through their work in the antislavery movement, Levi and his wife Catherine helped thousands of runaway slaves. During a visit to Canada in 1844, Levi visited many people whom he had helped escape slavery. (To be continued.)

Quote: "...no man can tell the intense agony which is felt by the slave when wavering on the point of making his escape....The life which he has, may be lost, and the liberty which he seeks, may be gained." ~ Frederick Douglass ~

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2020: The Year of Polarization

1/18/2021

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Phew! What a year! Thank goodness it’s over. 2020 will go down in the history books as being the most memorial year ever but for all the wrong reasons. Don't get me wrong, there were joyous occasions like births, couples getting married and families reconnecting; mainly, life happening.

But there was so much polarization that occurred during 2020. The slogan used by Virginia Slims cigarette ads during the 1960s and 1970s “You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby” aimed specifically for women, has me questioning: how far have we really come? If 2020 taught us anything, it showed that both racial and gender injustices still prevail. Maybe the logan should instead be: “Baby, You Still Have a Long Way to Go”.

2020 first started off with devastating fires that decimated Australia’s landscape. The exit of Britain from the European Union as well as Britian’s Monarch stepping back from their Royal duties.

2020 was also marred by the dreaded COVID-19 or Coronavirus Disease. (Which I'm sure both words including “pandemic” will be the most searched words in 2020.) Nothing of this magnitude has ever affected the whole wide world since The Black Death during the mid 1300s. It sparked an unprecedented global public health crisis which still continues a year later.

(Image from the Internet)

The first COVID-19 case started in China in January and lockdown occurred there in February. By March this dreaded disease put all the world in lockdown.

Nevertheless, despite nearly 20-million deaths worldwide and counting, there are still a lot of doubters who claim that COVID-19 is just a Government hoax to get people to inoculate. It’s a shame that the COVID Self-Assessment Centre is on speed dial and a favoured link on my browser.

The Internet was used as a weapon to spew misinformation on the pandemic. Fake news at the highest level. It doesn’t help either when a prominent leader of a powerful nation holds undiscerning opinions about COVID-19. Like suggesting injections with disinfection could possibly be a cure. Really?

But like with any fearmongering, people turn to the Internet to seek out information quickly. Although many realize what they read may be untrue, that information nonetheless gets passed on, and so on, and so on. You get the drift. (Reminds me of yet another old commercial). It’s like that old adage; sensationalism sales.

Despite a vaccination that rolled out in December, who knows when life will return to normal: not having to wear masks; meeting friends and even giving hugs. Maybe a new normal will be in order, whatever and whenever that may be.

Civil unrest occurred in the United States in February after numerous stories emerged of police killings of unarmed Black people. Ahmaud Arbery who was just jogging in his neighbourhood in Georgia was shot and killed. After the killing of George Floyd in May, world-wide protests against police brutality and racial injustice were sparked with Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

The March issue of TIME Magazine portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the front cover. The edition addressed “The Fight for Equality” which described the Civil Rights Movement then compared to today, six decades later. I couldn't help but think that Dr. King was rolling in his grave to think that 57 years after his “I Have a Dream” speech, marches and demonstrations for racial justice still prevailed.

In May, the documentary of Congressman and Civil Rights icon, John Lewis appeared in theatres. Entitled John Lewis: Good Trouble, describes his dedicated contribution to the Civil Rights Movement and his continued fight for people’s rights as City Councilor and then in Congress. A close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis died in July. The same day another civil rights icon, Reverend Cordy Tindell Vivian also died. Reverend Vivian worked closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and he too was a prominent leader for non-violence.

John Lewis appeared on the front cover of TIME Magazine’s Augst issue entitled “Conscience of a Nation.” During the March on Washington, prior to Dr. King’s iconic speech, John Lewis also gave a very compelling speech. Back then he was a prominent leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNNCC) who spoke to a large audience at Lincoln Memorial. At twenty-three he was the youngest speaker at the March.

For the first time Black, Indigenous, Asian and other ethnic minorities were appearing in advertisements, shows and programs, some for the first time. Seven professional sport teams plan on changing their names and/or mascots that were racist in origin against Indigenous People. Even well-known products like Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s and some rums were changing thier logos. Amount time too. Canadian Novelist and Essayist Lawrence Hill, addressed this in the article “Good riddance Aunt Jemina, and goodbye to Uncle Ben, too” in June. Plus, all around the world, removal of monuments linked to slavery and/or racial injustice were being removed.

Tim Hortons even got involved. In November Tim Hortons along with Hockey Canada, rolled out two female Hockey Barbie dolls; one white and one black after fellow Canadian Hockey Olympians Marie-Philip Poulin and Sarah Nurse respectively.

(Image courtesy of/& used with permission)

(Hockey Players Marie-Philip Poulin & Sarah Nurse with dolls resembling them.)

The new Tim Hortons female hockey Barbie Dolls is twofold: not only do they address the racial issue; it also forges another polarized issue; one on gender inequality. An issue that has raised its’ ugly head for some time now.

The #Me Too Movement did not start with sexual harassment allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein which surfaced in 2015 but by Activist Tarana Burke back in 2007. As a youth camp director in 1996, Tarana could not listen when a young girl tried to disclose a sexual abuse allegation against her mother’s boyfriend. Tarana was mortified seeing the look of rejection and hurt on the young girl’s face as she directed her to another counselor.

Also subjected to sexual abuse in her life, Tarana could not deal with what the young girl was going through nor could she admit at that time, that she too endured the pain and shame. As a result, she started the Me Too Movement. In the beginning it was to assist children but soon saw the need to address and include adults. As Tarana reported: “When you experience trauma and meet other people that have a similar experience, and you show empathy for each other, it creates a bond."

The #Me Too Movement went viral three years ago which saw the fall of many high-profile men with Harvey Weinstein being the most popular. More than 85 women came forward with sexual misconduct ranging from sexual harassment to rape against Weinstein which he denied all claims. In February Weinstein was found guilty of two criminal sexual assaults and third-degree rape and was sentenced to twenty-three years.

This movement also brought home that even famous actresses encounter sexual harassment in their workplace too. Something that unfortunately occurs far too often than people realize. The 2019 movie Bombshell addressed this issue with a Televisoin Reporter for Fox News.

The support and following that the Me Too Movement ensued, showed that women are not alone and hopefully are coming forward to express they will not stand for anymore abuse in the workplace.

A major jolt to gender equality came on November 7 when President Elect Joe Biden selected a woman as Vice President. During her victory speech, Kamala Harris is not only the first woman to hold this office, she is also the first Black woman and the first South Asian woman to hold office. In her words:

I am thinking about her and the generation of women. Black
women. Asian, White, Latina, Native American women
who throughout our nation's history have paved the way for this
moment tonight. Women who fought and sacrificed so much for
quality and liberty and justice for all. Including the Black woman who
too often are overlooked but often proved that they are the back bone
of our democracy. … Joe Biden had the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers that exist in our country and select a woman
as his Vice President.

2020 will now be known as a landmark in American history, for electing for the first time, a woman as Vice President. Globally however, women are Presidents in their countries. Again, quoting Harris:

While although I maybe the first woman in this office I will not
be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this
is a country of possibilities. And to the children of our country,
regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message: Dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourself in a
way that others might not see you, simply because they’ve never seen it before. And we will applaud you every step of the way.

On Wednesday January 20, 2021 a new dawn will be issued in for America with the Inauguration of the 46th President of the United States; Joe Biden, along with his Vice President Kamala Harris. Maybe now that country can be great again rather than being fractured. Which in tune will no doubt have positive rippling affects for the rest of the world. Time will tell.

Maybe after all, the slogan “You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby” is still relevant.

Quote: “I fought too long against discrimination based on race and color to allow discrimination based on gender identity to be considered acceptable.” ~ John Lewis ~

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Following the North Star to Freedom

2/12/2020

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Over two thousand years ago, according to the New Testament, Wise Men followed the North Star to find the Saviour’s birthplace. Two thousand years later, fugitive slaves escaping bondage in the United States would also follow the North Star to lead them to freedom in Canada.

The North Star or Polaris is the first and one of the brightest stars to appear in the night sky. It is the only star in the constellation that does not move across the sky or change position with the seasons; it always points to the north. Polaris is easily identified by first finding the Big Dipper or the Drinking Gourd. The Big Dipper is made up of seven bright stars in the shape of a ladle with a curved handle. Away from the handle is the side of the bowl that forms the pouring edge. The two stars making up the Big Dipper’s pouring edge points to the North Star.

Fugitives would follow Polaris to guide them northward toward the free states of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, or to Canada. While on clear nights the North Star can easily be seen, on cloudy nights or when running through forests, swamps or bayous, runaway slaves would rely on tree moss to guide them. Moss grows on the cooler north side of tree trunks. As well as following the North Star, fugitives relied on the Underground Railroad to help them arrive safely at their destination --freedom.

The term “Underground Railroad” was first used in 1831. A Kentucky slave named Tice Davids fled his plantation with his master in hot pursuit. Tice jumped into the Ohio River determined to swim to Ripley, Ohio, on the other shore. Pursued by his master in a boat, Tice made it to shore. When his master reached the shore, however, Tice was nowhere to be found. The frustrated slave-owner declared that Tice had vanished before his very eyes disappearing on some kind of Underground Railroad.

The Underground Railroad (also called the Liberty Line) was not underground nor did it have tracks. Rather it was a movement begun by Quakers, as early as 1676, (due to George Fox the founder of Society of Friends also known as the Father of Quakerism) to help slaves escape their bondage in the United States to freedom in the free northern states and later to Canada by following the North Star. Acting as “conductors,” Quakers, Free Blacks, Whites, Native Americans, German farmers and other slaves helped fugitive slaves to escape. Although the Underground Railroad was formally developed until the early 19th century, slaves had been using the same routes to escape slavery for decades.

In the United States the Fugitive Slave Act was passed in 1793 which protected the rights of slave owners for retrieving their property - runaway slaves. This act allowed slave hunters to capture an escaped slave only to confirm orally before a state or federal judge that the slave was a runaway. Slaves were not entitled to a trial by jury and a person hiding an escaped slave could be fined $500.00 and/or be imprisoned.

Southerners were outraged that escaping slaves received assistance from so many sources and that they lived and worked in the free Northern States and in Canada. As a result, a much stronger act was implemented, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This new Fugitive Slave Act made it both possible and profitable to hire slave catchers to find and arrest runaways. Slave owners could choose to have slaves returned or killed outright. Slaves were considered property, not people, and thus had no rights to life or liberty.

Furthermore, those aiding a fugitive were at risk of imprisonment as well as a $1,000 fine. This was a disaster for the free Black communities of the North, especially since the slave catchers often kidnapped legally-freed Blacks as well as fugitives. But these seizures and kidnappings brought the brutality of slavery into the North and persuaded many more people to assist fugitives. As a result, slaves used whatever means necessary to try even harder to escape their bondage.

After the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act, many escaped slaves that had made their homes in northern states abandoned their homes for Canada which had abolished slavery on August 1, 1834. This became the new destination for those escaping slavery and the “stations” or “safe houses” of the Underground Railroad provided stops all the way to Canada.
During the 1830s and 1840s, about 20 terminals were set up in Canada dotted along the shores of Lake Erie.

With the advent of the steam railway, terms like the Underground Railroad were used as code words. The “train” would occasionally be nicknamed the “Gospel Train.” Other code words used for the Underground Railroad included the following: “cargo” (one or more fugitives or runaway slaves); “conductor (a person who guided slaves on their journey to freedom); “heaven” (Canada); “Moses” (Harriet Tubman); “promised land” (Canada or the North); “station” (a safe hiding place for fugitives along the way); and “terminal” (a stop like a town or city on the Underground Railroad).

The President of the Underground Railroad was a Quaker named Levi Coffin. His home in Newport, Indiana (and later in Cincinnati, Ohio) was known as the “Grand Central Station”. Through their work in the anti-slavery movement, Levi and his wife Catharine helped thousands of runaway slaves. During a visit to Canada in 1844, Levi visited many people whom he had helped escape slavery.

Levi Coffin

Catharine Coffin

Slaves passed information about escape routes by singing spirituals with hidden messages. “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” this song suggests escaping in the spring as the days get longer. It also refers to quails which start calling each other in April. The drinking gourd is a water dipper which is a code name for the Big Dipper which points to the Pole Star towards the north.

“Steal Away to Jesus,” this song communicates that the person singing is planning to escape.

“Wade in the Water, Children,” Tubman used this song to tell slaves to get into the water to avoid being tracked. This is an example of a map song, where directions are coded into the lyrics.

“Sweet Chariot,” a slave hearing this song knew to be ready to escape, a band of angels are coming to take him to freedom. The Underground Railroad (sweet chariot) is coming south (swing low) to take the slave to the north or freedom (carry me home). This was one of Tubman’s favorite slave spirituals.

A legendary conductor on the Underground Railroad was Harriet Ross Tubman. Known as the “Black Moses” of her people, Tubman was born into slavery around 1820 in Maryland. She made about 19 trips from Pennsylvania to free northern states and into Canada, leading 300 slaves to freedom. As a signal to the slaves that she was about to make a trip, Tubman would sing “Up with Moses” the day before she left. While hiding out along the route, Tubman would signal whether it was safe or not by singing - a sad song meant the escapees had to hide, a happy song that they were safe.

Tubman lived in St. Catharines, Ontario for about eight years. This remarkable woman also fought for women’s rights, the elderly. Tubman returned to the United States to serve as scout, spy and nurse in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Tubman is the first and only woman to have led American troops in war. She died in 1913 at the age of 93.

The Underground Railroad had three main routes. One ran from the eastern Upper South through Philadelphia and New York State into Canada. The other route involved stowing fugitives on ships leaving the southern East Coast towns like Charlestown, South Carolina, Portsmouth, Virginia and heading north. The ships would dock in a northern city like New York City or New Bedford, Massachusetts and the runaway slaves would then travel through New England and into Canada. The western Underground Railroad route had fugitives leaving Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and even the Deep South via the Mississippi River. Runaway slaves would cross into the Free states then journey to Canada by crossing the Great Lakes. Fugitives, who crossed over land, would stop at various terminals situated in Detroit, Michigan.

(Interactive map)

Around 1850, it is estimated that about 100,000 blacks escaped slavery via The Underground Railroad. During its 20 year peak between 1840 and 1860, it is reported about 30,000 slaves escaped the south via the secret routes of the Underground Railroad. Escaping slaves who escaped to Canada mostly settled in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia. The Underground Railroad continued throughout the Civil War until the passing of the 13th Amendment which abolished slavery in the Unites States in 1865.

For many escaped slaves, Canada represented a dream of freedom where slave catchers and lynch mobs could not hurt and/or kill them. Escaping slaves on the Underground Railroad endured months and even years living like fugitives, while bounty hunters and racist government policies were always trying to impede their flight to freedom.

Once in Canada, life was not without difficulties. Just like their American cousins, many white Canadians held severely racist views of their new black neighbours. While most people were generous and helped the new settlers, some Canadians turned a blind eye to their struggles and in some cases assaults and murders against black immigrants were recorded. However, these were in the minority.

Although free, escaped slaves did not enjoy equal privileges and opportunities as their white neighbors. Finding work as a black man or woman was a difficult task and opportunities for education were slim. Blacks were forced to build their own churches, schools, and community centers because they were not welcomed in white communities. As a result, many escaped slaves lived in tight knit black communities where poor living conditions and sanitation led to disease and eventually death.

Black Canadians were part of the growth of Canada, particularly in the key boom years of the 1870’s, following the American Civil War, when Canada aggressively expanded to the west. Many blacks, tired of the racism of the east, joined the wave of European settlers moving to the prairies and were key components in establishing today’s thriving cities of Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver.

Black Canadians have since become a part of Canada’s history. The descendants of the runaway slaves who escaped bondage to freedom by following the North Star, have fought in Canada’s wars - William Hall V.C. (1825-19040), have become hockey stars - Willie Eldon O'Ree (born October 15, 1935 - Present), have contributed to the arts and culture - Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (1925-2007), have shared in building great centers of research and innovation - Elijah McCoy
(1844–1929), and have even served in the highest offices of the federal government - Lincoln MacCauley Alexander (1922-2012).

(©Canada Post Corporation, copied with permission)

The contributions of the descendants of the runaway slaves to Canada’s identity, even existence, will be remembered for as long as this country exists.

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Harry M. Sanders & The Legion of Honour

3/7/2018

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In October 2017, WWII Veteran, Harry M. Sanders, received a letter from France informing him that he was honoured Knight of the French National Order of The Legion of Honour medal insignia. Despite over 70 years after the war, France personally thanked Harry for his part in liberating their country during WWII.

The Legion of Honour, full name National Order of the Legion of Honour, is the highest French order of merit for military and civil worthiness that was established on May 19, 1802, by First Consul and one of the worlds’ most military geniuses: Napoleon Bonaparte.

Chevalier (Knight) medal insignia Awarded by France

he local Tillsonburg native was surprised but pleased to be honoured with such an award. Harry Sanders served as a First Radio Officer in the British Merchant Navy from 1942 to 1946. Harry was formally recognized on December 14, 2017 during the Town of Tillsonburg’s Volunteer Appreciation Night. Tillsonburg Mayor, Stephen Molner, arranged for Marc Trouyet, Consul General from the Consultant General de France in Toronto to present the award to Harry. But like any great story, there is a beginning.

In his memoir entitled, WWII War at Sea: A Personal Narrative, Harry wrote a chronological narrative of the war. He stated that “the events are factual, the dates at times a bit iffy. Seventy-three years is a long time to remember every detail. I kept no war diary….I am not a writer, only an old sailor with my story to tell.”

And what a story he told indeed. I had the pleasure of interviewing Harry Sanders at his beautiful home in Tillsonburg. Harry explained how he attended a private school in England. At eighteen he would have been conscripted to either fly a plane or drive a tank and he didn’t want to do either. With his love for water, Harry had to be at sea.

In war, all merchant ships had to maintain a 24 hour radio watch, requiring three radio operators (during peace time only one radio operator was needed). Harry took a six-month radio course where he graduated from the Maritime School of Wireless, South-Shields England as a Third Class Radio Officer. The course was intensive and included dismantling a transistor radio and taking and receiving Morse code at 125 letters per minute; equivalent to typing 65 words a minute.

Three days after passing his exam, Harry was called to the Merconi Company office where he was assigned to the S.S. Barrgrove. The merchant ship was already out in the harbour. Once aboard, Harry reported to the Captain. The ship set sail the following day. During war time, Captains did not know their destinations until they were at sea. The S.S. Barrgrove was one of a 45 ship convoy traveling in six columns, seven ships deep along with two Canadian Corvettes (anti-submarine convoy escorts) travelling at five knots. On the second night a ship was blown up by a sea mine.

Once the S.S. Barrgrove arrived in Lisbon to pick up a supply of ore; used to make helmets; it headed to Gibraltar to meet another convoy of 84 ships. In this convoy seven ships were torpedoed and German planes attacked the rest. Three ships went down one just in front of the S.S. Barrgrove. The sea around the ships was engulfed in a fiery ball. Ships leaving the area could not stop to rescue survivors in the water as they too would become victims of the next attack. The S.S. Barrgrove eventually returned to England.

At eighteen, Harry had his first experience of the horrors of war. However, it would become much worse. The second ship Harry was assigned to was the S.S. Domine; an old ship that should have been in the salvage yard. However, during the war, anything that floated and had an engine was fit for duty. The S.S. Domine left with a convoy of 52 ships, two corvettes heading for the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. But with a speed of 4 knots, the S.S. Domine fell far behind the convoy by the time they reached Bay of Biscay, between France and Spain. Three days later the engine died and the ship drifted alone all day. Since radio communications could not be used, they were not able to contact another ship.

Harry recalled that at 1:21 a.m. there was a tremendous explosion and he was thrown outside his cabin. The S.S. Domine was struck by a torpedo. Harry crawled in the control room to ty to send an SOS but the transmission was damaged. He then grabbed the Admiralty codebooks, dumped them into a metal box and threw it into the Atlantic Ocean with himself in tow. Swimming from the sinking ship to be away from the gravitational pull, Harry reached a floating raft and hung on while watching the ship sink beneath the waters along with twenty officers and crew.

Harry and nine others were the sole survivors who all clung to the raft. Harry reported that when a ship is torpedoed, few lifeboats survive. As a result, rafts are fitted on the main and aft masts to float free when released. These rafts had scanty survival kits.
The dishevelled group with varying degrees of injuries all fell into the water at first light, when the German U boat that had torpedoed their ship the night before, surfaced 100 feet from the raft. Despite the captain’s questions left unanswered, he told the group they were close to the coast of Serra Leone, wished them well and sunk silently beneath the surface of the water. Harry was very grateful to that German Captain who showed mercy to the survivors and provided them with hope.

Due to little food, rationing of the limited water supply, no shelter from the cold nights and the scorching sun during the day. Two or three men died during the night and one man threw himself overboard knowing it would be hard to survive with his injuries. There were now only two survivors left on the raft, Harry being one of them; he thought it was the end.

Nevertheless, Harry woke up in a hospital bed. He had a dislocated shoulder and third degree burns on his face, hands and lips but he was alive. He does not remember what happened to the other man on the raft. He was the sole survivor found washed up on a Freetown beach off the coast of Sierra Leone by a local fisherman. After spending fifteen days in hospital, Harry returned to England. Five days later he was deployed to another ship.

In total, Harry Sunders was a Radio Control Officer on eleven ships. In 1944, he attended the Royal Navy Training School where he was trained to liaison with aircrew using wireless telephone. After passing his second F.C.C. certification of proficiency in radiotelegraphy, Harry became a First Class Radio Officer. It was onboard the M.V. Monowie ship that would earn Harry the Legion of Honour Award.

Harry M. Sanders with his Legion of Honour award

In its former life, before the war, the M.V. Monowie was an 18,000 ton New Zealand luxury liner. Now stripped of her luxury, landing crafts replaced lifeboats and it became a troopship during WWII that delivered American soldiers to Omaha Beach. From his book WWII at Sea, Harry wrote that after a six-week boot camp G.I.’s arrived to board the ship. They were placed below deck, officers and female personnel on the boat deck and Negro soldiers were separated on the lower deck as well as in the dining room despite fighting the same war Harry cited. These men, who three months ago probably milked cows, “were about to face a well-trained seasoned German Army at war for three years. God help them.”

Harry recalled that on June 6, 1944 at 5:30 a.m., landing nets were dropped over the sides of the M.V. Monowie to land G.I.’s on Omaha Beach. While standing on the bridge, Harry witnessed the carnage that would become the largest amphibious attack in history.
The Battle of Normandy ran from June 1944 to August 1944, codenamed Operation Overload. The battle began on June 6, 1944. Known as D-Day, or Deployment Day, 156,000 American, British and Canadians troops landed on five beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword which ran along a 50-mile stretch of heavily fortified beach in France’s Normandy region.

Normandy landing beaches - June 6, 1944 – D-Day

(Image from D-Day Overload website)

Of the five beaches, Omaha Beach was the largest at six miles long in which the most intense fighting occurred on D-Day. That was because cliffs overlooked Omaha Beach which made attacking the area very difficult. In his words, Harry described Omah Beach’s on D-Day:

   Germany took 4 years to build their Atlantic Wall. They sowed impregnable
belts of beach obstructions designed to prevent any landing craft from reaching
   shore. They build indestructible pillboxes, meters cement think. Positioned them
on the cliff covering the beach so machine gunners could fire lengthwise down
   the beach, the killing ground. They were also able to drop a continues barrage
   of bursting artillery above the enemy huddled below at the face of the cliff.
   This was Omaha Beach! (From WWII at Sea)

On August 25, 1944, the Allies liberated France which helped paved the way for allied victory in Europe. On September 2, 1945, WWII finally ended.

To honour the courage and sacrifice of those who served in the Battle of the Atlantic, the Royal Canadian Mint made the special 75th Anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic $2 coin in 2016.

To "honour the solidarity, bravery and sacrifice of Canadians who fought together to take Vimy Ridge," the Royal Canadian Mint commemorated the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge with a limited edition $2 circulation coin in 2017.

In his memoir, Harry reported the astonishing figures of destruction: “At war-end, we learned that 3500 of all U-boat sinking had taken place in the North Atlantic. It had become the graveyard of both men and ships. The battle of the Atlantic ended with 15 million tons of shipping lost. 4,500 allied ships sunk 75,000 merchant Navy Officers and men dead or missing-in-action.” Listening to Harry Saunders recount his experiences during WWII and of the many men who lost their lives at sea, I came across a website with the following poem:

Post by Administrator on May 24, 2013 at 10:53 am
Let those who come after see to it that his name be not forgotten.”
No crosses mark the ocean waves;
No monuments of stone.
No roses grow on sailor's graves,
The Sailor rests alone
His tributes are the sea gulls' sweeps,
Forever wild and free . . .
And teardrops that his sweetheart weeps
To mingle with the sea
Anon
Many remain without commemoration.
(From Message Board: Her Name WasTregenna)

While writing this blog I once again visited this website and found that there is a campaign by the Battle of Atlantic Memorial to build a national memorial to commemorate the 100,000 people who died in the Battle of the Atlantic as well as those who served and survived. According to the feed, the 91 feet monument is expected to be placed on the Pier Head in Liverpool and is designed by sculptor Paul Day, who also created the Battle of Britain monument in London. The goal is to unveil the monument in 2019 which will mark the 80th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Atlantic and the beginning of World War Two.

Sadly, WWII did not end all wars. WWI was supposed to be the Great War to do that. Today, many lives continue to be lost to and for wars.

Quote: “The Battle of the Atlantic was the dominating factor all through the war. Never for one moment could we forget that everything happening elsewhere, on land at sea or in the air, depended ultimately on its outcome.” ~ Winston Churchill

Pictures of Harry Sanders and his medals at his home in Tillsonburg

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Canada Post Black History Month Stamps

2/16/2018

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February is Black History Month. Despite the shortest month of the year, February is packed with numerous significances for Black History. Since 1926 in the United States, the second week of February was designated as Negro History Week by Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and Frederick Douglass (February 14). (See my past post Black History Month for further information.) Hence, the premiere of the Marvel Studio Black Panther movie set for February 16, 2018.

Every February 1st since 2009, Canada Post has issued new stamps to commemorate Black History Month in Canada based on two distinguished Black Canadians. This year the honour goes to Kathleen (Kay) Livingston and the former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Lincoln M. Alexander.

As cited in Canada Post’s Details Magazine, Kathleen (Kay) Livingstone (1918-1975) was a long-time Toronto resident. She “was an activist, humanitarian and popular radio host devoted to the empowerment of Black women. She founded the Canadian Negro Women’s Association in the 1950s and, in 1975, launched the Congress of Black Women of Canada – now a nationwide organization. In 2011, she was named a Person of National Historic Significance by the Government of Canada.” (From Canada Post)

Toronto-born Lincoln MacCauley Alexander (1922-2012) was a prominent attorney and Politian who had a distinguished career as a public servant. He was the first Black Canadian to be elected to the House of Commons in 1968 and was appointed to the federal Cabinet in 1979. In 1985, Lincoln Alexander was appointed Ontario’s 24th Lieutenant Governor becoming the first member of a visible minority group to serve in that vice-regal office in any province in Canada until 1991. He encouraged countless young people to pursue their dreams – often telling them, "I did it. You can. You will." (From Canada Post) On November 28, 2013, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario declared January 21st of each year Lincoln Alexander Day.

As a presenter of Black History and a hobbyist coin and stamp collector, I have always wanted to write a piece about the Black History Month stamps that Canada Post issues. One burning question I asked Jim Phillips, Director of Stamp Services from Canada Post was “who is the person who decides to feature distinguished Black Canadians on stamps for Black History Month?” The answer is the Canada Post Stamp Advisory Committee (SAC) that was established in 1969 who recommends the themes and designs for Canada’s annual stamp program.

According to Jim; “it’s a group of twelve experts in the fields of design, history, culture and philately who serve three year terms (on occasion, renewable one time) and advise on stamp topics and designs. It’s a balanced group from across the country and we make a conscious effort to represent the whole of the country re race, gender, language, etc.”

From The Blog, in the post How Canada Post Chooses What Goes on a Stamp on May 20, 2013, then Chair of the Canada Post Stamp Advisory Committee, Robert Waite explained the process involved in how someone gets featured on a Canadian stamp. Prior to 2005, with the exception of the ruling Monarch, a person had to be dead to be featured on a Canadian Stamp. However, to commemorate the 80th birthday and of the life and achievements of internationally renowned Canadian jazz composer and musician Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (1925-2007) Canada Post issued a stamp in his honor on August 15, 2005. As a result, Oscar Peterson became the first living Canadian to appear on a Canadian stamp. History was made.

Although it is a practice and not a policy, according to Robert Waite, the Canada Post Stamp Advisory Committee would “prefer that subjects previously have been awarded an Order of Canada designation or a Governor General's Award.” (From The Blog)

Nevertheless, the honour of the first Black person to be featured on a Canada stamp goes to a former slave, Josiah Henson that was issued on September 16, 1983.

Josiah Henson (1789–1883) escaped slavery in the United States and like many slaves he followed the North Star to freedom in Canada along with two of his youngest children in tow on October 28, 1830. Josiah Henson, was an author, abolitionist and minister who co-founded a settlement and school in Dawn near Dresden, Ontario to what we know today as Uncle Tom’s Cabin. His life was modeled after the character Uncle Tom in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. (From Canada Post)

Prior to the formal Black History ongoing series, another distinguished Black individual commemorated on a Canadian stamp was Portia White. Entitled Portia White: Irrepressible Talent was part of The Millennium Collection, Extraordinary Entertainers released on December 17, 1999.

Portia White: Irrepressible Talent

Hailed from Nova Scotia, Portia May White (1911-1968) “was a Canadian contralto [type of classical female singing] singer who overcame the obstacles of gender, race and the exclusive nature of the classical music world to gain international renown, and recognition as one of the greatest voices in Canadian history.” (From Creative Canadian Women)

Portia White came from a family of firsts. Her father, William White was the second Black Canadian admitted to Acadia University who graduated in 1903 with a degree in Theology and later became the first Black Canadian to receive a Doctorate of Divinity. Her brothers Bill White was a composer and social activist who became the first Black Canadian to run for federal office for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in the Toronto constituency of Spadina in 1949. And Jack White was a noted labour union leader and one of the first Black Canadians to run for provincial office in Ontario. (From Portia White)

As part of an aim to bring about more diversity to the stamp program, the Canada Post Stamp Advisory Committee came up with the ongoing series stamps and the correspondent First Day Covers commemorating February’s Black History Month in Canada in 2009.

According to Jim Phillips, once the decision has been made to feature someone on the stamp, two to three design firms are assigned to provide concepts. “The design firms, which have to be professionally accredited firms, are chosen for their experience in both design and miniaturization, and also their location when we’re assigning stamp issues on regional topics. The winning concept is chosen by the Stamp Design Committee.”

To date, since the inception of the ongoing series stamps commemorating February’s Black History Month in Canada since 2009, twleve distinguished Black Canadians, including honorary Canadian Nelson Mandala; two disbanded Canadian communities, Africville in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Hogan’s Alley in Vancouver, British Columba; a military battalion and an explorer and translator, have all graced their presence on Canadian stamps. Ten of the twelve individuals were recipients of some prestigious awards and for many including an Order of Canada designation or a Governor General's Award.

Here is the list of the ongoing series stamps commemorating February’s Black History Month in Canada:

2009

Abraham Doras Shadd (1801-1882) was a free-born and prosperous shoemaker in Delaware who devoted his life to the abolitionist movement. Shadd was a conductor for the Underground Railroad who “provided escaping refugees with food, shelter, clothing and guidance. In 1851, Shadd and his family moved to southern Ontario’s North Buxton area, where they joined many of those he guided to freedom. He was the first Black person to serve in Canadian public office when he was elected to the Council of Raleigh, Ontario, in 1859.” (From Canada Post) “In 1994, the road that traverses the heart of North Buxton was renamed A.D. Shadd Road in his honour.” (From BlackPast.org)

Rosemary Brown (1930-2003) was an activist, politician and feminist who arrived from Jamaica in 1950 to study social work at Montreal’s McGill University. Rosemary Brown “became the first Black woman elected to public office in as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the British Columbia legislature in 1972. She also ran for the leadership of the federal New Democratic Party (NDP), making her the first woman to run for the leadership of a Canadian federal political party.” (From Canada Post)

2010

William Hall V.C. (1825-1904) became the first Black person, the first Nova Scotian and the first Canadian sailor of the Victoria Cross recipient on October 28, 1859. Hall received the medal for his actions in the Siege of Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion in 1857. While serving on the HMS Shannon, Hall volunteered with a relief force where a British garrison was besieged by mutineers. “Two survived the attack, Seaman Hall and Lieutenant Thomas Young, but only Hall was left standing, and he continued to fight until the relief of the garrison was assured.” Issued in 2010, this stamp pays tribute to the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Navy. (From Canada Post)

2011

Born in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Dr. Carrie M. Best (1903-2001) was a Black Canadian journalist, human rights activist, author, poet, publisher and broadcaster. Best is known to be the first Black owner and publisher of Nova Scotia’s first newspaper for Black Canadians called The Clarion published from 1946 to 1956. One of her biggest stories was Viola Desmond’s racial segregation of the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Dr. Best had a radio program in 1954 called The Quiet Corner for twelve years and she also wrote for The Pictou Advocate from 1968 to 1975. (From Canada Post) In 1977, Dr. Carrie Best published her autobiography entitled That Lonesome Road.

“Ferguson (Fergie) Arthur Jenkins was born on December 13, 1942, in Chatham, Ontario whose pitching abilities got him signed to the the Philadelphia Phillies 1962. Throughout his career, Fergie Jenkins would pitch for the Philadelphia Phillies (1965-66), the Chicago Cubs (1966-73, 1982-83), the Texas Rangers (1974-75, 1978-81) and the Boston Red Sox (1976-77). He also played basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters in the off season to stay in shape. Fergie Jenkins is the only Canadian honoured in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York (inducted July 21, 1991). (From Canada Post)

2012

“John Ware (1845-1905) was a cowboy who helped establish the ranching industry in the part of the prairies that would eventually become Alberta. Born into slavery in South Carolina, Ware travelled to Texas after the Civil War, where he became an experienced cowhand. In 1882, strong and industrious, Ware drove 3,000 cattle across the border for the North West Cattle company, and then settled in Calgary then moved his ranch to Alberta Canada in 1900.

With his great stature, abilities and sense of adventure, Ware had all the makings of a folk hero. Skilled with the lariat, he pioneered steer-wrestling and won his first competition at the Calgary Summer Fair of 1893, setting a precedent for what would become a highlight of the Calgary Stampede. Ironically, he died in 1905, when his horse tripped and crushed him. (From Canada Post) An ex-slave slave who became a prominent Albertan cattleman, John Ware’s funeral was the largest in Calgary history.

Viola Irene Desmond (1914-1965) Desmond was arrested in Nova Scotia in 1945, for sitting in the “whites-only” section of New Glasgow’s Roseland theatre. After being dragged from the theatre, sitting up all night in jail still wearing her white gloves, Desmond was tried without counsel and convicted of defrauding the province of the additional one-cent tax for seats in the whites-only section, and fined $20. She paid the fine but went on to fight the charge in higher levels of court. Subsequent trials focused on tax-evasion, not that Ms. Desmond has been a victim of racism. [In 2011], the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia invoked the Royal Prerogative and granted Desmond a posthumous pardon, the first such to be granted in Canada, and the government of Nova Scotia formally apologized.” (From Canada Post) Activist Viola Desmond will be grace the new Canadian $10 bill. (Viola Desmond’s stamps are one of the most requested stamps for reproduction in publications and exhibits.)

2013

"Joseph (Joe) Seraphim Fortes (1863-1922) arrived in Vancouver in 1885 in a tent on the beach at English Bay where he became Vancouver’s first official lifeguard and a swimming teacher in 1894. Thousands attend his funeral when he died in 1922 and in 1927; citizens raised money to install a fountain at English Bay in Fortes’ honour. The inscription read: “Little children love him.” (From Canada Post) Joe Fortes saved over 100 people from drowning. His stamp issued in 2013 commemorated 150 years of his birth.

"Oliver Theophilus Jones is a Canadian jazz pianist, organist, composer and arranger. Born to Barbadian parents in Montreal, he began his career as a pianist at the age of five. In 1980 Oliver released his first jazz album, The Oliver-Jones Trio. Since then Oliver Jones continues to receive numerous accolades including five Junos, four honorary doctorates, and the Ordre National du Québec and as an Officer of the Order of Canada.” (From Canada Post)

2014

Located in Halifax, Africville is “one of Nova Scotia’s oldest black communities [that was settled in the 1840s] has become an important symbol of the struggle against racism. The town never received proper roads, health services, water, street lamps or electricity. After neglecting the community for years, the City of Halifax razed Africville in the 1960s [to make room for a new bridge]. It evicted residents and ordered its dwellings destroyed. Africville remains an enduring symbol of the need for vigilance in defence of African-Canadian communities and institutions." (From Canada Post)

Hogan’s Alley was the unofficial local name of a “four block long alleyway in Vancouver, on Canada’s west coast. It was known as a vibrant destination for food and jazz and was a centre of the city’s black community. It was called Hogan’s Alley, although the origins of the name are obscure. It too was razed in the 1960’s to make way for new development.

This stamp also features actual photos of area residents imposed on a background image of the alley. The two people shown are Fielding Spotts, a cooper by trade and the first Baptist in Western Canada, and Nora (Zenora) Hendrix, grandmother to rock legend Jimi Hendrix and cook at Vie’s Chicken and Steak House.” (From Radio Canada International)

2015

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (1918-2013) was imprisoned for 27 years in South Africa. He was an activist, author, leader of the African National Congress who became the first President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 elected in a free vote by persons of every race. In 2001 Nelson Mandela became the first living person bestowed with honorary Canadian Citizenship in 2001. “The stamp was designed with a photography taken on Mandela’s first visit to Canada in 1990. The world mourned Mandela’s passing on December 5, 2013.” (From Canada Post)

2016

"No. 2 Construction Battalion was the first and only Black battalion in Canadian military history. Black men wanted to contribute to Canada's First World War effort despite discrimination. As a result, a special unit was created in 1916 in Pictou, Nova Scotia so Black men could serve their country. The No. 2 Construction Battalion served with the Canadian Forestry Corps to support the front lines by building roads and bridges, defusing land mines so advancing troops could move forward and they brought out the wounded. No. 2 Construction Battalion was officially disbanded on September 15, 1920." (From Historic Canada)

2017

Mathieu Da Costa, believed to be the first named Black person to reach Canada. He was not a slave but an explorer, pioneer, translator and an interpreter who travelled as a member of the expedition party of French explores Pierre Dugua and Samuel de Champlain in 1607. He served as an interpreter between the French and the Micmac Indians who spoke five languages: Dutch, English, French, Portuguese and pidgin Basque, the dialect that many Aboriginals used for trading purposes. As a result, Mathieu Da Costa’s talents helped to bridge the gap between the Europeans and the Micmac Indians.

Although the Canada Post Stamp Advisory Committee choses who appears on a Canadian stamp as well as the designer, the Canadian public also is involved in the decision making process. Anyone can participate in nominating an individual and/or topic as many topics come from the public.

Stamp subject suggestions can be submitted by the public and directed to:

Chair
Stamp Advisory Committee
Canada Post
2701 Riverside Drive, N1070
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0B1

(Click this link to be directed to the process involved in how to suggest a subject for a stamp and/or apply to design a stamp.)

One individual I would love see grace a Canadian stamp to commemorate Black History Month in Canada, is my heroine Harriet Tubman. Unbeknownst to most Canadians, Harriet Tubman settled in St. Catharines, Ontario from 1851 to 1858 before returning to the United States to serve as scout, spy and nurse in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Harriet Tubman is still considered the first and only woman to have led American troops in war. But that is a subject for another post.

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Black History Month

2/1/2016

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(This blog was posted on LinkedIn on February 1, 2016.)

Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson

February is Black History Month which is celebrated throughout many countries aside from North America. The United States have been celebrating it since 1926 due to the efforts of Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson. former slaves, Dr. Woodson (1875 - 1950) was a noted black scholar and historian; he was disappointed that no schools taught the history of Black America which he felt was a vital cornerstone in the formation of American society. As a result, on February 19, 1926, Woodson designated the second week of February as Negro History Week.

That week coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln -U.S. President who freed slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 (February 12) and Frederick Douglass - a black freedom fighter who helped slaves escape (February 14). In 1976, as part of the nations’ Bicentennial, Negro History Week was changed and expanded to Black History Month.

In Canada, the Black Railroad Porters brought the celebration of Black History to Toronto in the 1950’s. The Canadian Negro Women’s Association then broadened the celebration to the Black community. In 1979, the Ontario Black History Society (OBHS) successfully initiated the formal celebration of February as Black History Month with the City of Toronto. However, it was only in 1996 that February was declared Black History Month across Canada.

But why is a month needed to celebrate Black History? The need to celebrate Black History is to educate the public of the history of Black people and the contributions they have made in Canada. Although Blacks have been in this country since the 1600’s, there was not a lot of information on this subject. Early historical books have no mention of Blacks in Canada nor do they mention their contribution throughout Canadian history.

There were many well-established and thriving Black communities throughout Canada but they have long since disappeared. There were few or no monuments or museums to acknowledge them. One reason why history was not recorded is that people did not record their stories, being too busy struggling to survive. Furthermore, stories were not passed on to their children due to the shame associated with the past.

In his article, entitled “Why We Need Black History Month - All Year Around”, Henry Martey Codjoe, Policy Consultant with the Alberta Department of Education, wrote the following:

“ … I find it a tragedy that many Black and African children grow up today convinced of their own inferiority. The educational process largely ignores the contributions of Blacks to world civilization and is full of negative perceptions of Blacks and their culture. The school system in North America has continually perpetuated the historical myths and stereotypes about the African past….”

As a Black educated in Canada, I too was not aware of Black history or of Black people’s contribution to this country. It was not until 1995, after becoming a member of both the Ontario Black History Society and the Black Cultural Society of Nova Scotia, that I became educated on this subject. Aside from learning briefly about slaves in the United States from school, I have since learned that Canada too had slavery and of the great achievements that Blacks have made in this great nation.

Henry Codjoe’s article continues with the following:

Why is it important to know our history? Carter Woodson, …was the premier Black historian to put forward the idea of African history as a form of Black cultural empowerment and emancipation. In his view, the knowledge and dissemination of African history would, ‘besides building self-esteem among blacks, help eliminate prejudice among whites.’…

In a speech at Hampton Institute in 1921, Woodson addressed the issue head on: ‘We have a wonderful history behind us. ... If you are unable to demonstrate to the world that you have this record, the world will say to you, 'You are not worthy to enjoy the blessings of democracy or anything else'. They will say to you, ‘Who are you, anyway?’…

The purpose of Black History Month then, is to recapture the many missing pages of Black peoples’ struggles, triumphs, and contributions to Canadian society. Similar to Carter Woodson, I too feel that educating the public about Black History is twofold. One, it enlightens the public about this subject. Second, it helps to dispel any misconceptions and stereotypes that Black people in the past, whether in the United States or in Canada, were associated only with slavery or as domestic servants.

Source:
"Ghana Review" Vol. 1. No. 6, Friday 27 January 1995, Supplement Black History Month, "A Commentary on Black History Month in North America." From the African Heritage Month Web-site http://www.dal.ca/~acswww/dalbh.html, Why We Need Black History Month-A Canadian Perspective with permission of Randy Barkhouse.

Quote: "You go to school, you study about the Germans and the French, but not about your own race. I hope the time will come when you study Black History too." ~ Booker T. Washington (1856 - 1915)

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Following the North Star to Freedom

Harry M. Sanders & The Legion of Honour

Canada Post Black History Month Stamps

Black History Month

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