Black History Month & Union United Church

 

                                  The choir of Union United in Montreal in 1944. (Photo courtesy of Union United church archives)

February is Black History Month and for me its important to be aware of Black history in Canada, as well as the United States. There is both the shameful history of racism in this country, a reality we try to ignore, and a rich and notable history which should be upheld.

The Sleeping Car Porter is the award-winning novel by Suzette Mayr which is an imaginative telling of the story of one trip across Canada by a Black porter named Baxter who aspires to be a dentist but works in what it a demeaning job to save money for school. Train porters, including Baxter, were often called "George" by passengers rather than their actual names after the inventor of the sleeping car, George Pullman. The novel captures the grinding expectations of these dedicated employees who were often treated with contempt. 

I've written before about the CBC drama series called The Porter which follows the lives of a number of porters and is notable for its largely Black cast. 

Were you aware that there is a United Church congregation in Montreal called Union which was founded by porters in the early 1900s? There is an informative article in Broadview magazine about this congregation which includes this description: 

The church was founded by a group of U.S.-born railroad porters who faced discrimination when they tried to join other churches in Montreal. According to David Este, a professor emeritus of social work at the University of Calgary, the porters were often placed in the choir lofts or back pews where they couldn’t be seen. On occasion, Black people were told that they weren’t welcome at all.

I wondered if this was the congregation in which Oscar Peterson, the great jazz pianist, got his musical start and according to the article it is. His father, Daniel, was a porter who was determined that his children would have musical training and who played the organ at the church at times. 

I encourage you to read the article, and I hope all of us can learn more about Black history in this country during the next few weeks. 

https://broadview.org/union-united-montreal/