Yesterday was Emancipation Day in Canada, first officially recognized by Parliament in 2021 to mark the day in 1834 when the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect, after being passed by the British Parliament. Canadians are inclined to look south to the history of slavery in the US but it was a reality here as well.
After emancipation Canada did become the terminus of the Underground Railroad, a network of people who hid and guided enslaved black people who were leaving the United States and heading to British North America to seek freedom. The city of St. Catharines became home for hundreds of people fleeing slavery in the 1820s.
We had cousins from Maryland visiting with us a few weeks ago and they once again graciously offered a stay at their summer place on the Delmarva Peninsula, adjacent to Chesapeake Bay. They asked whether we have visited the birthplace of the fearless "conductor" Harriet Tubman when we were there years ago. There is a stalled proposal to put Tubman on the American twenty dollar bill. We hadn't, and still regret that we didn't when we were so close at hand. I mentioned that Tubman had lived in St. Catherines, Ontario, for a decade and this surprised them.
I saw yesterday that there is ongoing work in St. Catherines called the Salem Chapel Underground Railroad Cemetery project.This initiative searches for the forgotten graves of former slaves who fled the United States in the 19th century. Some of the gravestones which are being unearthed are of those who came north with Tubman.
In a CBC article historian Rochelle Bush, who is Black, has searched records, including church registers, for information about those who had been enslaved who came to Canada, often connecting with communities of faith. Bush observes:
"As a kid, I did not learn about Black history in public schools. Not in museums, not in any public spaces," Bush said. "So outside of our own homes, we couldn't go out and learn anything about us. We weren't celebrated. We weren't recognized," Bush said. "And it matters, because Black people are an important part of the development of this great country the same way as white people. But we're not recognized for that."
It's important to recognize Emancipation Day and the ongoing efforts to acknowledge this aspect of our history.
Rochelle Bush, left, and Adam Montgomery are historians behind the Salem Chapel Underground Railroad Cemetery Project. (Nick Purdon/CBC)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/salem-chapel-underground-railroad-cemetery-project-1.6859012
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