Black History in Quinte Region

 

Yesterday was the last of February and the final day of Black History Month. I attended an event at Belleville Public Library along with 65 to 75 others titled Black Roots in Belleville and the Quinte Region with Dr. Nikki Clarke as the presenter. 

Even though the "Quinte Region" aspect was a bit thin the event as a whole was certainly worthwhile and Dr. Clarke was engaging. I discovered that in February of 1926 Carter G. Woodson initiated the first celebration of Negro History Week which led to Black History Month. He chose February to honour the birth month of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. I also found out that 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of Black History Month in Canada.

I am aware that in the early 19th century there were enslavers in Belleville, including a couple of families associated with Bridge St. Methodist Church, eventually Bridge St. UC, the congregation I served as lead minister. No one suggested we include that aspect of our history in our 200th anniversary info. 

I was intrigued to hear that Belleville was also a stop on the Underground Railroad, the conduit for enslaved people escaping the United States on their way to Canada. I would have enjoyed learning more about that aspect of Belleville's history along with the places of worship for those who chose to live in the town of that era. 

I sat next to a charming young man named Kharington Petgrave who is a teacher and Social Justice Educator in Peterborough. I enjoyed our conversation about his work before and after the presentation. 

The event as a whole was uplifting and even playful at times. There were also reminders during the hour that anti-Black racism exists in Canada and that while progress has been made we have a long way to go. Kudos to BPL for holding this event. 

                                                                           Kharington Petgrave 

Putting Flesh on the Message of Francis

                                                             Sculpture of a Seated St. Francis

 Most High, all-powerful, good Lord, Yours are the praises, the glory, and the honor, and all blessing,

To You alone, Most High, do they belong, and no human is worthy to mention Your name.

Praised be You, my Lord, with all Your creatures,
especially Sir Brother Sun, who is the day and through whom You give us light.
And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendor; and bears a likeness of You, Most High One.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,
in heaven You formed them clear and precious and beautiful.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene, and every kind of weather, through whom You give sustenance to Your creatures.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
who is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom You light the night, and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains and governs us,
and who produces various fruit with colored flowers and herbs.

Praised be You, my Lord, through those who give pardon for Your love, and bear infirmity and tribulation.
Blessed are those who endure in peace for by You, Most High, shall they be crowned.

Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death,
from whom no one living can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin.
Blessed are those whom death will find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall do them no harm.

Praise and bless my Lord and give Him thanks
and serve Him with great humility.

Canticle of the Creatures -- Francis of Assisi, 1226

No, no, no, no!!!

I've noted that this year marks of the 200th anniversary of the death of Francis of Assisi. He is the Roman Catholic patron saint of ecology because of his expansive love for all God's creatures and he universe itself. Francis chose a life of austerity whilc at the same time celebrating the abundance of Creation. As the Franciscan and Poor Clare orders took shape around him simplicity was a guiding principle. Francis' Canticle of the Creatures is considered by some to be the first poem in Italian. 

                              The bones of St. Francis, preserved in a nitrogen-filled plexiglass case

My multiple "no's!" are because the skeletal remains of Francis (c'mon, are they really?) have been brought from the crypt in the baslica dedicated in his honour for viewing to mark this Special Year. The bones will be displayed in a nitrogen filled case and pilgrims can book online to see them at a clip of 1500 an hour. By my math that's 25 a minute, so only a few seconds of viewing, hardly a profound contemplative experience.

Honouring Francis is a wonderful notion but we might all do better to read the environmental encyclical of the late Pope Francis called Laudato Si, inspired by his namesake. Or to take on a personal commitment in this year to heal and nurture Creation. I do like that there are many events in this celebratory year exploring Indigenous perspectives on the Canticle and a Muslim/Christian dialogue on Francis and his focus on peace. 

At Trenton United folk have been invited to be Bird-Brained with St. Francis in Lent, recording the birds they see during the season. I'm delighted by those who've enthusiastically spoken to me about the birds they've sighted.

To pass by ancient bones in a crowd does not honour Francis, in my estimation. Francis can be our inspiration, not a lucky charm...maybe that's St. Patrick? 

                                               Francis and Clare with the Creatures -- artist unknown

Jews and the Swedish Connection of WWII

He has told you, O mortal, what is good,
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness
    and to walk humbly with your God?

                Micah 8:6 NRSVue 

This week we came across  a film called The Swedish Connection on Netflix and almost gave it a pass because the reviews suggested it was okay but not brilliant. Yet the subject matter of this drama intrigued us, the efforts by lower-level bureacratic officials in officially neutral Sweden during the Second World War to save Jews from their own country living elsewhere. Later they extended the effort to bring Jews to Sweden from other Scandanavian countries.

When I checked, the principal characters were actual people who were engaged in this merciful and sometimes perilous work. One of them, Gosta Engzall, faced resistance from his political superiors because of the risk of antagonizing the Nazis, yet in the telling of the story he went from being timid to bold in his efforts and was instrumental in protecting 100,000 Jews. Happily, he lived to be one hundred. The film was inspiring and we pondered the courage of everyday people, including Christians, to live out practical compassion for those who they didn't know and were of a different religion. 

In October 1943, the Danish underground initiated an operation to transfer Jews to the Swedish coast in boats, thereby saving most of Denmark’s Jews. Gilbert Lassen ferried the Jews in his boat to a ship waiting about 200 meters from the shore, which took them to Sweden.

It sparked a memory of seeing a small fishing boat at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. It had belonged to one of the hundreds of fisherman who embarked on a night-time evacuation of 8,000 Jews and non-Jewish spouses in Denmark to Sweden when news leaked of a plan by the Nazis to round them up. 

In the film there were fleeting glimpses of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who issued passports to hundreds of Hungarian Jews so they could escape the Nazi occupied country. Also, Dag Hammarskjold, who was involved in saving Jews and went on to become the second Secretary General of the United Nations. 

While Wallenberg and Hammarskjold have received considerable recognition, Engzall and his determined team have only more recently been acknowledged.

Before his death in a plane crash in the 1950s Hammerskjold was championing displaced Palestinians. He was committed to justice, wherever that led him.

All these points of connection were "cause for pause" for two ordinary viewers who as Christians want to be "brave", or at least engaged in the issues of our time, following a moral compass inspired by Christ's compassiom.  

                                                                         Dag Hammarskjold

Truth-Telling in Black History Month

 

Illustration from the New Yorker article What the Royal Family's Links to Slavery Mean in the Age of Epstein by Sam Knight 

As Black History Month draws to a close I'm pondering a specific event from nearly 20 years ago and the larger picture of enslaved people in the British Empire. 

Somehow I missed the coverage of a worship service that took place in Westminster Abbey in 2007 to commemorate the two hundredth anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Great Britain and eventually through the Empire. 

The monarch, Queen Elizabeth II was in the congregation, as was Prime Minister Tony Blair. Lady (Kate) Davson, the great-great-great grand-daughter of William Wilberforce, who led the abolition movement, read a House of Commons speech made by her ancestor.

According to the BBC the eloquent Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, offered a reflection describing  slavery as:

...an offence to human dignity and freedom and "the greatest cause of grief to God's spirit".

Dr Williams told the congregation that slavery was not a regional problem in the world, but was "hideously persistent" in our nations and cultures. "We, who are the heirs of the slave-owning and slave-trading nations of the past, have to face the fact that our historic prosperity was built in large part on this atrocity," he said.

"Those who are the heirs of the communities ravaged by the slave trade know very well that much of their present suffering and struggling is the result of centuries of abuse."

                                                                          Toyin Agbetu in 2007

Near the end of the service a human rights advocate name Toyin Agbetu began shouting: "This is an insult to us." He addressed the Queen saying "You should be ashamed. We should not be here... I want all the Christians who are Africans to walk out of here with me! He condemned African Christians for taking part and told them to walk out. Although he was visibly angry he was escorted out the Abbey without incident. Nearly 20 years later Agbetu is still involved in human rights issues. 

From what I've read, Queen Elizabeth I first involved the royal family in the slave trade despite her personal misgivings because England was teetering on bankruptcy and the enticement of wealth through trafficking human beings was more than she could resist. While King Charles III has expressed remorse for the scourge of slavery the immense wealth of the royal family was enhanced by the trans-Atlantic slave trade as was the prosperity of so many other "lords and ladies." 

What should the consequences be in terms of reparations? The Church of England has embarked on what has been a controversial initiative to raise £100 million for an investment fund to help repair damage caused by its historic links to slavery. The Anglican Church had invested large amounts of money into a company that transported tens of thousands of slaves.

While a report says this is not enough for "healing, justice, and repair"  others argue that a struggling Church can't be held liable for the sins of the past. 

We can't consider Black History without acknowledging the racist wrongs of past and present. What is our responsibility to atone for those sins?

Day-by-Day With the Creator

 Day-by-Day with the Creator: Getting Started 

February 25 & March 4 at 10 AM

 

There is a wealth of books which are daily reading, retreat, sensory, and seasonal guides for the connection between love of Creator and Creation in regular devotional reflection.

 Some of them are intended to be used outdoors but that isn't necessary. 

Which one makes sense for you? 

 

Join a discussion during two sessions led by David Mundy on some of the best of the bunch. 

No book purchase is required and you'll be introduced to samples from these guides to help you decide what might be best for you.

By the dawn's early light Ruth and I were removing snow from our driveway and decks for what may not  be the thousandth time this Winter but certainly felt like it. As readers know, we love snow but we are now in the "enough already!" season, anticipating some signs of...what do we call it?... oh yes, Spring. 

Today I'll drive to Trenton to lead a study/conversation on the subject described above and I have no idea if there will be any interest, other than on my part. I came to realize that I had many of this sort of guide, most of them excellent and varied in approach. 

As always the preparation was good for rekindling my own passion for a subject and I know from life experience that having guides for devotional reading and reflecting are helpful. I'm not sure how many others will feel motivated to join me, but away I go, into the wild, white yonder. 

A Solemn Anniversary for Ukraine

 Holy, Holy, Holy God of life, justice, and love, You who hear the cries of the suffering and remain faithful, We come before You in prayer, united with our brothers and sisters in Christ—those near to us and those across Canada. 

Today we lift before You, with particular urgency, the people of Ukraine: women, men, elders, and children created in Your image and likeness, now enduring the suffering of war, trauma, and grief. 

We lift before You the children who have been forcibly taken from their families. Protect them, preserve their identity, and bring them home. We remember also prisoners of war, held in captivity and far from comfort and care. Be near to them, strengthen them, and guard their lives. We remember Your Church—its clergy and faithful, worshipping under threat. Sustain them in courage, witness, and hope. 

We commend to Your compassionate mercy the land of Ukraine itself—its cities, villages, and homes, its rivers, fields, mountains and seas—part of your beautiful world now scarred by violence, destruction, and loss. 

God of justice and truth, we pray for a just and sustainable peace and for righteousness and justice to prevail over evil and hatred. 

Bring an end to this war, bring peace, justice and healing to Ukraine. And turn the hearts of those who perpetrate this war toward repentance and restoration. 

In these days of lament, O Lord, we live in hope that you will strengthen Your Church with your holy faithfulness and creativity to act with compassion, courage, and generosity as instruments of your active healing. 

Grant that we might participate with all that we are in the beating of swords into ploughshares so that for all people and creation justice will roll down like water and righteousness as an ever-flowing stream. This we pray in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen

On the weekend an annual event called Savour the Chill took place in downtown Belleville involving restaurants competing with their best soups. In the end both the judges and the "peoples choice" included The Kefana in the top three. The Kefana is a Ukrainian restaurant which has established its presence in the past few years and is also contracted to provide meals for the outreach program in the downtown. The restaurant is a strong supporter of Ukrainian culture and independence in light of what is now a brutal four-year attempt at invasion by Russia.

We know that along with a long history of Ukrainian presence in Canada there are many people who fled the country to other nations because of the war, including here. The estimate is six million displaced citizens in total, some who now hope to take up permanent residence in Canada while others who hope to return someday. 

World Central Kitchen volunteers dole out bowls of hot stew to Ukrainians without heat thanks to Russia’s targeting of energy infrastructure. Caitlin Doornbos/NY Post

On this fourth anniversary of the conflict we can join in the prayer from the Canadian Council of Churches to mark this solemn occasion. Russia is waging a military assault on many fronts and is using drones and missiles to destroy sources of heat and light for millions of civilians. The brutality is stunning and democratic nations must continue to support the people of Ukraine. 

We can also pray that 300,000 displaced Ukrainians living here under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel program. are allowed to renew permits which begin expiring late next month. 

Eddie Carvery & Black History in Canada

I saw last week that Eddie Carvery, described by an author as the Hermit of Africville, had died at the age of 79. Eddie was the lone Black resident who continued to live on land that once belonged to the Carvery family, a name once synomymous with the Black community which existed on the Bedford Basin adjacent to Halifax. 

The city refused to provide proper services such as sewer and water to the village and in the 1950s situated a garbage dump nearby. A rail line was pushed through the community. In 1965 the residents were removed by the city and their community bulldozed, including the Seaview African Baptist Church, established in 1849. 

In 2002 Heritage Minister Sheila Copps came to Africville to announce that the park where Africville once stood would be a national historic site and this promise was eventually fulfilled. We lived in Halifax at the time and I was there that day and I imagine Eddie was as well. It was a powerful moment.as former residents and their children and grandchildren sang. 

Eddie began his occupation in 1970 and lived to the end in a trailer on the land even though it was supposedly illegal. The historical site was eventually established and a replica of the Baptist church now stands there, serving as a place of worship and interpretation centre for both Black history and the racism that ended the community.

Eddie Carvery was determined to hold on to the claim to this land and as quixotic as his quest was he should be remembered with respect during this Black History Month and beyond.

Here is the link to a blog I wrote about Africville a few years ago 

https://lionlamb-bowmanville .blogspot.com/2020/02/africville-black-history-month.html

                                               The Original Seaview Baptist Church