Commemoration, Celebration and Criticism concerning the Public History of the Elgin Settlement

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By Raghd Abou Jarboua

In 1849, Reverend William King with the support of the Presbyterian Church established a Black refugee community by the name of the Elgin Settlement, also dubbed the Buxton Settlement, just south of Chatham-Kent, Ontario. The settlement’s objective was to promote “social and moral improvement of the coloured people in Canada”[1].

Rev. William King

In commemorations of the Elgin Settlement’s history, King is often revered for his benevolence. This is partly because research on the Buxton Settlement relies heavily on King’s autobiography (and thereby his bias). However, scholars such as Howard Law and Sharon A. Roger have taken a more critical position when considering King’s contributions. This most recent scholarship challenges our public memory of King—highlighting instead his paternalistic attitude towards Elgin families as well as the measures he imposed to ensure the settlement would meet his standards for “success.”
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Is the Canadian Red Ensign an extremist symbol?

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Forrest Pass

Fifty-eight years ago today, the Canadian Red Ensign ceased to be the national flag. Yet in 2022, the Ensign unexpectedly became a subject of public discussion again.  Its occasional appearance during protests against public health measures, especially the “Freedom Convoy” occupation of downtown Ottawa in February, led some observers to point out the Ensign’s recent use as an emblem of white nationalists. In June, the Canadian Anti-Hate Network launched Confronting and Preventing Hate in Canadian Schools: A Toolkit, which controversially labeled the Canadian Red Ensign a “Hate-Promoting Symbol” when displayed in certain contexts.  One provincial government discouraged use of the toolkit, and a few commentators jumped to the Ensign’s defense, reminding readers that Canadian soldiers fought Nazism and fascism under the Red Ensign during the Second World War.

There are legitimate, or at least innocuous, reasons to fly a Canadian Red Ensign. Given its military history, it is entirely appropriate to display the Ensign on war memorials. Canadian civilians also flew the Red Ensign as their national flag for many years, so it does inspire nostalgia for some.

However, unusual religious beliefs, conspiracy theories, and anti-Semitism and white nationalism have been part of the Ensign’s story since at least the 1950s and 1960s. A small minority of Red Ensign proponents held these views, but that minority did influence mainstream flag discussions. Present-day extremist use of the Ensign has its roots in these fringe contributions to the Great Flag Debate of 1964. Continue reading →

Family Immigration to Canada – What’s Old is News

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By Sean Graham
Authors Linda Peterat (From Denmark to the Cariboo: The Epic Journey of the Lindhard Sisters) and Michael Andruff (The Russian Refugees: A Family’s First Century in Canada) join Sean to talk about how familial stories can shape our understanding of immigration to Canada. They discuss their respective stories, the push/pull factors that contribute to immigration, and the challenges families faced once in Canada. They also discuss immigration and colonialism, how factors like gender and education influenced newcomers’ experiences, and the legacy of these stories.

Historical Headline of the Week

Irem Koca, “Turkish Diaspora Urges Canada to Expedite Immigration of Families Hit by Earthquake,” Toronto Star, February 14, 2023.

Be sure to learn more about Michael’s Homeglen Legacy Fund initiative.

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How we misremember Free Black history at the Wilberforce Colony

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By Miranda Sagle

Driving through the small town of Lucan, Ontario, one would have no idea that it was once the site of the free-Black settlement known as the Wilberforce Colony.

Free Black people from Ohio established the small settlement in 1829 and by the mid-30’s it boasted a population of between 150-200 families. By the 1850s only a handful of these free Black settlers remained.

One of the only ways the site is commemorated is by a mural downtown that was painted in 2020. It depicts Black refugees coming to Canada through the Underground Railroad. It also features a quote from John Colborne, the governor who sold land to the original settlers of Wilberforce, stating

“We do not know people by their colour… come to us you will be entitled to all the privileges of the rest…”

While it is good that the Wilberforce colony is being recognized, the mural misrepresents the key reasons Wilberforce is worthy of being commemorated. Namely, it takes away from the original goals of those who first started Wilberforce and perpetuates a misleading narrative that Canada was a free and equal society that welcomed them.

Photo by Erin Isaac

These myths, along with the misconception that Wilberforce was a “failure,” come from early histories of the settlement and a lack of documentation. While circumventing these deep-seeded ideas is a slow and difficult process, scholarship and research has begun to reshape both academic and popular interpretations of this long-misunderstood community. Continue reading →

Establishing Identity: The Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman’s effect on the Salem Chapel

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By Amorette Ngan

The Nicholson family has deep roots in St. Catharines’ history. The family patriarch, Adam Nicholson was a Freedom Seeker who arrived in St. Catharines after escaping bondage in Virginia in 1854.[1] Adam’s son Alexander and his family were active members of the BME (British Methodist Episcopal) church, called Salem Chapel. In the nineteenth century, Salem Chapel was a centre of abolitionist and Civil Rights activities in St. Catharines.

Like many members of its congregation, the Nicholson family were heavily involved in community organizing and activism. For example, Mabel Nicolson (Alexander’s wife) provided room and board for struggling workers who came to the Niagara region to work for McKinnon Industries (later GM) after the company began hiring Black employees. Mabel’s daughter, Helen Smith was at the forefront of efforts to preserve the BME church and have it designated as a National Historic Site.

Salem Chapel

Salem Chapel was designated in 2000.[2] As Sara Nixon wrote in a 2018 blog post for the St. Catherines’ Musem, the Nicolson’s story is “quintessential of St. Catharines.”[3]  And yet, like the stories of many Black activists and important figures in the community of St. Catharines, this family history is not often told.

Why?

Because when we discuss Black history in the Niagara Region, the conversation almost always (and frequently exclusively) turns to Harriet Tubman. Continue reading →

Problems in Remembering the Underground Railroad in Southwestern Ontario

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By Erin Isaac

In Canada, and Ontario in particular, we love to celebrate the Underground Railroad during Black history month. We celebrate Freedom Seekers, Black Underground Railroad Conductors, and walk or drive “Freedom Trails” with little mind to the Black histories that came before or after this period—a period that spanned the early 19th century, but most notably the years between the American Fugitive Slave Act (1850) and Emancipation (1863). There is nothing inherently wrong with celebrating this part of our nation’s past, but scholars have become evermore frustrated with the historical myths that frequently accompany these stories.

Chief among these historical fictions is the idea that Canada was a “promised land” where all citizens were “equal under the law.” This pervasive myth is often propagated in Canadian museums and media as a contrast to American racism and slavery. Charmaine Nelson and Nina Reid-Maroney, among numerous others, directly combat visions of Canada as a benevolent or tolerant space for Black people in their scholarship. Others, such as Amani Whitfield and Afua Cooper, have challenged the idea that Canada was the “freedom place” by publishing on our nation’s long history of Black slavery.

These were key ideas that I explored with my students in the fall semester of 2022 in Western University’s first Black Canadian history course (although this subject was sometimes included on the syllabi for other survey courses and at our affiliate colleges, this was the first time a semester-long course was offered at main campus). Our class owes a huge debt to a series of guest speakers who spoke to us on their areas of expertise. Continue reading →

Changing Place Names – What’s Old is News

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By Sean Graham
Lauren Beck, author of Canada’s Place Names & How to Change Them, joins the show to talk about the debate over changing names. The discussion ranges from how Canada’s places got their names, colonial naming practices, and the cultural significance of place names. The conversation also touches on Indigenous naming customs, the politics of renaming, and the overall challenge of naming places after people.

Historical Headline of the Week

Cindy Tran, “Ottawa’s Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway to Get an Indigenous Name,” The Globe & Mail, January 19, 2023.

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Sports & (De)Colonization

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By Sean Graham

Janice Forsyth, author of Reclaiming Tom Longboat: Indigenous Self-Determination in Canadian Sport, and I talk about the Tom Longboat Awards and the role of sport in the story of colonization. We discuss Janice’s history as a past winner, the importance of sporting role models, and mainstream sports’ role in colonial structures. We also chat about how the media tells athletes’ stories and the role of traditional sports and games in decolonization.

Historical Headline of the Week

Bobby Hristova, “Indigenous Teens Hope Return of Lacrosse to Canada Games will Inspire Future Generations,” CBC News, August 6, 2022.

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Call for Contributors to Active History: Indigenous Voices

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Active History and Know History are partnering to publish Active History: Indigenous Voices.

Know History is generously sponsoring a series and providing honoraria for an editor and up to four contributors. The editor will receive $500 and each contributor will receive $125.

We invite proposals from First Nations, Inuit, and Métis editors and authors from all educational and occupational backgrounds. Proposals should include a series title, a one-paragraph statement explaining the theme and format of the series (essays, artwork with commentary, etc.), and short biographies of the editor and each contributor.

For more information visit our Guidelines for authors and contact us at activehistoryinfo@gmail.com.

Co-operative Agriculture – What’s Old is News

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By Sean Graham

Catharine Wilson joins me to talk about the history of co-operative work bees in rural Canada. Communal events to complete big projects in short amount of time, work bees are representative of rural Canadian culture and are the subject of Catharine’s new book Being Neighbours: Cooperative Work and Rural Culture, 1830-1960. We chat about community in rural areas, how work bees were organized, and their legacy today.

Be sure to check out the Rural Diary Archive and the People’s Archive of Rural Canada.

Historical Headline of the Week

Stephanie Rogers, “Why Many Atlantic Canadian Farmers Struggle to Adopt High-Tech Solutions – and What can be Done to Change That,” Dal News, August 23, 2022. Continue reading →