Prominent African-Canadians and Their Contributions to Our Communities and Country.

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1 Prominent African-Canadians and Their Contributions to Our Communities and Country. Escaping north via the Underground Railway, thousands of Blacks sought refuge in Canada during the 1800s. As farmers, blacksmiths, mechanics, carpenters, shoemakers, doctors, politicians, to name but a few occupations, they became an integral part of the fabric that was Upper Canada, later Canada West and finally Ontario. By the 1850s, over a thousand Blacks resided in Toronto. Thornton Blackburn and his wife Lucie started the first taxi company in Toronto. He called it "The City" and he started with a single horse drawn carriage. In 1843, he and Lucie helped build and establish Little Trinity Church on King Street, the oldest surviving church in Toronto today. In 1985 archaeologists began digging at the corner of Eastern Ave and Sackville Street and unearthed the remains of the Blackburn home, the only dig on an Underground Railway site in Toronto. Two historic plaques to the Blackburns will be found there today and in 1999, the Canadian Heritage Department proclaimed, Thornton and Lucie as "Persons of National Historic Significance." W.R. Abbott made his fortune in real estate and tobacco in 1850s Toronto. His son Anderson, a graduate of the University of Toronto became a Medical Doctor and was one of eight Black surgeons who volunteered for the Union (Army of the Republic) during the American Civil War, Afterwards, he became a resident physician at Toronto General Hospital. {Of note: thousands of Blacks living in Upper Canada volunteered to fight for the Union Army. The first Black regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry from Boston - their story told in the 1989 Academy Award nominated movie Glory in which Denzil Washington won for Best Supporting Actor) - had many Black volunteers from Canada}. Born into slavery in South Carolina in 1845, John Ware re-located to Texas following the American Civil War learned ranching and became a hard-working cowboy. Trail drives took him to Montana and later the Great Plains north of the border in present day Alberta. Deciding to settle in Calgary, he worked for others for a short time before he was able to buy his own ranch. His future wife Mildred Lewis grew up on King St. in Toronto, moving west to Calgary with her family where she met John. They married in 1892 and raised five children. Remembered for his great skill in riding and training horses and popularizing steer wrestling, tragedy took hold in 1905 when Mildred succumbed to typhus and pneumonia in April and John died when thrown form a horse five months later, age 60. When the Calgary Stampede (dubbed "the greatest outdoor

2 show on Earth") opened for its inaugural summer in July 1912, steer wrestling popularized by John Ware was one of the events. He was a man of strong character mixed with a great sense of humour and dedicated work ethic. Today in southern Alberta, several geographic features are named after John...Mount Ware, Ware Creek. In Calgary, a Junior High School and a building on the grounds of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology bear his name. Mildred and John, Calgary 1897 Mary Ann Shadd founded the first refugee newspaper in Toronto called The Provincial Freeman. She later moved to Windsor, ON, and has been recognized as the first Black newspaperwoman in North America and likely the first woman publisher of a newspaper in Canada. While many are familiar with Adam Beck and his contributions to hydro electricity in the province of Ontario, most, would be unfamiliar with the name of William P. Hubbard. Hubbard had a versatile career as baker, master cake maker, taxi driver, city politician and Acting Mayor of the city of Toronto at the turn of the 20th century. It was his vision that persuaded city council to acquire the Toronto Islands and being a strong advocate of cheap, publicly owned electric power and water supply, it was his untiring efforts that led the provincial government to allow the establishment of the Toronto Hydro Commission. Whereas Adam Beck - for his contributions to hydro electricity - was knighted by King George V, and is remembered with a monument on University Ave., his name on a couple of schools, and a power station in Niagara Falls, sadly,hubbard, an ally and friend of Beck received no recognition for his contribution. During World War I, hundreds of Blacks living in Nova Scotia were eager to volunteer for the Canadian army, but the majority were not able. Finally after two years of war, (July 1916) and after petitioning the government, the No. 2 Construction Battalion was formed in Pictou, Nova Scotia. However, instead of being trained as infantry they

3 were given picks, axes and shovels, as their job was to cut down trees, and dig trenches. What they did show Canada was they were willing to die for a freedom they were often denied of in their own country because of the colour of their skin. (Captain Kevin Junor MMM CD, The Chronicle Herald, Nova Scotia, 7July 2008, and our speaker on Remembrance Day 2015). Saskatchewan s Harry Winston Jerome was an elite sprinter who represented Canada at the 1960, 64 and 68 Olympic Games. Born in 1940, he came from a family of athletes; his grandfather represented Canada at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics and his sister in Rome (1960). Jerome s specialty was the 100 metres. In Tokyo, 64 he received the bronze medal with a time of 10.2 seconds. Five times he held the world record in the 100 metres and 100 yard events. Tragically he died at the age of 42. In 2009 a feature length biography was begun on his life, titled Mighty Jerome. Rollie Miles played professional football with the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League from An extremely versatile player he was inducted into both the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame and the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in While still playing football, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Alberta and in the off season worked for the Edmonton Catholic School Board organizing high school sports. After retiring from football, he got a job teaching for the

4 school board. Edmonton City Council named a sports complex after Rollie Mills. He passed away in 1995 in Edmonton. Toronto-born Lincoln McCauley Alexander spent his teen years in Harlem, New York, but returned to Canada with the start of World War II serving with distinction in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Following, he attended McMaster University and Osgoode Hall Law, practicing law in Hamilton. In 1968 as the elected representative from Hamilton West, he became the first African Canadian Member of Parliament. He kept his seat through 4 elections, stepping down in Five years later, Prime Minister Mulroney appointed Alexander to the vice-regal position -- Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, becoming the first African Canadian to serve in that position. For his service to King/Queen and country, His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor, was awarded the Order of Ontario and Order of Canada. Thirty years ago, July 1986, I had the greatest privilege as an army piper, playing Lincoln Alexander into the opening of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference that was held in Toronto. He was a wonderful, gracious gentleman. He passed away in October In 1993, Jean Augustine was the first Canadian African woman to be voted into the House of Commons (she served the people of Etobicoke-Lakeshore for 12 years) and appointed to Cabinet. She was parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Chretien and Minister of State for Multiculturalism and the Status of Women. In this photo Jean Augustine is giving greetings and congratulations to Captain Kevin Junior MMM CD, our guest speakers the last two years for our Black History Assemblies. And the list of achievements and contributions by Blacks to our city, province and country, goes on and on. This is but a brief intro.

5 I am often asked Why do we need a Black History month? The best response is best left to Rosemary Sadlier of the Ontario Black History Society. She writes: "The greater Canadian community needs to know a history of Canada that includes all of the founding and pioneering experiences in order to work from reality, rather than perception alone. We need a Black History Month in order to help us to arrive at an understanding of ourselves as Canadians in the most accurate and complete sociohistorical context that we can produce. As a nation with such diversity, all histories need to be known, all voices need to be expressed. One needs traditional history to engender a common culture; one needs Black history to engender a clearer and more complete culture. When the contributions of people of African descent are acknowledged, when the achievements of Black people are known, when Black people are routinely included or affirmed through our curriculum, our books and the media, and treated with equality, then there will no longer be a need for Black History Month." Below are a few links with further information and lesson ideas s/unit4/u4p74.htm By: Tim Stewart Social Science Department St. Basil-The-Great College School