Afro Canadian Contributions to Canadian History
Afro Canadian people have made several important contributions to Canadian History. They have shaped Canada’s culture and devoting their lives to fight for freedom and equality. Josiah Henson, Delos Davis, and Rosemary Brown were three of many Afro Canadians who exhibited perseverance in the face of discrimination.
Josiah Henson was an escaped Afro Canadian who led slaves to freedom; in addition to developing his own Afro-Canadian community. Henson was born on June 15, 1789, in Port Tobacco, Maryland and died on May 5, 1883 in Dresden, Ontario. In 1829, he arranged a buy out for his slavery but was betrayed by his master, and so he fled to Canada with his wife and children. Henson arrived a
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year later, and became involved in the Underground Railroad, where he led nearly 200 American slaves to freedom. He established the Dawn Settlement with the help of anti-slavery workers, as he was convinced that the community of freed slaves needed to develop skills within their own community before trying to live in an integrated and ethnocentric society. The Dawn Settlement developed around the British American Institute, which was a school also initiated by Henson, and was “… created for students of all ages and […] provid[ed] general education…” (Yarhi, 2008). Henson’s autobiography, along with his speculated connection to Uncle Tom in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, allowed him to gain exposure and raise money in support of the Dawn Settlement. In essence, Josiah Henson was a significant Afro Canadian for he- along with the other abolitionists, created a way to provide the freed slaves a community that would aid the skills required for their future as independents. Consequently, his act was “benefiting not only the present but many future generations of [his] race” (Henson, 76). Additionally, the efforts of Delos Davis contributed to the practice of Law and paved the way for future Afro Canadian lawyers.
Davis was the second Afro Canadian lawyer in Canada and the first Afro Canadian to be appointed to the King’s Counsel. He was born into slavery on August 4, 1846 in Maryland and died on April 13, 1915 in Amherstburg, Ontario, fleeing to Canada with his family through the Underground Railroad. It was a requirement of Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) that a studet must study under a lawyer prior to writing their examination, however despite proving his knowledge of the Law by serving as different law officers, “Davis faced significant obstacles in becoming a member of the [BAR- British Accreditation Regency], as prevailing racist attitudes prevented him from finding a lawyer [he could work alongside]” (Block, 2014). Consequently, Davis convinced W.D. Balfour, M.P.P. to allow him to take his final law examination without working with a lawyer. Balfour was able to introduce the act, and the decade long hindrance on his career as a lawyer ended when Davis passed the exam in 1885. He became a successful counselor, winning all six of his murder cases, and in 1910 received the honour of being the first Afro Canadian to be appointed to King’s Counsel. Davis’ contribution to Law in Canadian History extends from his sons who both sought careers in Law, all the way to Violet Henry- the first Afro Canadian woman to graduate from Law and be admitted to the …show more content…
Alberta BAR, and so forth. Ultimately, Davis exhibited persistence against racial behaviors, determination in fighting for the bill that granted him the title as a lawyer, and played a remarkable role in expanding the community of lawyers to Afro Canadians. Moreover, Rosemary Brown was an Afro Canadian who broke racial barriers and led the way for upcoming Afro Canadian politicians when she became Canada's first Afro Canadian female member of a provincial legislature and the first woman to run for the leadership of a federal political party.
Brown was born on June 17, 1930 in Kingston, Jamaica and died on April 26, 2003, immigrating to Canada in 1951 to pursue studies in social work. As a student, she encountered both sexism and racism regarding matters, such as housing and employment. During the 1960s- a time where both race and gender were in Canadian politics, Brown found purpose in her role as a political advocate against both racism and sexism- as she applied to both groups, and as a result, she created the Vancouver Status of Women Council (VSW). Brown entered provincial politics as a New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate in 1972, and won her seat in the riding, officially becoming the first Afro Canadian woman to sit in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. During her years as MLA, Brown created “a committee to eliminate sexism in textbooks and educational curricula… [and] introduced legislation that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex or marital status” (Kome, 2000), providing protecting against Afro Canadian women. Brown also ran for leadership of the federal NDP in 1975, receiving the distinction of being the first Afro Canadian to do so. In summary, Rosemary Brown was a significant Afro Canadian
who broke political and racial barriers, once stating that “[t]o be black and female in a society that is both racist and sexist is to be in the unique position of having nowhere to go but up!” (Hume, 2017). In conclusion, Josiah Henson, Delos Davis, and Rosemary Brown amongst numerous other Afro Canadians have made significant contributions to Canada’s history. They fought to end racial injustice through their struggles and sacrifices, and allowed future generations of Afro Canadians to prosper and celebrate their ethnicity.
Toronto is a city that is simultaneously rich in its ethnic diversity, yet paradoxically finds itself constrained by its colonial heritage. This is important, as colonial representations of race pervade history across...
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people of different ethnicities. Such harm is observed in the history of North America when the Europeans were establishing settlements on the North American continent. Because of European expansion on the North American continent, the first nations already established on the continent were forced to leave their homes by the Europeans, violating the rights and freedoms of the first nations and targeting them with discrimination; furthermore, in the history of the United States of America, dark skinned individuals were used as slaves for manual labour and were stripped of their rights and freedoms by the Americans because of the racist attitudes that were present in America. Although racist and prejudice attitudes have weakened over the decades, they persist in modern societies. To examine a modern perspective of prejudice and racism, Wayson Choy’s “I’m a Banana and Proud of it” and Drew Hayden Taylor’s “Pretty Like a White Boy: The Adventures of a Blue-Eye Ojibway” both address the issues of prejudice and racism; however, the authors extend each others thoughts about the issues because of their different definitions, perspectives, experiences and realities.
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He was raised in Carrol County. At an early age, Henson’s mother died, leaving him
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One of Henson’s most admirable traits was his perseverance and determination. Before his job with Peary (the man Henson later assisted), he worked aboard a different ship (“Encyclopedia.com”). There, he experienced harsh prejudice with one crew member. Beaten and humiliated, he quit the job. He didn’t stop there, though. He persevered even after the embarrassment. (“Encyclopedia.com”). Additionally, he didn’t have the most pleasant childhood. Henson’s mother died when he was young, so his uncle took care of him (“Encyclopedia.com”). Not only this, but later in life when he carried out his life’s dreams of meaningful exploration, Matthew Henson didn’t receive all that he deserved. According to Encyclopedia.com, “because of racial prejudice, [he] was not credited as the co-discoverer of the [north pole] region until the late 1980s.” After all of this hardship, Henson chose to not give up just yet.
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