Grave of first Canadian-born Black lawyer finally gets headstone in Saint John cbc.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbc.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
SAINT JOHN, N.B. The presentation and collection of Black history in New Brunswick has a new home. A grand opening for the New Brunswick Black History Society’s new Black History Heritage Centre will happen in a few weeks, however the location in Brunswick Square is now open to the public for a ‘soft launch.’ Ralph Thomas of the New Brunswick Black History Society says it’s the first time so much of the province’s shared Black history has been displayed together in one space. “Some folks set out 40 years ago, 50 years ago to tell the history,” says Thomas. “Some folks have some of that history already collected. But let’s get it out, let’s put it up so the rest of the province can see it.
SAINT JOHN, N.B. The legacy of Abraham Walker deserves to be celebrated says a group working to do just that. Amateur historian Peter Little places a flag alongside a small wooden stake in the Church of England Cemetery, marking the spot he believes to be the final resting place of Walker. Years ago, a man named Lennox Bagell took it upon himself to dig out all the known burials for this graveyard, and along with the burials was a map of all the burial plots, Little said. And Abraham Walker s family plot is on there. The grandson of runaway slaves from Virginia, Walker was born in 1851 in Greenwich Parish, New Brunswick and would become the first Canadian-born Black lawyer.
SAINT JOHN, N.B. The stories of eight Black New Brunswickers who made historical impacts, both near and far, will be featured in an upcoming stage production called ‘We Were Here.’ “My goal is simply to allow Saint Johners to be proud of their history,” said playwright and director Clyde Wray. “The history was just buried, it’s there.” Wray has been preparing the production since he was named the Saint John Theatre Company’s artist-in-residence last fall. While the play has faced challenges from an evolving pandemic situation, a three-night virtual presentation has been scheduled for Feb. 25, 26, and 27.