Saturday, February 2

Canadian Black History and Other Bits & Pieces

February is Black History Month and in recognition of that, I'm going to tell you a bit about the history of African Canadians, also known as Black Canadians. These terms are used to describe people of African descent who have made their home in Canada. Some Black Canadians have recent origins in the Caribbean. Others can trace their roots back to slaves who were brought to this country by British and French colonists.

Many blacks came to Canada long before 1833 when the Slavery Abolition Act was passed. The first recorded black person to come to Canada was an interpreter by the name of Mathieu de Costa. He arrived sometime in the first decade of the 1600s when Samuel de Champlain's party landed here.

The first recorded black person to ever live in Canada was Olivier Le June, a slave from Madagascar.

When the American Revolution ended, thousands of United Empire Loyalists immigrated to Canada and brought their slaves with them. Free blacks, known as Black Loyalists, also made their way to Canada after the Revolution. Most of them took up residence in what is now known as Nova Scotia. They consisted of laborers and tradesmen and their families.

The first North American race riot took place in Birchtown, Nova Scotia. White soldiers attacked black settlers for taking jobs that the soldiers thought were rightfully theirs. Blacks were highly discriminated against at that time and the British government broke its promises to them.

On January 15, 1792, approximately 1200 black Africans left Nova Scotia to settle in Sierra Leone, Africa.

The history of Canada's slave trade is not often mentioned in the media. It's as if it slavery and discrimination never existed here. Shamefully, it did.

In other news it snowed here from 3am on Friday morning until about 9pm. Thank goodness it was a very fine snow or we would be snowed in big time. Instead, we have about a foot of snow. That's enough and I can't figure out where all the snowplows are. The roads are in terrible condition and we haven't even seen a snowplow but it sure is pretty. The world is dressed in a lacey white gown, as you can see from the photo below. The tree is in our side yard. Karen, I wish I could box some of it up and send it to you so you could have a little snow. I know you've been wishing for some.

I read in today's newspaper that on February 1, 1908, the city had the biggest snowfall of the year. They got 10 inches. You know the old saying that history repeats itself every 100 years. I guess this proves it. Today was the biggest snowfall of this winter and it is exactly 100 years to the day.
Heart of a Mommy presented me with this award. Thanks so much. You are very kind.

Here are the rules:

Here are the rules for passing it on…By accepting this Excellent Blog Award, you have to award it to 10 more people who’s blogs you find Excellent Award worthy. You can give it to as many people as you want but please award at least 10. Thank you out there for having such great blogs and being such great friends! You deserve this! Feel free to award people who have already been awarded…

I dislike choosing favorites to receive this award, so am going to break the rules, rebellious person that I am, and give it to everyone that visits me on a regular basis and to all of those on my blogroll. I enjoy visiting all of you.

39 comments:

  1. Just getting my daily dose of
    My Sweet Mary's writing!!
    love ya
    Deena

    ReplyDelete
  2. Deena,

    So nice to see you here. I think it's time both you and I head to bed, my friend.

    Take care and have a great weekend.
    Blessings and love,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good Evening Mary,
    What a lovely tribute about the African Canadians. "THANK YOU" for sharing it with us. You you, and I'm being honest here, I didn't know that there were African Canadians. I never learned that in School or if it was taught, I must have been asleep. LOL. But seriously tho, I don't remember learning about it. "THANK YOU, THANK YOU" so much for showing a picture of your Snow that you got. Ms. Renie posted a couple of pictures yesterday from the Snow they got and hers are beautiful too. I sure wish you could ship it to me. LOL. I would be more than glad to take if off of your hands. That is so odd that today was 100 years to the date. How often does that happen? The Snow Plows were probably waiting for the Snow to quit all together. My DH didn't get home till 7:00p.m. tonight. They had to shut down early this morning because of Snow being on the road and they couldn't see. He did say the Snow Plows were on the off ramps just sitting there. He said it was snowing so hard that it wouldn't have done any good for them to be wasting their time for nothing. So, I'm sure they waited till it quit Snowing as well. I don't know if I will get to post any over the weekend. I have a sick child and I don't even know if I'm going to get much rest. Take care my friend and have a great evening/weekend. May God Bless You and Yours.

    Love & Hugs,
    P.S. "CONGRATULATION'S" on a very well deserved Award and "THANK YOU" for passing it on to everyone else.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What an interesting post Mary! I really like this part of history...not so much the SLAVERY act itself but what struggles the owners made these people go through all for the love of their money and plantations and such!! It's a shame. One of my favorite subject to read about is the underground railroad here in America...how others were helped to escape the slavery conditions.

    Snow? Nearly a foot of snow? Keep it!!! It's all yours. It's nearly 6 AM here and a balmy 50 degrees F!! Gotta love it.

    Happy day to you.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mary,

    What a great blog entry about Canadian Black History. I know I read other articles in the past that you wrote about the subject, and they were always excellent. Thank you for educating us to what really happened to African Canadians!

    Wow, that's some snow you have! I hope the snowplows have cleared the roads by this morning. We only had 4 inches, and it's just about gone. It was pretty while it lasted, but I'd rather do without it. We are warming up here, with fifties and sixties in the forecast, and that is good news. Greg is here this weekend, and we were out last night, and the roads are all in great condition. That means I won't have a problem driving to church Sunday morning, thank the Lord!

    Congratulations on your well deserved excellence award!

    Have a blessed weekend, Mary.

    Warm Hugs,

    Renie

    ReplyDelete
  6. That was an interesting post on Canadian Black History. I have learned a lot on Black History in the USA, but not Canada.
    Your snow picture is pretty. We've been getting hit with a lot of snow in Michigan too, but are supposed to have a reprieve this weekend.
    Congrats on the award!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks Mary! I am going to use your blog to teach my 4th grader. We are presently looking at Canada as an extra in History/Geography. Your lesson fits in well. How are things with you today? Are you managing to stay warm?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Good morning dear Mary:-)

    Another wonderful post and as you say, slavery in Canada is not often mentioned but unfortunately it did happen even here. There's a saleslady at Sears that is a black African Canadian and my mom and I have become quite close to her throughout the years of her working there...she's a true delight:-) I'd love to one day sit down with her and hear her stories of her ancestry!!

    We also had quite the snowfall yesterday and like you, no snowplows were in sight most of the day! Thanks to budget cuts and changes in the snowplow system! Grrrr! Makes it so dangerous trying to drive on unplowed streets. I've been wanting to send Karen some of our snow as well! lol

    Congratulations on another well deserved award my friend...isn't it wonderful to be so well loved:-)

    It's sunny and -8c here right now...supposed to go above 0 in a couple of days. Mother Nature can't seem to make up her mind these days, the temps are like a yo-yo!!

    Take care and have a wonderful weekend dear Mary! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good morning Mary ... Love the history lesson.... I love reading anything about the slavery in this country. Breaks my heart. Makes me wonder how in the world men's hearts turned so dark. I love the African history and their cultures before slavery... I do not watch movies though.. hurts my heart too much.. brings it so much closer to home.........

    and......The snow and ice YUCK!!! I love the snow but the ice needs to stay there.... We got just a little brushing of snow the other day... I did love it...........

    Have a great weekend.. I am still just sitting..... Dr appointment on Monday......YEAH.... get this show on the road........

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mary
    I think in order for us not to us not to be US vs Them in any race or gender we must not have a month set aside for anyone race. We need to celebrate all of them throughout the year, thus it would get rid of some of the tensions which still exists. I also prefer if everyone would say they are American or Canadians of African descent or Jewish descent or whatever you heritage happens to be. That way we could be Americans or Canadians first but still be proud of our past. Maybe I am dreaming if we stop putting each other in seperate boxes we just might get along. I have a dream just like Dr. M L King, mine is take we all get along in Peace .

    ReplyDelete
  11. Karen,

    I wish I could send you some of this snow. We have lots to share. LOL

    Glad DH got home safely. You and your family are in my prayers, as always. I will pray for your little one.

    I will be adding more information on Black Canadians throughout the month. I enjoy learning the black history of North America.

    Thanks for stopping by. I always enjoy your visits.

    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anni,

    I love black history but definitely NOT the slavery part. I am so glad Canada abolished slavery in 1833, though that was not soon enough.

    Many escaped slaves came to this area and I will be posting about the Underground Railroad in Canada at some point.

    Thanks for dropping by, my friend. I always enjoy your comments.

    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  13. Renie,

    The US black history is intriguing, but Canadian black history is also interesting. So many contributed to our country and they should be recognized.

    Yes, lots of snow. The plows have been by now and the roads are more negotiable. Thank goodness for that.

    Take care, my friend. I enjoyed your visit.

    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  14. Mari,

    We aren't to get anymore snow this weekend. It is supposed to warm up considerably. Winter is not over for us yet. This has been a snowy one.

    I'm glad you found my Black History post interesting. I will be posting more throughout the month.

    Take care, my friend and thanks for visiting. I always enjoy your comments.

    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  15. Edge,

    How nice that you will be using my black history posts to teach your children about Canada and black history. I will be posting more about this era in Canadian history throughout the month.

    I'm staying warm and cozy so far today. I do have to go out later, but the roads have been cleared now - at least most of them.

    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  16. Pea,

    As Canadians we should be ashamed of this part of our history, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't teach it. African Canadians are delightful people and I love learning about their heritage and culture. There is an African Canadian lady here who owns an antique shop. I love going there and talking to her when she isn't busy. She's a sweetie and collects black history memorabilia. That is an education in itself.

    Our roads are clear this morning. Yesterday they were deplorable.

    Thanks, sweet pea, for dropping by for a visit. I always enjoy your comments.

    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  17. Denise,

    Slavery was a dark part of history, that's for sure. I try sometimes to figure out what would make someone so greedy for money that they would imprison another human being. It really doesn't make sense. Glad you enjoyed the history lesson.

    I am praying that your doctor's appt will go well, my friend.

    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  18. Lady Di,

    I had the same thought last night when I was posting, but then realized that if we celebrated all year long, no one would recognize the achievements of black Americans and Canadians. We really do need to honor those who went before us and made a difference. Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and so many who have never been recognized for their great contributions.

    Love and blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  19. I love that you are sharing this history with us, thank you. I love you my friend.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Mary,
    Very educational......thanks for the visit to my blog and comment....hopefull, i'll get the doll house finished.....Betty

    ReplyDelete
  21. Denise,

    I'm glad you enjoyed a little Canadian history lesson. I always enjoy your visits.

    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  22. Betty,

    I can hardly wait until the dollhouse is finished. I love it.

    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  23. Stay warm and cozy with all the snow and cold weather. What a great post.

    :0) Sharon

    ReplyDelete
  24. I had never heard that saying about history repeating itself every 100 years...now I want to research and see what happended 100 years ago!

    Stay in and stay warm and safe!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi Mary,
    I just finished reading your very good "History" post on Slavery in Canada and you know you are correct...I personally have never heard of Canada's slavery issues. Thanks for bringing that to all of our attention.
    I LOVE "History" and study it still whenever something "strikes my fancy." :-)
    Have you viewed the movie "Amazing Grace?" It's fabulous and on DVD now.You might want to try to see it. We loved it. Very inspiring.

    I appreciated your visit to my blog site.Thanks for all your kind words.
    I can't imagine "hurricane force" COLD winds...we get those other ones here and that is plenty enough in the heat...I think I would rather take those on rather than your all's freezing ones though. Brrrrr.
    It makes me shiver just thinking of it. HA!
    Stay warm my friend.
    I will come back again!
    Be blessed,
    Joyce
    P.S.I have spring flowers planted INSIDE my house right now to keep that "Springtime feeling" alive. It's 66 degrees out here today...can't really complain now can I?

    ReplyDelete
  26. Sharon,

    I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm staying in pretty much today. When laundry is done, I want to curl up in a cozy place with a good book.

    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  27. Tammy,

    That saying first came out when JFK was assassinated. They compared facts about his death to Lincolns and there were quite a few similarities.

    Enjoy the research. It's fun learning what happened in the past.

    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  28. Joyce,

    When the temps are already in the minus and those type of winds come in, they chill you to the bone. I try not to go out in that kind of weather. I'm just too old for it. LOL

    I'm glad you enjoyed the bit of black history in my post. Canadians don't talk much about this country's slavery issues, but they were here. I think they were pushed back because we abolished slavery before the US did. Because escaped slaves fled here, people don't realize that at one time we had slavery issues.

    Thanks for your interesting comments. I hope you will return. I enjoyed your visit.

    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  29. Pretty amazing - 100 years apart.

    Come on over and see Kate's homecoming!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thank you for the education. It is very interesting. I never thought about Canada having slaves.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Dawn,

    Thank you for the invite. Kate is beautiful and I'm so glad she's home. I pray Emma is right behind her.

    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  32. Violetlady,

    Much to our shame, Canada did have slaves. I will be telling more about Black History throughout the month.

    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  33. Mary, your Awesome!! I am learning so much from you, Thanks for sharing all of this info, very interesting:)

    ReplyDelete
  34. Deb,

    So glad you enjoyed the post. I always enjoy your visits and try to get over to visit you on a regular basis.

    Have a great Saturday.
    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  35. That was very interesting, Mary!
    Thank you for the award I will add your name to the one I have on my side bar!
    I am still feeling bad... I am so tired of this junk or stuff....
    I can't spell her name but the lady from the Blog "Walking On" as a new post!! I have missed her!She has had it hard. You take care my friend! How are the grandsons and your daughter?? Is your cold better? Love and hugs Carolyn

    ReplyDelete
  36. Mary,

    Thank you for this very interesting and informative post. I didn't realize that there was slavery in Canada. As you know, Canada abolished slavery before the US did. I will never forget the huge emotional impact it made on me many, many years ago to read about a slave crossing the border to Canada and freedom.

    I agree with you about winter. I'm not crazy about the cold and the snow. But old man winter sure makes some beautiful scenery. I love your photo, it's beautiful!

    Take care, my friend.
    Hugs,
    Tina

    ReplyDelete
  37. Grams,

    You are deserving of the award. I will add Mommy's name to mine as well.

    Cynthia has been through a hard time. I visited her blog. I'm so glad she's back. Thanks for letting me know.

    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  38. Tina,

    The photo was taken last night about 11pm. That is why it's so dark, but everything looked lovely. Unfortunately all of the lacey snow on the trees was gone early this morning and I didn't get any other photos.

    I'm glad you enjoyed the short history lesson.

    Blessings,
    Mary

    ReplyDelete
  39. I never new anything about Canadian Black History.
    It seems there a lot of race/nationality/faiths has to go though a bit of unfair bigority. But in lot ways we have came a long ways but still have a ways to go.

    ReplyDelete