New Brunswick Black History Society

New Brunswick Black History Society
Name	New Brunswick Black History Society
Formation	1970s
Type	Non-profit
Headquarters	Saint John, New Brunswick
Region served	New Brunswick
Leader title	Executive Director

New Brunswick Black History Society The New Brunswick Black History Society is a provincial heritage organization dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promoting the histories of Black communities across New Brunswick (province), especially in Saint John, New Brunswick, Moncton, Fredericton, and Sackville, New Brunswick. The Society emerged from community activism linked to local chapters of national groups such as the Canadian Negro Women's Association, Ontario Black History Society, and collaborations with institutions like the Canadian Museum of History and the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia. It supports research into migration, settlement, and resistance involving figures associated with Loyalists, Underground Railroad, Black Loyalists, and later arrivals tied to immigration policies influenced by Immigration Act (1976) and federal multiculturalism initiatives.

History and Founding

The Society traces origins to grassroots efforts by descendants of Black Refugees (1815) and Black Loyalists who settled in Parrsboro, Mirimachi, and Saint John Harbour areas and organized during the 1970s alongside activists influenced by national leaders such as Viola Desmond, Portia White, Hattie McDaniel, and community organizers connected to groups like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Activist Alliance of Black Canadians. Founders engaged historians from University of New Brunswick, archivists from the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, and volunteers from churches including St. Joseph's Church, Saint John and Centenary United Church. Early projects documented land grants related to the Book of Negroes lists and petitions referencing the Treaty of Paris (1783), linking local memory to broader diasporic stories about Jamaican Maroons, Barbadian settlers, and migration networks involving Halifax, Nova Scotia and Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

Mission and Objectives

The Society's mission emphasizes preservation of material culture and oral histories rooted in communities like Willisville, New Brunswick, Elm Hill, New Brunswick, and Freetown, New Brunswick (Saint John). Objectives include documenting notable lives—such as merchants who engage with registers like Russell-Millers Collection—and amplifying creators referenced alongside works by E. Pauline Johnson, Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes, and scholars affiliated with Dalhousie University, McGill University, and York University. The mandate supports research on legislation and events affecting Black residents, drawing connections to the Civil Rights Movement, Emancipation Proclamation, and Canadian legal precedents such as rulings from the Supreme Court of Canada.

Programs and Initiatives

Regular programs include public lectures, mobile exhibits, and commemorations tied to anniversaries of Black Refugee Settlement (1815) and the arrival of Black Loyalists (1783). Initiatives partner with cultural festivals like Caribana, literary events featuring authors connected to Édouard Glissant, Toni Morrison, Dionne Brand, and music programs honoring traditions from Gospel music, Calypso, and Afro-Caribbean drumming. Educational workshops reference curricula used by Canadian Teachers' Federation and collaborate with community health efforts similar to campaigns by Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and Canadian Cancer Society to address social determinants in Black neighborhoods.

Collections and Archives

The Society maintains collections of oral histories, photographs, church registers, and personal papers documenting people linked to families recorded in colonial documents such as the Book of Negroes. Archival holdings complement records at institutions like the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick, the Library and Archives Canada, and university special collections at University of New Brunswick (Fredericton), St. Thomas University, and Mount Allison University. Collections highlight artists, authors, and community leaders comparable to figures preserved in the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and documented in databases used by the Canadian Heritage sector. Curatorial practices follow standards promoted by the Canadian Museums Association and employ digital preservation frameworks similar to those at the Digital Innovation Hub.

Community Engagement and Education

Education programs work with schools across districts such as Anglophone South School District and Anglophone West School District to integrate local Black history into classroom modules alongside curricula referencing writers like Audre Lorde, Chinua Achebe, and historians from York University and University of Toronto. The Society runs oral-history projects training volunteers in methods used by the Canadian Oral History Association and partners on heritage tours that visit sites of memory connected to the Underground Railroad network via stops in Saint John, Grand Manan, and Saint Andrews, New Brunswick.

Partnerships and Collaborations

Strategic partnerships include collaborations with cultural institutions such as the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, the Canadian Museum of History, the Multicultural Association of Fredericton, and academic centers at University of New Brunswick, Mount Allison University, and St. Thomas University. Funding and project alliances have involved agencies like Canadian Heritage, provincial arts bodies, community foundations including the New Brunswick Community College Foundation, and cultural networks exemplified by Heritage Canada Foundation and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation.

Recognition and Impact

The Society's work has informed exhibits, policy consultations, and commemorations recognized by municipal councils in Saint John, provincial proclamations, and contributions cited by scholars at Dalhousie University, McMaster University, and University of Toronto. Impact can be seen in heritage plaques, community revitalization efforts similar to projects in Willisville, and archival donations accepted by the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. The Society’s efforts have intersected with public history initiatives that cite precedents such as the Canadian Encyclopedia entries on Black Canadians and have been acknowledged in programming at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and by cultural awards comparable to the Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts.

Category:Organizations based in New Brunswick Category:Black Canadian organizations Category:Heritage organizations in Canada