Slavery and Abolition in Upper Canada
In the 15 years since “Enslaved Africans in Upper Canada” was developed, the Archives’ understanding of its responsibility for telling and sharing stories about communities that it has otherwise neglected has shifted considerably. The refreshed exhibit comes as a result of a collaboration with the Ontario Black History Society and takes advantage of the passing of time to address outdated language, problematic approaches to Black histories, and the need for additional research to widen the scope of collections included in the exhibit.
The Archives invites you to view these exhibits side by side to better understand how we are working with communities to bring past narratives into the present. We hope that through the launch of this exhibit, teachers, students and community members will have a resource that can be used to create fuller narratives of Black life and reclaim the humanity of the enslaved.