Recognition
Morrison was recognized later in life with many awards. These included the Order of Ontario (2011), an honorary doctorate from Brock University (2010) and the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Lifetime Achievement (2008)—among countless others.
Famously humble about her work and achievements, Morrison often shared the credit for her accolades with others. As she told a journalist in 2011, “I’m sort of riding on the coattails of so many people who have done so many wonderful things. I’ve always wanted to celebrate our ancestors, because they went through unspeakable horror to make sure that things were better for me. It’s my responsibility to remind our young people of the story.”
“I sneaked in the back door”
The honorary doctorate Morrison received from Brock University in 2010 was the award she cherished most. Granted in recognition of her contributions as a curator, educator, local historian and volunteer, this was her lifelong dream: “All of my life I wanted to go to university,” she said on the occasion. “So I sneaked in the back door.” The award presenter described Morrison as a “living cultural and historical resource who has dedicated her life to keeping local Black history alive for the benefit of all.”
Sharing the honour
Upon receiving the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Lifetime Achievement (2008), Morrison wrote of her own feelings about her work: “I share this great blessing with many citizens of my community who have spent much time keeping the heritage of our Niagara alive and available to all. The restoration of the R. Nathaniel Dett Chapel [. . .] would not have been possible without [the] interest and support of the Niagara community.”
Decorating a humble historian
Morrison was also awarded with the Order of Ontario (2011), the highest civilian honour the province of Ontario bestows on residents of the province. In 2012, the Governor General of Canada awarded her with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for “dedicated service to your peers, to your community and to Canada.” Her many other accolades include the George Seibel Award for the Preservation of Black History in Niagara (2001) (she was the first recipient of this award), the Ministry of Culture and Citizenship’s Outstanding Award for Volunteerism in Ontario (2001), and the Mosaic Edition multicultural newspaper Black History Month Award (2008).
An enduring legacy
Wilma Morrison will be remembered not only for her historical passion and her contributions to preserving Black history but for the humility, warmth, kindness and wit that lay behind every aspect of her life and work. She reminds us of the importance of forging connections instead of divisions. Above all, she wanted to find common ground between all people: “We are all part of each other,” she told a journalist in 2001. The BME R. Nathaniel Dett Chapel, she emphasized, is “a church for all people.”
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Living history: Family and private life
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