Faculty
Media, Information and Technoculture
Supervisor Name
Basil Chiasson
Keywords
African-Canadian History, Black History, African American History, Research, African History, Racism
Description
The way we record history and reflect on the events of the past often shows the present foundation a community stands on to be socially sustainable and to look toward the future with better clarity. The city of London’s history is some of the richest in Ontario, and the heroism surrounding this history is proudly planted throughout the nooks and crannies of London and beyond. Anyone walking through Victoria Park will notice the Holy Roller tank which fought on D-Day and beyond, or the war memorial featuring a proud and rigid soldier and canons to celebrate Victoria Park and London’s military history. With all of the emphasis on the rich military past of the Forest City, you may walk right past the information board detailing the beginning of an integrated school system between white and black children in the park (Hill, 1981). Or completely overlook the sign which speaks of Mary and Ann Titré; sisters who became the first Black women to teach integrated classes in the province of Ontario, and their education prowess being the first instance in North America of Black individuals teaching integrated classes successfully (Hill, 1981). It is quite evident to me that London’s Black history is rich but not necessarily conventionally recognized within the city, or at least how the history deserves to be recognized. Through this paper I wish to enlighten the reader with captivating Black History I’ve learned and absorbed this summer during my research studies in and around London, and to detail these myths and truths in how they affected the Canadian way of living.
Acknowledgements
Thank you Basil and the Faculty of Media, information and Technocuture for giving me this opportunity and Thankyou USRI for setting up an amazing program.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Document Type
Paper
Included in
African American Studies Commons, African History Commons, Canadian History Commons, Ethnic Studies Commons, Public History Commons, Social History Commons
Forest City Memories: A Comprehensive look at Black History in London Ontario
The way we record history and reflect on the events of the past often shows the present foundation a community stands on to be socially sustainable and to look toward the future with better clarity. The city of London’s history is some of the richest in Ontario, and the heroism surrounding this history is proudly planted throughout the nooks and crannies of London and beyond. Anyone walking through Victoria Park will notice the Holy Roller tank which fought on D-Day and beyond, or the war memorial featuring a proud and rigid soldier and canons to celebrate Victoria Park and London’s military history. With all of the emphasis on the rich military past of the Forest City, you may walk right past the information board detailing the beginning of an integrated school system between white and black children in the park (Hill, 1981). Or completely overlook the sign which speaks of Mary and Ann Titré; sisters who became the first Black women to teach integrated classes in the province of Ontario, and their education prowess being the first instance in North America of Black individuals teaching integrated classes successfully (Hill, 1981). It is quite evident to me that London’s Black history is rich but not necessarily conventionally recognized within the city, or at least how the history deserves to be recognized. Through this paper I wish to enlighten the reader with captivating Black History I’ve learned and absorbed this summer during my research studies in and around London, and to detail these myths and truths in how they affected the Canadian way of living.