Saturday, February 25, 2012

Canadian Black History, Speakers for the Dead

The compelling story of how Black original settlers of Priceville, Ontario were driven off their land and erased from memory  in spite of the fact that they had cleared and domesticated the land. The story comes to a head over the restoration of the cemetery belonging to the original settlers.

Updates
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The Old Durham Road Pioneer Cemetery near Flesherton was the burial ground for 19th century black settlers.
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BlackburnNews.com - Lieutenant Governor To Visit Grey County 
The dedication is scheduled for 2pm on Sunday, September 20 at the cemetery located at the corner of Grey County Rd. 14 and the Durham Rd.

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Unidentified Black Family
Ontario Archives


This documentary reveals some of the hidden history of Black people in Canada. In the 1930s in rural Ontario, a farmer buried the tombstones of a Black cemetery to make way for a potato patch. In the 1980s, descendants of the original settlers, Black and White, came together to restore the cemetery, but there were hidden truths no one wanted to discuss. Deep racial wounds were opened. Scenes of the cemetery excavation, interviews with residents and re-enactments--including one of a baseball game where a broken headstone is used for home plate--add to the film's emotional intensity.




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