n 1856, Benjamin Drew, an American abolitionist, traveled to Canada to transcribe the oral stories of formerly enslaved Black men and women. Among them were 16 individuals who settled in London, Ontario, one of whom was a former Rochester resident. Their narratives, recorded in Drew’s book, A North-Side View of Slavery, describe their former enslavers, their escapes, and how they made it to Canada.
But what of their lives afterwards?
With Drew’s accounts as their starting point, Western University researchers Miranda Green-Barteet and Alyssa MacLean are working to trace the paths these self-liberated individuals took after arriving in London and better understand their experiences in the area. By documenting these journeys through an interactive website hosted by Western Libraries, Green-Barteet and MacLean aim to address a longstanding gap in the history of Black Londoners.
Registration for this free program is recommended but not required:
https://calendar.libraryweb.org/event/13298168
This is an in-person program that will also be livestreamed at:
https://www.youtube.com/@RochesterPublicLibraryNY/streams
Presented by the Local History & Genealogy Division: (585) 428-8370
