The New Brunswick Black History Society (NBBHS) is an organization based in

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

which is dedicated to researching, documenting, and preserving Black history in the province. The organization has supported the renaming of locations with names tied to racism and slavery, improved the awareness of Black burial sites in the province, and opened New Brunswick's first Black History Heritage Site at the

Brunswick Square Brunswick Square is a public garden and ancillary streets along two of its sides in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. It is overlooked by the School of Pharmacy and the Foundling Museum to the north; the Brunswick Centre to the w ...

in Saint John.

History

The New Brunswick Black History Society was founded in June of 2010, under PRUDE Inc., which oversaw it. In June 2021, the organization opened New Brunswick's first Black History Heritage Site, located in

in the city of Saint John. The heritage room, which displays exhibits providing information about escapees of slavery through the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

as well as prominent black figures from New Brunswick, was created with the aim to educate residents about black history in the province, in similar fashion to centres in other provinces.

Activities

Name changes

The New Brunswick Black History Society has made significant contributions in the renaming of several geographical locations and landmarks in New Brunswick that previously had racist names containing the ”N” slur. A number of these locations were subsequently renamed to commemorate early Black sellers in the province, such as the

breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island Breakwater Island () is a small island in the Palme ...

connecting Partridge Island to mainland Saint John, which was renamed to Hodges Point Breakwater to honor Frederick Douglas Hodges, a local labor and civil rights leader.

Burial sites

The organization has also engaged in efforts to preserve and to raise awareness towards preserving Black burial sites in the province, such as the

Black Settlement Burial Ground Black Settlement Burial Site, is a cemetery in Willow Grove, near Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. It is located uphill from Saint John harbour, and has a view of nearby market and the harbour.''Directions Home: Approaches to African-Canadian ...

located in Willow Grove, which serves as the resting place for numerous

Black Loyalists Black Loyalists were people of African descent who sided with the Loyalists during the American Revolutionary War. In particular, the term refers to men who escaped enslavement by Patriot masters and served on the Loyalist side because of the Cro ...

and refugees who sought refuge from the United States during the early 19th century. In 2021, the NBBHS, along with affiliate organization

PRUDE A prude (Old French ''prude'' meaning honourable woman) is a person who is described as (or would describe themselves as) being concerned with decorum or propriety, significantly in excess of normal prevailing standards. They may be perceived as ...

as well as local lawyers, raised funds for the installation of a headstone at the gravesite of Abraham Beverley Walker, the first Canadian-born Black lawyer, whose resting place was previously unmarked. On June 24, 2021, the newly erected headstone was unveiled at a cemetery in Saint John.

References

{{Portal bar, Canada, History Black Canadian culture in New Brunswick 2010 establishments in New Brunswick Civil rights organizations in Canada History of Black people in Canada Black Canadian organizations African-American museums in Canada Organizations established in 2010 Organizations based in New Brunswick Culture of Saint John, New Brunswick History of Saint John, New Brunswick