Shadd, Mary Ann National Historic Person
Chatham, Ontario
Mary Ann Shadd
(© National Archives of Canada / C-29977)
Address :
177 King Street East, Chatham, Ontario
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1994-11-24
Life Date:
1823 to 1893
Other Name(s):
-
Shadd, Mary Ann
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
1994-041
Importance:
Newspaper editor and leader of Black Refugee Movement
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: 177 King Street East, Chatham, Ontario
Born in Wilmington, Delaware, Mary Ann Shadd became a prominent activist in the Underground Railroad refugee communities of Upper Canada during the 1850s. Arriving in 1851, she taught refugee children and urged skilled Blacks to seek haven in Canada from the increasingly dangerous conditions in the United States. In 1853, Shadd established the Provincial Freeman, an influential newspaper which encouraged self-reliance and argued for the rights of Blacks and women. The paper waged war on slavery and bigotry, becoming the leading voice of the refugees in Canada.