The Amherstburg Freedom Museum opened its latest exhibit and awarded scholarships to deserving students last Thursday night.
The museum opened “For Friends and Family: Social Organizing in Late-Nineteenth Century Amherstburg,” an exhibit created by university undergraduate student Max Bennett, who was selected for the Local Black History Internship Program which is in its second year.
The internship program was created in partnership between the University of Windsor’s History Department and the Amherstburg Freedom Museum, though Bennett is now pursuing his Master’s Degree at the University of Western Ontario. Funding for this year’s internship program was secured by Dr. Gregg French and Dr. Robert Nelson of the University of Windsor’s History Department. Under the supervision of Dr. Gregg French and Amherstburg Freedom Museum Assistant Curator Dr. Lorene Bridgen-Lennie, Bennett conducted independent research and used the Museum’s Family History Collection, along with sources from the Alvin D. McCurdy Fond (Archives of Ontario) and The Amherstburg Echo, to discuss the organizational work of persons of African descent in nineteenth-century Amherstburg.
Bennett told the audience he has a love of history and wanted to do an exhibit on local families but that became difficult without discussing their social networks.
The exhibit talks about such organizations that once existed, such as the King St. school, Social Literacy Society, the Amherstburg Literacy Association, the Oxford Club, Lincoln Lodge, the Frederic Douglass Self-Improvement Club, and the Buisy Gleaners among others.
Skill building, intergenerational activism, youth in action, gender roles in activism and community networks are themes in Bennett’s exhibit.
“This is not a complete history of social organizations in Amherstburg,” Bennett explained. “If I had a year, couldn’t tell the entire store. It’s a glimpse into that.”
Bennett worked on the exhibit for about three months, two of them researching and writing and another month editing.
“For Friends and Family: Social Organizing in Late-Nineteenth Century Amherstburg” consists of an exhibit which will be on display in the Amherstburg Freedom Museum’s gallery and online network diagrams which demonstrate the interconnectivity between individuals and institutions in multiple organizations, in addition to international and intergenerational links. The museum says Bennett’s exhibit focuses on the lives of Black settlers in Amherstburg in the post-Underground Railroad period and demonstrates the extensive activity occurring in our region in the nineteenth century which created a foundation for 20th century activism.
The Amherstburg Freedom Museum also awarded the Mac Simpson Award and Maturine-Romain Scholarship to students of African descent who commenced post-secondary studies in September 2024. The Mac Simpson Award was created to honour the legacy of Amherstburg Freedom Museum founder, Melvin Mac Simpson. The Maturine-Romain Award is given on behalf of Dr. Bernice McKenzie to honour the lives and memory of Evelina Maturine and Lucie Romain, the grandmothers of Dr. McKenzie.
The Maturine-Romain Award recipients included Abigail Yewande Muwanga ($1,000), Elijah Scott-Jackson ($500) and Michelle Ezeokoronkwo.
The Mac Simpson Scholarships were presented in honour of Esther Nolan, Florence Logan and Juanita Yearwood this year. Muwango received $1,000 while Deborah Oloyede, Malia Afonso, Lily Mulder and Scott-Jackson each receiving $1,000. Mulder is a North Star High School graduate while Scott-Jackson attended St. Thomas of Villanova Secondary School.
Guy Logan, a long-time museum supporter, encouraged students to be bold, be leaders, collaborate and to “keep the faith.” His grandmother, 101-year-old Florence Logan, said young people should cultivate relationships with older people to learn from them.
“Make a relationship with an older person. They know the answers to the challenges you are going to meet,” she said. “Stick to your guns. “Don’t let anyone change your mind or pull you away from what you made up your mind to be.”
The Amherstburg Freedom Museum is located at 277 King St. and more information can be found by calling 519-736-5433 or by visiting www.amherstburgfreedom.org.
Scholarships awarded, new exhibit unveiled at Freedom Museum
By Ron Giofu
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