Take a walk through history, highlighting Black New Brunswickers

Jennifer Dow is a 6th generation descendent of Black loyalists.

She's also a history buff, and this year in honour of Emancipation Day she developed a walking tour of Fredericton’s downtown highlighting Black history.

"I lived in downtown Fredericton for many years and I've seen so much shared about the history of different locations and buildings but I've never seen it though a Black history lens,” Dow said.

“I wanted to put this together so people could see downtown Fredericton through the lens of black history and the black residents that lived here,” she said.

Dow begins the tour at the Fredericton Region Museum, once part of the military barracks.

"We're starting off at the officer's quarters,” she said.

“Which is significant because there is Black history tied right to this location, and members of the Black community that worked within the military establishment.”

Dow started working on the tour through another project, REACH - Remembering Each African Cemetery’s History – and now she's bringing that history to life in the capital city.

"This graveyard goes back to 1784 and it is known in the local area for being the resting place of the founding fathers of Canada,” Dow says while walking through the Old Burial Ground cemetery in the heart of downtown.

“But what few people know, is that the black burials that are here,” she said.

“They are not always listed as being black, so you have to do a lot of background search and even know a lot of the family names to be able to confirm.”

The walk takes you on 21 stops over roughly two hours.

With bites of history around every corner, celebrating Black New Brunswickers.

On the corner of King and York street where the store Room 2 Remember now resides is a building etched with “Edgecombes 1877 Block” that’s rich with history.

"In the early 1900's up until 1921 Edward Washington, a Black gentleman, opened a restaurant,” Dow said.

“He was the son of a restaurant owner in Saint John and from all reports his business here was thriving,” she said.

Dow wants the contributions of Black figures throughout New Brunswick's history to be recognized for their contributions as many others are.

"I think one of the most common things that I'm seeing is people are saying how much of the overall history in Fredericton has been commemorated,” she said.

“But, what little of the black history is even known.”

Dow is hoping to change that.

The Black history walking tours happen every other Thursday in downtown Fredericton, until Sept. 28th.

For more New Brunswick news visit our dedicated provincial page.