Fifth-generation Black Canadian to share ancestors’ stories

MINTO – The Minto community will be celebrating Black History Month with a woman who, through the help of her ancestors, has a lot to teach. 

The town’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee has invited Tracy Lee, a fifth-generation Black Canadian, to share her ancestors’ stories of coming to Canada via the Underground Railroad, a network of people who worked together to help slaves travel to northern states and to Canada, where slavery was illegal.

Lee has created And Then What Happened… Black Canadian History: The Untold Stories, a presentation filled with stories and historical information that she has been working on for many years, collecting information from various sources. 

“My first presentation that I ever did in a school was in 2022, but the gathering of information was going on for quite some time before that,” Lee told the Advertiser.

Finding her ancestors 

Her journey to find her ancestors began when her husband Rob, who has a great interest in genealogy, started digging into his own past. 

After finding out about his family, he turned to Lee’s past. 

The couple took DNA tests and used a genealogy company to uncover Lee’s past generations and their stories.

“Do you know how many things your ancestors did in Ontario; they are in books,” her husband told her after the test results came back.

 According to Lee, the company gave her 12,500 matches, meaning she was connected to many people she never even knew about. 

“I don’t have a family tree, I have a family forest,” she said. “I look back at it now from when I was a little girl and think, wow had I had this information when I was in grade school … I probably wouldn’t have felt so much like an outsider; I would have known that I truly belong here.”

Growing up, Lee struggled with racism as she lived in a predominantly white neighbourhood. 

She recalled one incident in particular when she was walking home from school.

“I remember being called the ‘N’ word and I remember having rocks thrown at me and … being spit on,” she said. “It’s not that long ago that that was happening.”

Since 2022, Lee has been presenting stories, drawing on more than 200 years of family history, to students, historical societies and communities. 

“While slavery was finished; there was still a lot of racism going on and unfortunately there is still more going on these days,” she added. 

Her presentation also covers the “resilience and tenacity” of Black Canadian pioneers’ to seek out freedom, plus the sacrifices and contributions they made to help develop communities throughout Ontario. 

“Your legacy is history for generations to come so whatever you are doing, whatever mark you’re going to leave here on planet Earth, make it positive,” Lee said.

Event details 

The event was organized by DEI committee member Gordon Duff. He and the rest of the members focused on creating an event showcasing Black heritage for Minto’s diverse community.

“Last year they had a dancer/performer for Black heritage month,” Duff said. “It went over very well.”

He contacted Lee knowing she speaks to many students, both at the elementary and secondary level, and invited her to be the guest speaker. 

“Back when I went to school we didn’t learn a lot about that (Black Canadian history),” explained Duff. “It’s a bit of a forgotten history.”

The event is part of the DEI’s “Cultural Connections: A Diversity Learning Series.” 

Many more events are already in the works for the rest of the year, according to Duff. 

“We have a very diverse society these days and I think it’s important to let the people that are here now [know they’ve] always been part of Canada [and] it’s not just a recent development,” he added. 

“We’re focused on recognizing all the people that are here and making them all feel at home.”

The educational event is scheduled for Feb. 15 from 11am to 12:30pm at the Harriston Library Community Room located at 88 Mill St., Harriston. 

Tickets are being sold for $5 and can be purchased in person at the Minto administrative office and the Launchit Minto Office, or online at eventbrite.ca. 

Snacks are to be included, prepared by May’s Café at the Old Post. Space is limited so officials have recommended those interested register by Feb. 8 at the latest. 

Visit town.minto.on.ca/calendar or Eventbrite to register. 

Reporter