Garvia Bailey brings untold Black Canadian stories to the forefront
HARRISTON – Journalist and storyteller Garvia Bailey will be making her way to Minto to share the story of two Black women: Sylvia Young and Eva Bailey.
Bailey’s presentation, entitled “Black Women of Faith and Resilience: Finding Community in Southwestern Ontario,” is slated for Feb. 28 at the Harriston Train Station (83 Arthur St. W.) from 10am to 12pm.
The event is hosted by the town’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee.
Bailey begins her presentation with Sylvia Young, a freedom seeker whose story of attempted kidnapping during the early days of emancipation brought a newly formed Stratford, Ontario into the national spotlight.
“She came to the Stratford area around the 1850s ... and she got a job working at a hotel,” Bailey told the Community News.
A family, who had previously owned Young, moved to Chicago and contacted Stratford police “to detain Sylvia and bring her back to them,” Bailey said.
“The story itself was all over the newspapers and called an attempted kidnapping.”
The part of the story Bailey finds most interesting is the way the police responded to Young’s previous owners.
“‘Absolutely not, that is not something we would do. If you try to kidnap the citizen of our area, you’ll find yourself in chains,’” Bailey quoted.
Even as early as the 1800s, “there was this attitude of inclusion that I think the story encapsulates,” she added.
The second part of the story revolves around Bailey’s mother Eva, who, 120 years after Young, brought her family to Stratford from Jamaica.
“Very few people know these stories,” Bailey said. “I know who our founding fathers are but I don’t know the stories of people that look like me.”
Bailey strongly believes “history is living within us all the time. It’s not just an artifact we look back on, it’s the way that we have formed as a society,” she said.
Bailey noted the story of Young was uncovered by connecting with the Buxton National Historic Site and Museum.
“They have a census of all the Black folks that came through from the 1800s on and we were able to find those names in Perth County,” she said. “It’s all of our communities working together so that we can get the full picture of who we are and what we’re capable of.”
Tickets for the Harriston event can be purchased on Eventbrite or in person by visiting the Minto administrative office (5941 Highway 89) or the Launchit Minto office (1 Elora St., Unit 4, Harriston).
According to officials, space is limited and guests will need to register by Feb. 20 at the latest.
