TORONTO, May 8, 2012 – A workshop co-sponsored by York University will delve into the role of African Canadians in the War of 1812 – a topic researchers say is underrepresented in scholarly and popular literature.
“We Stand on Guard for Thee: African Canadians in the War of 1812,” taking place at Brock University May 10-11, 2012, offers a forum for scholars, students, educators, historians and members of the public to explore the important role played by African Canadians in the last war fought on Canadian soil. The workshop will also showcase a new web-based project to help children “virtually” experience the history surrounding the Underground Railroad, the first phase of which will be unveiled by the Hon. Jean Augustine, Fairness Commissioner for Ontario.
The workshop’s opening reception (Thursday, May 10, 6:30pm), will feature the Hon. James J. Bradley, Deputy Government Leader of the House and Environment Minister for Ontario; Brian McMullan, Mayor of St. Catharines; Paul Dyster, Mayor of Niagara Falls, New York; Brian Merrett, CEO of the War of 1812 Legacy Council for Niagara; and Dr. Bonnie Rose, Executive Vice President of Niagara University.
Guest speaker Gareth Newfield of the Canadian War Museum will present "Free Men of Colour: The ‘Coloured Corps’ during the War of 1812," followed by a musical performance by Diana Braithwaite and Chris Whiteley. The launch of Conestogo Bound: Black Pioneers of Wellington County, an original film by Queen's Bush pioneer descendant Diana Braithwaite, will conclude the evening.
Friday’s workshop will discuss topics including the “Coloured Corps” stationed at Fort George in Niagara-on-the-Lake; the wartime experience of Black women and children; African Canadian service in the battle for the Great Lakes and on the high seas; and the post-war migration to Maritime Canada of the so-called "Black Refugees,” some 2,000 African Americans who fought on the British side in the War of 1812. An important component of the workshop will be outlining directions for future research, and providing suggestions for the development of educational materials for the new project of the Harriet Tubman Institute and Faculty of Fine Arts, York University: We Stand On Guard for Thee: Teaching and Learning the African Canadian Experience in the War of 1812.
Also on Friday, May 11, 2012, the Hon. Jean Augustine will launch Breaking the Chains: Presenting a New Narrative for Canada’s Role in the Underground Railroad. The web-based project includes 24 original biographies of people who came to Canada in search of freedom before the US Civil War. Narratives, detailed essays, primary documents and historic images support a series of original lesson plans designed for Grades 3-12, enhanced by augmented reality segments created by Caitlin Fisher, York professor and Canada Research Chair in Digital Culture, along with her team at the Augmented Reality Lab in York University’s Faculty of Fine Arts.
Augmented reality allows students and teachers to engage with personal stories and photos of refugees from American slavery and free African American immigrants before the Civil War. Some of the materials were contributed by descendants of those profiled, and have never before been shown in public. The segment is set in motion when an image card is held in view of a webcam; the program conjures 3D digital images, video and audio in a number of vignettes. The person holding the card up to the webcam becomes part of the picture and thus part of the action.
Breaking the Chains was created collaboratively by the Harriet Tubman Institute and the Augmented Reality Lab in the Faculty of Fine Arts at York University with community partners from across Ontario. The project, carried out under the supervision of Karolyn Smardz Frost, Senior Research Fellow, was tested in a number of Ontario schools over the past few months, and will be rolled out after its May 11 launch. It will be offered free of charge online through York University’s Harriet Tubman Institute website as a resource for teachers to encourage students to interact with Canadian history.
The “We Stand on Guard for Thee: African Canadians in the War of 1812,” workshop and the “Breaking the Chains: Presenting a New Narrative for Canada’s Role in the Underground Railroad” project are funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
What: “We Stand on Guard for Thee: African Canadians in the War of 1812” workshop.
Where: The Pond Inlet, Mackenzie Chown Complex, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario
When: May 10-11, 2012 (beginning at 6:30 pm on May 10).
Sponsors: Harriet Tubman Institute and York University’s Faculty of Fine Arts Augmented Reality Lab, in cooperation with the History Department, Brock University; the Central Ontario Network for Black History; and the St. Catharines Museum.
Honorary Patron: Wilma Morrison, Order of Ontario and Honorary Doctorate, Brock University.
Info: For the workshop program and registration information, click here.
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Media contact:
Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100 x22101 / wallsj@yorku.ca
Melissa Hughes, Media Relations, York University, 416 736 2100, x22097 / mehughes@yorku.ca
