Raffle results: together, we've raised $8000 for the New Brunswick Black History Society
About the New Brunswick Black History Society & Their Mission
The New Brunswick Black History Society was founded ten years ago, in June of 2010. They are dedicated to collecting the stories of Black individuals, families, loyalists, and refugees who have traveled to New Brunswick, settled, and contributed to our heritage.
Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the volunteers involved, the society has been able to make an impact in New Brunswick and enhanced the knowledge of Black history among those residing in the province of New Brunswick.
Their objectives are to gather information concerning New Brunswick's Black residents, past and present. To promote awareness of New Brunswick's Black history. To encourage the Black community and the general public to work together. To work towards increasing the presence of Black history in New Brunswick's education system.
Every dollar raised as a result of the raffle will support the New Brunswick Black History Society, their ongoing research, and educational outreach programs.
Informational handout courtesy of the New Brunswick Black History Society
The New Brunswick Black History Society presents events and lectures in addition to leading community projects that memorialize and preserve Black history in New Brunswick.
Recent Projects
The New Brunswick Black History Society pushed for the representation of Black history at King's Landing Historical Settlement in Fredericton, NB. The Gordon House is the first permanent memorial to Blacks in New Brunswick, and the first historical house depicting a Black family in Atlantic Canada. The Gordon House was first built by James Gordon, a Black settler, in 1835. The replica house was reconstructed in 2009 to represent a homestead of the Black loyalists. Inside, it exhibits the Leek-Taylor Collection, a collection of artifacts belonging to the family of George Leek.
The New Brunswick Black History Society works actively towards the name changing of certain places in the provinces. For instance, Ralph Thomas, Projects Coordinator, was heavily involved in the renaming of Negro Brook Road in South Branch, near Sussex, NB. It was renamed Harriet O'Ree Road by the province. Ralph Thomas continues to work on this project and continues to uncover history while working to rename particular sites appropriately.
The New Brunswick Black History Society continues the maintenance of the various Black graveyards in New Brunswick, such as Willow Grove, Beaver Harbour Quaker Graveyard, the Wheary Cemetery, Elm Hill Cemetery, and the Watson Family Cemetery off Weatherhead Road.
Learn more about the New Brunswick Black History Society and learn more about our province's history at nbblackhistorysociety.org.
Donations are crucial to the continuation and prosperity of the New Brunswick Black History Society.
And they are always appreciated. Donations can be brought to:
165 Union Street
Suite 301
Saint John, NB, E2L 5C7
Questions? Call (506) 634-3088
Raffle Results
Together, we've raised $8000!
Over 1400 tickets were sold and four lucky prize winners are each taking home a prize pack valued at $450. Congrats Candice Miner, Lauren Rowsey, Michelle Lang & Andrea Cunningham!
Twenty-eight small businesses sponsored the raffle. They donated prizes with a total value of a little over $1800. And, made additional donations to the fundraiser.
THANK YOU SAINT JOHN!
A Note from K+E
This fundraising raffle is a tangible action we felt we could take by using our skills and our platform.
BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) have been fighting for racial equity for decades, centuries. The past month of rallies and demonstrations have been a reckoning for us—a call to action. We wish we’d been here our whole lives but we’re here now and cannot continue with business as usual.
As white people and white business-owners, Visitors is making a commitment to building an equitable, anti-racist organization. Behind the scenes, we are taking stock of our business. We are developing an action plan that includes educating ourselves on an on-going basis, building community guidelines for our company, and investing in BIPOC businesses, artists, and makers.
— KC Wilcox & Emily Saab