As Black History Month approaches, Canada Post has unveiled a set of stamps honouring early Black settlers in two communities.
The communities are Amber Valley, Alberta, and Willow Grove, New Brunswick, where Black refugees settled after escaping slavery in the United States.
The stamps – the 13th issue in Canada Post’s Black History Month series – celebrate the hope and perseverance of the Black pioneers who founded these communities.
Willow Grove was founded in 1817 by Black refugees. Most had been enslaved African Americans who were offered their freedom and land in exchange for supporting the British in the War of 1812. They were issued licences to live on land that turned out to be of poor farming quality and received little assistance. When they tried to support themselves temporarily in nearby Saint John, they were met with racist restrictions. But the residents fought for their rights and formed a thriving community.
The Black settlers who founded Amber Valley around 1910 had journeyed from the American south to escape escalating violence and segregation laws. Seeking a better life for their families, they carved a living from the dense bush and muskeg but continued to endure ongoing racial discrimination, including government measures that prevented other people of African descent from settling in Canada. The residents, however, were determined to succeed, and the community they built flourished.
Although separated by nearly a hundred years, the two communities experienced similar hardships and triumphs, and both served as stepping stones for the success of future generations of Black Canadians.
The Willow Grove stamp features illustrations based on photos of two lifelong residents of Willow Grove: Alexander Diggs (c. 1900) and Eliza Taylor (1872). The stamp also shows HMS Regulus, on which Black American refugees arrived in Saint John in 1815 to found the community. In the background is the harbour of Saint John, based on an archival watercolour. A map of the area, with the location of Willow Grove marked by a star, is in the background.
The Amber Valley stamp features three key members of the community: Parson Henry Sneed (circa 1910), Jordan W. Murphy with great-granddaughter Bernice Bowen and granddaughter Vivian (Murphy) Harris (n.d.), and Amy Broady (c. 1925). Sneed and Murphy led the initial settlement of Amber Valley, while Broady was a midwife who served the growing community. The foreground shows wagons of the type likely used by the settlers against a landscape that evokes their journey from Edmonton to their new home. The background shows a map of Alberta, with the location of Amber Valley marked by a star.
Canada Post has produced two one-minute videos about Willow Grove and Amber Valley that are available on YouTube.
An article in Canada Post Magazine has more details about the two communities and the Black pioneers who settled there.
