The Bruce County Museum and Cultural Centre is hosting a special presentation to mark the beginning of Black History Month.
The presentation will explain the work that led to the recognition of more than 1,200 people buried in unmarked graves in Owen Sound’s Potter’s Field. It will feature guest speakers Dorothy Abbott of the Grey County Black Heritage Society, and Aly Boltman, a local historian.
Titled Erasing Erasure, the talk will focus on those buried in Potter's Field, many who were fleeing slavery in the US via the Underground Railroad, including members of Abbott's family.
However, Black settlers still faced systemic racism in Canada, and many were considered impoverished and required burial in Potter’s Field, which became operational in 1860 and was in use for more than 100 years.
The Potter’s Field project has won five awards, including most recently an Architectural Conservancy Ontario Heritage Award.
Erasing Erasure takes place Saturday, February 4, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM in the Museum’s Bruce Power Theatre with refreshments to follow. The presentation will be recorded and made available online for later viewing.
The presentation will be free for museum members, otherwise general admission will apply.