Advocacy organizations, City of Hamilton honour legacies of 16 Black Hamiltonians

Hamilton Black History Council and other Black-led organizations have partnered with the city to launch Black History Month and honour more than a dozen key figures in Hamilton's Black history.

It's the first time the city is partnering with local Black-led organizations on a Black History Month initiative.

Terri Bedminster, executive director for Refuge Newcomer Health, says Monday's launch, which saw more than 200 people in attendance, was in the planning phases while Fred Eisenberger was the city's mayor.

She said things "moved along really quickly" under the leadership of Mayor Andrea Horwath.

"It's very much culminating all the hard work we've done as a community over the years," Bedminster said.

Under the theme, We Are Hamilton — Black History Remembered, the 2023 Black History Month initiative will honour the legacies of 16 Black Hamiltonians. 

Banners highlighting 16 Black community members have been placed at 15 locations across the city — with all 16 found at each spot.

Bedminster said the original list of candidates was very long, but described the first 16 as a great start in identifying key figures in Hamilton's Black history. She said the process "feels really good."

The 16 honourees are:

Judith Morgan attended Monday's launch with her sister Leslie Knapp and her extended family to celebrate their father, Rev. Robert Foster, who co-founded the Afro Canadian Caribbean Association (ACCA) and served as a pastor at one of Hamilton's earliest Black churches, Stewart Memorial. 

"He did so much, he was a great person," Morgan said. "He was the first president of the ACCA, he coached basketball at Stewart Memorial church … he was always giving, giving, giving."

Morgan, who was also accompanied by her son Robert Morgan and his wife Aubrey,  was excited to see her father's poster.

"You've got three generations here celebrating both [my grandfather] Robert Foster and our great-great grandmother Julia Berry," said Robert Morgan. He said the event was a fantastic opportunity to recognize Hamilton's Black ancestry.

Paize Usiosefe, president of the Hamilton Black Film Festival, was also in attendance. Usiosefe, who immigrated from Nigeria, has lived in Hamilton for 30 years.