My 'Uncle Rev' dedicated his life to serve Montreal's Black community

Andrea Este is featured in the series Black Life: Untold Stories, now streaming on CBC Gem.

Montreal's Union United Church has been at the centre of my family for decades. Several significant events in my life have taken place here. It has been a place where we have mourned the passing of our loved ones and a place where we have celebrated joyous occasions. The memories created and shared here will live on forever.

When I entered the building last year for its 125th-anniversary celebration, as I had done so many times before, it struck me how special this place was to Montreal's entire anglophone Black community, past and present.

As I walked through the hallway, I passed by pictures that have been on the walls for years. A familiar face appears in most of them: my great-uncle Rev. Charles Humphrey Este, or as we used to call him, Uncle Rev.

I marvelled at how many years he dedicated his life to the church and to serving the community. Not enough is known of him or what he accomplished, how instrumental he truly was in the betterment of the Black community. As I sat next to my cousin Tamara, we were about to discover just how much he touched the lives of the people who knew him.

As I listened to the many stories about the church and its accomplishments, I connected with older members who either had personal interactions with my great-uncle or were familiar with their parents' recollections of him. They described him as a kind, warm and generous man who was always present when someone needed him and was always the first to help in any way he could, which I knew as well.

He married several of the couples in attendance and the parents of some of the younger church members as well.

Over the last few years, I have uncovered more of my family's history — especially that of my great-uncle — as I joined the movement to revive the Negro Community Centre (NCC) that he founded in 1927.

The story I heard growing up was that Uncle Rev was the eldest and first one to leave Antigua at the age of 16 and that he sent for his brothers and sisters once established. My father always said that while growing up, neither he nor my grandfather spoke much about their childhood. Not much was known about their life in Antigua, only that it was difficult and that my great-grandfather was very strict.

Being very young when he passed away, I did not have the chance to ask him questions or spend much time with him. Hearing all that he had accomplished by these people who knew him motivated me to dig deeper and find out more about the man he was.

I began researching news articles, visited the NCC archives, listened to recorded footage and spoke with my father and cousin David who knew him well. In doing so, I discovered much more about the NCC and what life was like in Montreal's Little Burgundy neighbourhood at the time. I also uncovered many layers of Uncle Rev and discovered just how special and influential he was to the entire Black community.

Uncle Rev was the minister at Union United Church from 1923 to 1968, and during his time there, the congregation increased from 60 members to 300 families.

I was too young to attend his sermons, but according to my father, his words could uplift and inspire everyone present.

One thing many people do not know is that my great-uncle had many offers to lead different churches both in Canada and the United States. But he always stated, "I will never leave my people."