By Keri-Lynn Gibbs
In Red Deer we have a long memory for ordinary people who make a difference in the community, and we often refer to them as ghosts. Diversity was in Red Deer remembering some Black Canadians who were part the developing heartbeat of this city.
His Worship Ken Johnston, the Mayor of the City of Red Deer, and
Councillor Michael Dawe – who the Mayor called “a living archive of Central Alberta history” – met with our Red Deer Correspondent Keri Gibbs to have a poignant discussion celebrating Black History Month.
Mayor Johnston related his well wishes for Black History Month, and directed us to the City Proclamation and Statement (here), before Councillor Dawe related stories about several notable Black Canadians from the Central Alberta Area, and revelations about other founding Red Deerians – Gailbraith, and Gaetz – who advocated for merit-based immigration which included Black Americans coming up to Alberta from the Southern United States. They alone stood against the Edmonton Business Council’s desired restrictions on immigration being limited to those who could stereotypically “handle the weather.”
Councillor Dawe highlighted three notable Black Families in the area. The first homesteaders who came to area after being emancipated from slavery They were loved by the community, and some other Red Deerians took care that they were laid to rest with some simple, but sincere honours. Another revered individual was a WW1 war hero to whom there is ascribed some mystery as his war decoration has passed through many collector’s hands. He was also a talented musician and many local people enjoyed listening to him play.
We further conversed about the wide diversity among the Black Community in Central Alberta, and some of the waves of immigration, for example we also had Caribbeans in this area before many Africans arrived, and noted the first families to come as refugees during the famine in Ethiopia. These incoming, from Ethiopia were welcomed to Alberta because of a special relationship a local citizen had with an Ethiopian official.
Later many people came from Sudan, Somali, and many other African countries. Now there are many more distant ethnic communities in Red Deer harkening from different countries, but in the early days Red Deerians were simply one community. More demographic information provided by the City of Red Deer can be seen (here).
Mayor Johnston mentioned discussions he has had with various community leaders about representation and noted the excellent showing of some Afro-Canadian candidates in the recent city election. His comments were both encouraging and gracious looking into the future
