While there are many stories of formerly enslaved people using the Underground Railroad to escape cruel bondage in the US and travel to what is now Central and Eastern Canada – that is only part of the Canadian story; and in British Columbia the narrative is quite different. In 1858, leaving behind an increasingly racist and divisive America, some 800 educated and skilled Black men and women came to the Colony of Vancouver Island at the invitation of its Governor, Sir James Douglas. They put their skills and education to work; becoming property owners, entrepreneurs, politicians, community leaders, and achieved many “firsts”.
This presentation shares some of these original stories and more recent Black Histories, utilizing archival records, including images, genealogy records, newspapers, manuscripts, and books. Specific archival materials are included and/or referenced throughout the presentation.
Fran’s presentation audiences have included participants at public events, various library communities on Vancouver Island and Lower Mainland, private organizations, and public institutions such as Provincial Ministries (Citizens Services, Office of the Provincial Health Officer), Royal BC Museum, Salt Spring Island Historical Society, UVIC Continuing Studies Program, UVIC Faculty of Social Sciences, and Vancouver Heritage Foundation."
Fran Morrison has been a Board Member of BC Black History Awareness Society since 2010. She manages content research and development for the Society’s website, manages projects, and designs and narrates presentations on early BC Black History. She has variously co-authored, participated, contributed, advised, and collaborated with researchers, writers, educators, scholars, and historians outside of the Society to provide a multi-faceted view of the diverse and multicultural community in BC. Fran comes from Nova Scotia and is a descendant of Black Loyalists who came to Canada in 1783 and Underground Railroad travelers from Maryland in 1823. Fran moved to BC with her family in 1992. Attaining the PMP® designation, she worked as a project manager in the private and public sector for more than 25 years.