A quiet room at the Brantford Public Library turned into a space of deep reflection and historical revelation on April 9, as author Jerry Prager launched the new “Black Communities of Brantford Speaker Series.”
The first of six monthly talks, this inaugural event focused on the lesser-known stories of fugitive slaves who found refuge in what’s now southern Ontario—particularly in the Queen’s Bush settlement. Prager, an author and independent researcher, has spent decades uncovering the links between slavery, Indigenous support networks, and Canada’s complex role in the Underground Railroad.
“I started writing about this in 2001,” Prager told attendees. “I was exploring what I call ‘enslaved reactivism’—looking at how Black communities responded to slavery, and how they found their way to places like Queen’s Bush. The Tuscarora were a huge part of that story.”
The Tuscarora, one of the Six Nations, played a key role in sheltering escapees. According to Prager, Tuscarora Baptist churches acted as both spiritual homes and safe havens.
Prager’s talk wove together strands of Indigenous history, abolitionist churches, legal documents, and personal accounts. He credits luck and timing for the success of his research.
“I was surprised by how much I could find,” he said. “Sometimes in research, you keep stumbling on the same detail over and over. My advice? Pick it up. It might be a key that unlocks the whole story.”
The speaker series is a collaboration between the Brantford Public Library, Brant Theatre Workshops, the Canadian Industrial Heritage Centre, and the Brant Historical Society. It aims to highlight the multicultural makeup of Brantford through the lens of immigrant and racialized communities who have helped shape the city.
Bill Darfler, board member of the Canadian Industrial Heritage Centre, emphasized that Brantford’s past is more than factories and canals—it’s people.
“Brantford was once the third largest industrial center in Canada. At the same time, we had the highest proportion of foreign-born residents. These were workers, entrepreneurs, community builders,” said Darfler. “We’ve explored the histories of Jewish, Italian, Chinese, Armenian, and Ukrainian communities. Now we’re focusing on Black history.”
According to Darfler, the Black presence in Brantford dates back to the 1780s, when enslaved Africans arrived with Mohawk leader Joseph Brant. Over time, waves of migration from the American South, the Caribbean, and Africa added to the complexity of the city’s racial landscape.
Centre right: Author Jerry Prager.
The message organizers hope to convey is simple but urgent: memory matters.
“Some communities have already lost their group memory,” said Darfler. “The best way to preserve it is to write it down, talk about it, and make it visible.”
Upcoming talks in the series include:
- May 14: Andrew Hunter – It Was Dark There All the Time: Sophia Burthen and the Legacy of Slavery in Canada
- June 11: Paul Allen – Bright Lights Black Stars: Negro League Players and Canada’s Oldest Baseball League
- July 16: Professor Paul Lovejoy – Busha’s Mistress or Catherine the Fugitive
- August 13: Dr. Elaine Brown Spencer – The Black Church in Canada
- September 17: Patrick Brode – The Odyssey of John Anderson
Each talk offers a new lens on Black experience in Canada—historical, cultural, and personal.
The next event is scheduled for Wednesday, May 14, once again at the Brantford Public Library.
