Today a colleague and I made the trip to Chatham to visit the Black Heritage Room, a small museum that explores black heritage and history in Chatham. Waking up before the sun and making the drive along the 401 to the small Southwestern Ontario town, we weren't sure (other than Tim Horton's and McDonald's) what the visit would entail. What we found was an impressive small museum built of love, dedication, and hard work. As part of our visit, we were lucky enough to meet and interview self-made historian Gwen Robinson, a woman whose contribution to history is both incredible and noteworthy. Sparked by an interest in her family history and her son's request for assistance on a research paper, Gwen started researching and has never looked back. She is a living example of public history in practice, and the power and accomplishment that can be achieved through a passion for the past. Speaking with her and hearing the stories she has to tell makes it clear that she is a treasure to her community and to the field of history.
Frustrated that black history in Chatham was without a voice, a victim of selective history and the colour barrier, Gwen has dedicated the last 40 years to changing the face of history in Chatham. Her book, Seeking the Truth: A Story of Chatham's Black Community is a commendable achievement and the first book to tell this story. She has brought to life a history that might otherwise have been forgotten, and created the opportunity for people to understand and learn about a fascinating part of Canadian black history. I hesitate to call Gwen an amateur historian after hearing her speak and seeing shelf after shelf full of her research, but for the sake of this post, I will stick to the term, because I want to highlight the possibilities in history that are available to everyone.
Public history and particularly digital history, place a lot of emphasis on accessibility, and Gwen's achievements prove just how close to history the public can become. History of all kinds is out there waiting to be found. With interest, passion, and a dedication to "seeking the truth," anyone is capable of finding it.
If it's inspiration you're looking for, go meet Gwen Robinson and explore the Black Heritage Room. It's worth the drive to Chatham.
No comments:
Post a Comment