It's August the third and this weekend marks the return of a great celebration that Windsor used to be known for. The Emancipation Freedom Festival. Three cheers for Marc Taylor for having the sheer determination and courage that it took to get it going again!
When I was a little kid absolutely everybody went to Jackson Park for this great day. Emancipation was a huge part of our heritage in the Windsor/Amherstburg/ Detroit region. We had been the final stop on the Underground Railroad. Back in those days, there were no laws that prevented Bounty Hunters from crossing over to Canada and finding runaway slaves. So, from here to Chatham there were safe houses that hid these slaves until the Bounty Hunters gave up and left.
Harriet Tubman crossed the river into Amherstburg. Amherstburg is also home to the first Black Historical Museum of North America.
Our first Emancipation Day was 175 years ago. Of course, I'm not that old. But I do remember the celebrations that took place in my youth...... First came the exciting sounds...Jazz could be heard for miles around...and then the sound of Motown. People like Diana Ross performed here. Then your nose quivered with delight when that fabulous aroma of BBQ chicken and ribs wafted your way. Then came the bright colours of costumes and banners as you walked through the displays and tables of food.
There were also speakers. They say Eleanor Roosevelt came to our celebration, but I don't remember her. I do, however, remember a man. Martin Luther King Jr. There was nothing extraordinary about his looks. He was of medium height and build. However, he did have a wonderful smile and beautiful eyes. Even back then I was a sucker for eyes. I used to think they mirrored a man's soul. Still do. And if I'm right on that point, Martin Luther King possessed a very great soul. And he liked kids. He stopped and talked to all of us as we lined up on the sides of the walkway to let him pass through on his way to the podium.
I wish I could say that I had understood his speech or that I remembered what he said that day in Jackson Park. I don't. I do remember his voice, how melodic it sounded, how reassuring.
In 1967, riots broke out on Twelfth Street, in Detroit. There are people who say the riots were necessary to get the US's attention about Civil Rights. That may be true. I remember my family discussing how Ford's would not let a black man into the factory before the union had been established. And God help the white man who spoke to a black man while waiting to be picked for work that day. That white man would not be chosen for weeks afterwards. In 1967 things had not changed all that much in Detroit.
What I do know is that everyone suffered after the riots. The core of Detroit died. Quickly and painfully. You never knew when a gang fight would break out. There was more than one time when I found myself flat on the ground, caught between the crossfire of one of these fights. What little trust that had been there between the two races was gone on both sides of the border.
Funding for Emancipation Day dried up because people in Windsor feared that the festival would be a breeding ground for riots over here. Personally, I don't think that would have ever happened. In fact, I think if anything, the Festival would have been a way to heal wounds a lot faster.
In 2008 I can say that things are better, now, especially in Windsor. The inner city of Detroit is slowly making a comeback, but it still has a long way to go. Is there still prejudice? Yes. To say there isn't would be foolish. But more and more people believe what I do: that all men are equal and the Black heritage in this area is a very rich and integral part of our society and who we are. I raised my kids to believe that there is no difference between a black person and a white person. So did all of my friends, the blacks and the whites. We succeeded. None of our kids has ever noticed the colour of a man's skin.
And because there are more and more of us with that firm belief of equality the Emancipation Festival is back in Windsor. Hallelujah and Amen! Best news I've had about our society in a long time!!!!