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Dozens of Black New Brunswickers and their families gathered Saturday in downtown Fredericton for a historic group photo.
Standing together outside the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, roughly 80 people posed for photographer and event organizer Gary Weekes in what organizers say is the largest photo of African, Black and Caribbean New Brunswickers ever taken.
Graham Nickerson said the Still Here celebration might be the biggest group of Black people with familial connections he has ever seen. Some of his family history dates back to the 1700s in Grand Bay-Westfield. (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC)
Participants travelled from as far as the West Coast and the U.S. to take part and declare they are “still here” and “still Black.”
The photo is part of the Still Here Emancipation Celebration taking place this weekend — an initiative aimed at bringing together and celebrating Black families across New Brunswick, where Black communities have lived for centuries.
“As we learn more things, the geography of this area is full of stories of Black people, Black excellence, and agency, and I hope more people come to be interested and embrace it,” said Graham Nickerson, who lives just outside Fredericton.
Nickerson didn’t discover his own local roots until later in life.
“I didn’t realize I was a Black New Brunswicker until I was looking at the Black land grants in the Grand Bay-Westfield area and saw my ancestor’s name on the map,” he said. He now makes sure his children know their heritage.
Pearl Lawrence travelled from Surrey, B.C., to be in Fredericton for the Still Here family photo. She is part of the Howe/Lawrence family. (Aniekan Etuhube/CBC)
Pearl Lawrence travelled from Surrey, B.C., to Fredericton to join her family in the photo. The Howe/Lawrence family in New Brunswick dates back to the early 1700s.
She said it’s been “fantastic” to see everyone come together.
Lawrence was also thrilled to spot a downtown lamppost banner featuring her father, former Canadian middleweight boxing champion Louis Lawrence, and planned to snap a picture beside it.
Valerie Ward brought her father, Larry, and son, Nicholas, from Boston for the Still Here Emancipation Celebration. Ward is part of the Howe family, which has lived in New Brunswick for generations. (Oliver Pearson/CBC)
Valerie Ward brought her father, Larry, and son, Nicholas, from Boston. Her mother, Opal Howe, grew up in Fredericton.
“We go back five and six generations here in New Brunswick,” Ward said. “It’s wonderful and to bring … my husband, my father, my son Nicholas, it’s just wonderful for him to know his history and to know what a great place New Brunswick is.”
Ward added that many people remain unaware of the province’s rich Black history, and she is glad the event is shining a light on it.
Fredericton resident Eric Claybourne, whose family traces its roots to the historic Black Loyalist settlement of Elm Hill, N.B., said relatives filled the legislature lawn.
“Cousins, uncles, aunties. You can’t beat that. It’s the warmest feeling in the world,” Claybourne said.
While he views the gathering as progress, he hopes it encourages broader social change.
“I hope to see more opportunities for Black people to show up,” Claybourne said. “I hope to see less systemic racism show up. That’s what I want to see.”
