Good Morning Everyone,

The Archives of Ontario (AO) is happy and pleased to share with you that the Alvin D. McCurdy fonds has been inscribed on the Canadian Commission for UNESCO’s Canada Memory of the World Register. This is a first for the AO and demonstrates the importance of the McCurdy fonds to the collective history of Canada.

The McCurdy fonds documents the development of some of the oldest Black communities in Canada, many of which were terminals of the Underground Railroad. It is also one of the pre-eminent collections for understanding the histories and stories of Black Canadians’ journeys and contributions to Canada at large.

Mr. McCurdy worked tirelessly to preserve the heritage of the Black communities of Amherstburg and elsewhere in Southern Ontario at a time when traditional archives and other memory institutions were only peripherally interested in records documenting Black histories. His years of collecting and preserving historical documents demonstrate the importance of community activism and established an enduring legacy for all those interested in the experiences of Black Canadians.

AO staff developed the nomination package with assistance from the Amherstburg Freedom Museum, the Ontario Black History Society and Mr. McCurdy’s grandnephew. The fonds was nominated by the AO based on its size and scope, and because of its relevance to contemporary Black experiences and life in Canada. The nomination speaks directly to the CCUNESCO’s focus on heritage relating to Canadians of African descent and its general interest in recognizing cultural and social diversity.

The fonds was purchased from Mr. McCurdy’s estate in 1990 and was one of the first collections related to Black histories that the AO acquired. It is a nationally significant collection that greatly enhances research, scholarship and understanding of the social, cultural, and political climate in Canada during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and reflects the lasting and ongoing contributions of Black Canadians to the country’s development. The AO is committed to ensuring that the stories contained in the fonds are shared widely with people today and with future generations.

For additional information on the Alvin D. McCurdy fonds, and to explore photos from the collection online, please see:

 

• Description of the Alvin D. McCurdy fonds (F 2076) at the Archives of Ontario: http://ao.minisisinc.com/scripts/mwimain.dll/144/ARCH_DESCRIPTIVE/DESCRIPTION_DET_REP/SISN%201182?SESSIONSEARCH

 

• Images of Black History, Exploring the Alvin McCurdy Collection online exhibit: http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/online/alvin_mccurdy/index.aspx

 

• The Black Canadian Experience in Ontario 1834-1914: Flight, Freedom, Foundation online exhibit: http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/online/black_history/index.aspx

 

• Photographs from the Alvin D. McCurdy fonds on the Archives of Ontario’s GLAM Wiki page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Images_from_Archives_of_Ontario_-_F_2076_Alvin_D._McCurdy_fonds

 

Also, here are the links to CCUNESCO’s press release that was issued yesterday morning:

 

EN: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/the-canada-memory-of-the-world-register-lists-three-new-collections-859983061.html

FR: https://www.newswire.ca/fr/news-releases/trois-nouvelles-collections-sont-inscrites-au-registre-de-la-memoire-du-monde-du-canada-863577414.html

 

Please let me know if you have any questions about any of this. We are excited to see this news get out, so my apologies for any and all cross posting.

 

All the best,

 

Sean

 

 

 

Sean Smith

Senior Archivist

Archives of Ontario

(416) 566-0236

 

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