Freedom’s Story Exhibit Opens at Trafalgar Learning Commons

As part of Sheridan Reads’ ongoing exploration of Lawrence Hill’s The Book of Negroes, and in conjunction with Library and Learning Services, the Sheridan Reads Steering Committee very excited to announce the opening of Freedom’s Story.

Image courtesy of Christian Knudsen

Coordinated by Dr. Christian Knudsen, this visiting exhibit by the Oakville Museum on Black History will run from March 9 – April 30 in the Trafalgar Library and Learning Commons, just outside Room C148a. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Oakville holds an important place in Black Canadian History. As a terminus point of the Underground Railroad, many Black Canadians first made their home in the Oakville area. The Underground Railroad was a network of safe houses and secret routes by which escaped slaves made their way north to Canada and freedom.

In the exhibit, you can explore this rich history and learn the story of a hidden treasure found in a pocket watch originally owned by Branson Johnson, a freeborn African-American, who arrived in Oakville with his family in 1855.

We hope you will have a chance to check it out.