Freedom's Horizon: a City Changed by the Fight for Freedom, a public talk by Jennifer Dow

Name: Freedom's Horizon: a City Changed by the Fight for Freedom, a public talk by Jennifer Dow
Start: 2026-02-21T13:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-02-21T14:30:00-04:00
Location: Trinity Church Saint John NB

Schedule

Sat Feb 21 2026 at 01:00 pm to 02:30 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Trinity Church Saint John NB | Saint John, NB

This talk, sponsored by the New Brunswick Historical Society, is part of a Heritage Fair scheduled for Trinity Church on this date. The advertised time is tentative; the details will be updated in the near future.

Freedom’s Horizon: A City Changed by the Fight for Freedom
With the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act, Canada saw a rise in freedom seekers seeking safety and opportunity. This talk explores the freedom seeker community in Saint John and how their pursuit of justice reshaped the social landscape of New Brunswick. Covering the years 1850 to 1908, it highlights the people, the work they did, and the lasting legacy they built.
Speaker Jennifer’s Dow is a sixth-generation descendant of early Black New Brunswickers. Her mother, a founding member of the New Brunswick Black History Society, instilled in her a deep pride in her heritage. Growing up, Jennifer was surrounded by community elders and was inspired by her mother’s dedication to tracing Black family histories in New Brunswick. These experiences sparked Jennifer’s passion for researching and sharing the history of New Brunswick’s Black community. Through her work, Jennifer has traced the family trees of many of the Black families in the province and uncovered incredible stories that had long been lost to time. Her research has led to projects like Our Black Heritage 1783–Present at the Fredericton Region Museum (2023), We Were Here: A Portrait of Daily Life in New Brunswick’s Black Community (1850–1960) at the UNB Art Centre (2023), and the creation of Fredericton’s first known Black History Walking Tour.
Jennifer also consults on curriculum and teaching resources for New Brunswick schools recently authoring Beyond Borders: Black Heritage in New Brunswick, published by the Department of Early Education and Childhood Development and distributed to all schools in New Brunswick as a part of the new Black Histories Curriculum Framework. Jennifer’s contributions have earned her accolades, including awards from the York Sunbury Historical Society and the King Charles III Coronation Medal. Inspired by her great-grandmother’s words, “someone’s got to remember this when I am gone,” Jennifer is devoted to preserving and honoring New Brunswick’s Black community.