The first issue of the Provincial Freeman was published in Windsor on March 24th, 1853. Although Samuel R. Ward and Alexander McArthur were nominally listed as the editors, it was Mary Ann Shadd (Cary) who was the driving force behind the Provincial Freeman, a highly influential abolitionist newspaper.
Mary Ann Shadd was born in Delaware in 1823 to free, black parents. She received a relatively good education and was active in the anti-slavery movement from a young age. In 1851, with the encouragement of Henry Bibb, owner and editor of the Voice Of The Fugitive, she moved to Windsor and started a school. (http://ink.ourdigitalworld.org/pf)
Mary Ann is just one of many influential black people to grace Canada’s history. Stop by Buchanan and check out our book and interactive displays, and find Black History Month Facts on our table toppers.