The name change of Chatham-Kent’s most well-known Black historical site is getting recognized on a national scale.
The Ontario Heritage Trust was awarded a 2022 Governors' Awards from the National Trust for Canada, a national charity that empowers communities to save and renew heritage places.
The Trust received the accolade for renaming the Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History in Dresden, formally known as Uncle Tom's Cabin.
The Ontario Heritage Trust unveiled the official rebranding of the historical site in July.
Officials with the Ontario Heritage Trust said the term ‘Uncle Tom’ has come to embody many of the prejudices and biases at the root of anti-Black racism. The site is built on the settlement that Henson, a celebrated figure known for his fight against American slavery, helped found in 1841.
According to Josiah Henson Museum Site Manager Steven Cook, the term implies a person of African descent is a traitor to their race. It was made popular after it was used in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1852 anti-slavery novel of the same name.
"The way Uncle Tom is used is harmful, especially today. It's insulting. We can do better than that in honoring Josiah Henson's legacy," said Cook. "When you think about it, Henson travelled the Underground Railroad, bravely risking his freedom to deliver over 100 enslaved people to freedom, long before the publication of the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin."
According to it's website, the National Trust Awards honour contributions to community, identity, and sense of place.
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