City Centre in Windsor in Essex County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1823-1893)
Photographed By Tim Boyd, August 1, 2023
1. Mary Ann Shadd Cary Marker
Born in Delaware to free African American parents, Mary Ann Shadd was an experienced teacher, abolitionist, and author prior to arriving in Windsor in 1851. Here, Shadd established an integrated school. Her 1852 monograph, a Plea for Emigration or Notes of Canada West, urged free blacks to seek refuge in Canada from racial oppression in the United States. In 1853, she became the first black woman in North America to publish a weekly newspaper when she established the Provincial Freeman, which championed abolitionism, temperance, and the rights of blacks and women, encouraging self-reliance as the true road to independence. Subsequently she relocated to Toronto and Chatham, married black businessman Thomas Cary, and raised a family. Departing Canada in 1863, the widowed Shadd Cary went on to become a Union Army recruiter, school principal, attorney, and women's suffragist. She was designated a person of national historic significance in 1994.
Donna Mayne, sculptor Sponsored by the University of Windsor
Erected by University of Windsor.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1851.
Location. 42° 19.072′ N, 83°
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Francois Baby House (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); The Battle of Windsor - 1838 (about 90 meters away); The Detroit River (about 210 meters away); Original Home of Major F.A. Tilston V.C. Armoury (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); The Rt. Hon. Herb Gray, PC., C.C., Q.C. (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); French Settlement on the South Shore (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); The Great Western Railway (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); The Underground Railroad in Canada (approx. 0.4 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Windsor.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. CBC News - How Mary Ann Shadd Cary set the blueprint for abolitionist feminist writing.
Shadd Cary was a master of disruption for all the right reasons; a provocateur committed to gender and racial justice in the 19th century. The conditions of her times called her to this work, and her financial privilege aided her tasks. But it was an(Submitted on February 10, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)extensive family history of resistance, and a desire for better, that lit her path.Photographed By Tim Boyd, August 1, 20232. Mary Ann Shadd Cary Marker
2. Dictionary of Canadian Biography - Shadd, Mary Ann Camberton (Cary). Shadd’s prominence was truly established when she became a leader and spokesperson for the black refugees who had fled from the United States to Upper Canada after the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850. Believing that she could help these black emigrants, in the fall of 1851 Shadd moved to Windsor, where she opened a school with the support of the American Missionary (Submitted on February 10, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)
May 13, 2022
3. Mary Ann Shadd Cary sculpture, by Donna Mayne
Credits. This page was last revised on February 10, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 10, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 42 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 10, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
