Perhaps one of the most intriguing festivals on the summer circuit in Canada is the Underground Railroad Music Festival held on Aug. 18 at Centennial Park in Drayton, Ont.
The Underground Railroad was a system of safe houses and anti-slavery supporters across eastern North America during the 19th century. The term railroad referred to the use of railroad terminology in secret codes, alluding to the people and places that helped escaped slaves from the southern U.S. find their way to the safer territories in the North. Slavery was outlawed in Canada, making our country a primary destination for those seeking freedom.
Southern Ontario was a key entry point into Canada. As a result, many black families settled in the area. Now, 150 years later, we are blessed with a number of musicians whose families’ ancestors were survivors of slavery and passengers on the Underground Railroad.
Diana Braithwaite’s ancestors are one such family. Braithwaite was in the CBC Edmonton Studio for a conversation with Saturday Night Blues host Holger Petersen last November, while she and Chris Whiteley were on tour. They spoke of the connection the Canadian blues music scene has to the Underground Railroad.
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There are some great blues acts with connections to the Underground Railroad playing the festival this year, including Harrison Kennedy, Miss Angel, Donovan Locke and Curley Bridges. Along with the music, however, there will be the opportunity to take in a little history.
Dr. Timothy Epp is an associate professor of sociology at Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ont.
AUDIOEpp will be sharing stories from his research focused on connections between the colonizing Mennonite and black communities of the 19th century.
For Epp, it is a special treat to take his work out of the classroom and into the community.
AUD As he notes during a recent phone conversation, there is much of Canadian history that simply gets forgotten.
It’s always fun to sit back on a Saturday afternoon and take in a festival of awesome music. The Underground Railroad Music Festival offers just that, and a little something extra.
Related:
Braithwaite and Whiteley perform on Saturday Night Blues
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