Niagara-on-the-Lake Local received the following letter about town council's response to a campaign to restore a Black burial grown.
I am writing to urge you in the strongest possible terms to direct the necessary funds to properly restore the Negro Burial Ground in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The way that these graves were treated in the 1980s is horrible, and your council can no longer turn a blind eye to this erasure of Black history. These graves must receive the proper respect and dignity that is due to them, especially given the historic mistreatment of Black people in Ontario that continues to this day.
I find it particularly interesting that the only two graves above ground in this cemetery belong to white men.
As a Toronto resident, I had been looking forward to spending a number of days in NOTL this summer with a friend, but now I am forced to reconsider my plans in light of council's disappointing response to James Russell's campaign to restore the burial ground, including his protest efforts in the face of a year and a half of indifference on the part of council.
I'm sure I will not be the only Toronto resident who will decline to spend their tourist dollars in NOTL if this issue is not resolved in a way that respects Ontario's Black heritage. I will be raising this issue on my social media platforms with friends who I'm certain will share my concerns.
Barb Crisp
Toronto
