Chloe Cooley celebrated at Voices of Freedom Park

At the Voices of Freedom Park Sunday, an event was held to remember Chloe Cooley and the 230th anniversary of the passing of the Act to Limit Slavery.

The legislation limited the opportunity for others to bring enslaved people into Upper Canada. It reached royal assent on July 9, 1793, and was signed by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe after it was reported to him that a woman, Chloe Cooley, had been forcibly taken across the
Niagara River into the United States slavery system.

Rochelle Bush, trustee and historian of the Salem  BME Church, said “we have to commemorate Chloe Cooley first and foremost, because it was her that started that spark in March 1793.”

Sponsored by the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum, the hour-long event featured speakers representing three levels of government, including Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa, and musical performances by Jeremiah Sparks and Alana Bridgewater, from the Shaw Festival Ensemble.  An original song written for the event by Barbara Worthy and Aaron Berger was performed by Berger along with Stamford Collegiate student Tamiya Cox.

Wayne Moore, commissioned by the museum, unveiled a piece of art commemorating Chloe Cooley and Black history in Niagara-on-the-Lake. In it, an image of Chloe Cooley is held by a Black hand and is surrounded by aged newspaper articles.

“I decided to put two distinctive flowers in her hand,” said Moore. “The African daisy and primrose symbolize wisdom, strength and the loss of someone who’s important in time. They also represent a determined attitude, positivity and courage.”