Center honors Mary Ann Shadd Cary’s contributions to journalism

A new center at Ottawa’s Carleton University aims to foster the journalistic legacy of Mary Ann Shadd Cary for generations to come, it says.

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The Mary Ann Shadd Cary Center for Journalism and Belonging, officially launched last month, advocates, supports and participates in inclusive and belonging-focused journalism in Canada, its mandate says.

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Associate Prof. Nana aba Duncan, who is also the Carty chair of journalism, diversity and inclusion studies, founded the center with the Shadd family’s permission to emphasize her contributions to the profession.

“While she was influential in her time, her name is not attached to journalism sufficiently, in my opinion,” Duncan said Wednesday. “The center is named after her to change that.”

Born in Wilmington, Del., in 1823, Shadd established herself as a teacher, writer and activist before being invited to teach in Windsor in 1851. She opened a racially integrated school that supported families fleeing slavery in the US

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She also launched The Provincial Freeman in 1853 in Windsor, becoming the first Black woman in North America to publish and edit a newspaper.

Known as an anti-slavery newspaper that advocated for the equality and advancement of Black people, it moved to Toronto, then Chatham, before closing in 1860.

Shadd later earned a law degree from Howard University in Washington, DC, and joined the National Woman Suffrage Association.

In honor of Shadd’s life work, Canada Post unveiled a stamp featuring her at a January ceremony in Chatham, attended by many of her descendants.

“I can’t tell you the moment that I actually learned about her, but I know that I thought, ‘Why am I only learning about this now?’ ” Duncan said, adding that was simply a reflection on the education system.

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“She was so focused on her goal that she kind of didn’t care what the naysayers thought, or said, or did. She would go up against anyone.”

Shadd’s accomplishments as a Black woman in that day and age are even more awe-inspiring, Duncan said.

“She did what she needed to do, what she wanted to do, because she cared about it,” she said. “I want everyone to have that feeling and to have that bravery.”

The center, at Carleton’s journalism and communications school, conducts research and creates community-focused journalism and networking opportunities for equity-deserving groups.

While partnering with industry organizations, leaders and youth, it will focus on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability and socio-economic status to work toward a more inclusive journalism industry.

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Bringing more diverse voices into media leadership positions is particularly important, Duncan said.

“My goal is that we get more Black people, more people from marginalized communities, underrepresented. . . (and) unrepresented communities. . .into those positions,” she added.

“One of the reasons why we have our fellowship is because we know we are losing folks, even those who are voluntarily leaving the industry because of racism or other reasons.”

The center invites Black journalists in Canada to apply to join a delegation to the National Association of Black Journalists Convention and Career Fair in Chicago from July 31 to Aug. 4. Participants will take part in professional development and networking. Travel, accommodation and registrations will be covered.

“In the spirit of Mary Ann Shadd Cary’s journey as a writer, publisher and speaker, delegates will be invited to cross the Canadian border, as she did, to build relationships with peers in the United States,” the center said on its website.

For more information, visit shaddcarycentre.com.

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