To the teacher who assigned a young Drew Robinson a history essay, and to Drew himself, the people of Chatham-Kent say thank you.
Thank you for ultimately getting Gwen Robinson involved in local history; specifically Black history.
Drew, inspired by a historic plaque in Chatham’s east side that discussed abolitionist John Brown, wanted to write about Black history. And like any good parent, Gwen, his mother, wanted to help.
Today, we all know Chatham-Kent was the terminus of the Underground Railroad. Slaves escaped the southern U.S. in the mid-1800s and landed here at the Buxton Settlement and elsewhere throughout then-Kent County.
But when Drew sought to pen his essay many years ago, much of the area’s Black history was buried, rather than shown prominently, in Canadian history books.
Well, Gwen Robinson helped change much of that. Seeing the dearth of information, she went from homemaker and hair dresser to historian.
Gwen, now 94, helped people track their ancestry. But she went so much further than that. Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society vice-president Tracey Travis said Robinson’s work filled in a “blank space” in Chatham-Kent’s history.
Following her son’s essay, Gwen delved into the history of the Underground Railroad, revealed Brown’s ties to Chatham, and exposed the rich Black history in C-K.
As she became immersed in the subject, Robinson’s research resulted in the 1994 publication of Seek the Truth: A Story of Chatham’s Black Community, and later The Greater Journey.
Chatham is twinned with Harper’s Ferry, Virg. thanks in no small part due to her historical research.
Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society and the Black Mecca Museum exist in part due to Gwen’s influences.
She’s one special woman, and is a living, breathing encyclopedia.
“Gwen’s mind is a walking library of Black history of this area and is a treasure of our community,” Travis said at a recent gathering to honour Gwen.
Chatham-Kent possesses a wealth of historical significance. Our history classes in school told most of us about the War of 1812, how the battles raged along the Thames River. And thanks to Gwen’s efforts, we know a great deal more about how Blacks fled the U.S. and settled here until such time when the Civil War wiped out slavery south of the border. Such details should never have been overlooked and we thank Gwen Robinson for helping ensure they won’t be again.
