Mr. Speaker, Black History Month gives me the opportunity to recognize an extremely important Canadian historical site in my riding of Lambton—Kent—Middlesex.
Uncle Tom's Cabin commemorates the lives and contributions of former slaves on the Dawn Settlement, which was established by Reverend Josiah Henson to help provide a new beginning to those fleeing slavery.
A slave himself for 41 years, Henson moved his family to Dresden, Ontario in 1841 and fulfilled his dream to own land and help fugitive slaves.
Henson's name became synonymous with the character “Uncle Tom” in Harriet Beecher Stowe's famous 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, a book that brought light to the brutality of slavery.
Black Canadians have a long and honourable legacy in my riding and throughout Canada. I am proud to recognize their struggles, achievements and esteemed place in our nation's history.