CA-K164History

Mary Ann Shadd and the Provincial Freeman

A bust of Mary Ann Shadd Cary by Artis Lane in BME Freedom Park, Chatham, Ontario, photographed in 2025. Bust of Mary Ann Shadd Cary by Artis Lane, BME Freedom Park, Chatham, Ontario, 2025-07-06 02 · Chris Woodrich · Photo source · Photo licence: CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for display; item previews may be cropped. The image remains under the licence shown.

Factual accuracy review: No recorded challenge

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Mary Ann Shadd (1823–1893) became a prominent activist in the Underground Railroad refugee communities of Upper Canada in the 1850s. In 1853 she established the Provincial Freeman, an influential newspaper that argued for the rights of Black people and women and became the leading voice of refugees in Canada.

Scope & context

Her work in Canada in the 1850s, not her later career in the United States.

Sources behind this record

Mary Ann Shadd (1823-1893) National Historic Person ↗

Parks Canada

Historical importance; plaque text