Dear editor:

Given the considerable investment Niagara-on-the-Lake made to create its Voices of Freedom Park, I find the Town of NOTL’s apparent reluctance to fully restore and commemorate the Niagara Baptist Church Burial Ground (formerly known as the Negro Burial Ground) somewhat surprising.

The burial ground dates from the 1830s. It is directly related to a significant and important period in the history of our town and region, when Niagara was a key stop on the Underground Railroad, which carried enslaved Black people to freedom in Canada.

If it was worth creating the Voices of Freedom Park to commemorate this time in the town’s history (one we should all be proud of as Canadians), surely it is also worth protecting and restoring the Niagara Baptist Church Burial Ground.

Clearly, the town needs to respect the laws and regulations that govern the restoration and preservation of graveyards, and I commend NOTL for following due process in this regard.

It’s important to ensure the work is carried out properly, in a way that respects the people whose remains are buried in the graveyard as well as their ancestors.

However, the town should not use this requirement as an impediment to undertaking the restoration project.

Instead, I believe NOTL should embrace the opportunity to commemorate and celebrate the historical role our town and region played in being a place where Black people could live in freedom.

Together, a restored burial ground, the Voices of Freedom Park and the William and Susannah Steward house on Butler Street, would tell a remarkable and valuable story, one we can still draw insight from today.

They offer the potential to enhance public understanding of our town’s rich history, boost tourism, and, I hope, help Niagara-on-the-Lake to be an even more inclusive, welcoming community.

In retrospect, it probably would have made sense to combine the Voices of Freedom Park project with the restoration of the burial ground.

Think of how much stronger a statement the displays in the park could have made if they had been appropriately placed among the restored headstones in the burial ground. But that’s past history.

The way forward is challenging, given the costs purportedly involved to uncover and restore the headstones in the burial ground.

I’ve already voiced my concerns about what seems to be a significant increase in municipal taxes for 2023, given the high rate of inflation and economic uncertainty that persists in Canada and around the world.

From this perspective, the phased approach the town is taking toward the restoration of the burial ground makes sense. But I believe the project is one that the municipality should ultimately get behind and support.

Terry Davis
NOTL