Albert Jackson plaque presentation, Lombard Street, July 21, 2017. Image by Alex Willms.
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Resource ID
8000
Access
Open
Credit Line
Image by Alex Willms
Date of Creation
21 July 2017
Program Category
Rights
Alex Willms
Caption
Albert Jackson plaque presentation, Lombard Street, July 21, 2017. Image by Alex Willms.
Description
Abena Buahene, Heritage Toronto Board member (on the left) and the Jackson family at the plaque presentation, celebrating the life of Albert Jackson, the first Black letter carrier in Toronto and one of the few people of colour to be appointed as a civil servant in 19th-century Canada.
Albert Jackson's appointment as a letter carrier on May 12, 1882, caused heated public debate—fueled by racism—which played out in the local newspapers of the day. With the support of Toronto's Black community and Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald, who was courting African-Canadian voters for the upcoming election, Jackson was able to take up his duties after a month-long delay.
Pictured on the far right are musicians Shawne and Jay Jackson, legends in their own right for their musical contributions to Toronto's local scene beginning in the 1960s.