IMAGE CREDIT: Portrait of Mary Ann Shadd by Adeyemi Adegbesan outside of Mackenzie House at 82 Bond Street in Toronto, Canada. Curated by Umbereen for Toronto History Museums.
In her role as Carty Chair of Journalism, Diversity and Inclusion Studies, Nana aba is leading the development of the Mary Ann Shadd Cary Centre for Journalism and Belonging at Carleton University's School of Journalism and Communications.
Founded on principles exemplified by Mary Ann Shadd Cary, the first Black woman publisher in North America and the first woman publisher in Canada, the centre’s focus will be on journalism practice and the intersections of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability and socioeconomic status.
In 1853, Shadd Cary founded The Provincial Freeman, a weekly newspaper for members of the Black settlement in which she lived in Ontario, advocating for equality and education for Black people and supporting the rights of women. She established a racially integrated school for Black refugees in Windsor, Ontario, and later moved to the U.S., where she was the first Black woman law student. While she was an influential figure in her time, her contributions are not well known in Canadian journalism circles or journalism education.
In her spirit, the Mary Ann Shadd Cary Centre for Journalism and Belonging will focus on race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status and the intersections therein to foster a more inclusive and just journalism industry and news media environment in Canada.
To support the founding of the centre, donate through Carleton University’s FutureFunder program.