Yielding to the clarion call of the people is one of the greatest sacrifices to make the world a better place. In this short interview with Dr. Mary McCarthy Brandt who is a 6th generation woman of African descent, Fredericton (NB), a based writer, educator, and historian dedicated to preserving the histories of Black New Brunswickers. She gave us an insight towards the Emancipation Day declaration in New Brunswick.
Over the past decade, she has emerged as a prominent public commentator and has promoted greater awareness of the historical and current contributions of Black New Brunswickers.
Dr. Mary McCarthy Brandt is a PhD graduate of the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, her scholarly research focused on segregated and forgotten graveyards in New Brunswick.
In 2015, McCarthy Brandt won a human rights case against Shoppers Drug Mart for an incident of racial profiling. Her writing was featured in the collection Black Writers Matter, an anthology of African Canadian writing on contemporary issues.
She was also featured in Chatelaine Magazine as one of “33 Black Canadians Making Change Now” for her work identifying systemic and anti-black racism.
In April 2021 Dr. Mary McCarthy Brandt started a non-profit entitled “REACH in New Brunswick”.
REACH means, Remembering Each African Cemetery’s History in NB. The non-profit has two mandates: (i) To eradicate the erasure of NB Black History and (ii) To find, locate, document and repair African burials in New Brunswick.
In May 2022 Dr. Mary McCarthy Brandt was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters for her social justice work from St Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Dr McCarthy Brandt’s mission is to raise the profile of her beautiful Black Community, highlight our success and to re-insert healthy narratives about her community of African descent.
It’s time to enjoy the excerpt from the short and precise interview:
What can you say about Emancipation Day declaration in N.B?
It was a great day and I was so happy to see the motion passed via zoom-on line, but members from the local community were able to attend in person at the Legislature in Fredericton, NB.
On July 25th, 2022 the City of Fredericton also proclaimed August 1st, as Emancipation Day in our Capital City; again this was as a result of our email campaign to the Mayor of the City.
Emancipation Day was as a result of the proclamation of the abolition of Slavery on August 1st, 1834 by the British Commonwealth. And Canada just declared Emancipation Day in March 2021.
Tell us about the important role you played towards the Emancipation Day declaration?
Yes, I worked behind the scenes with a small group of people from the Black community, emailing the politicians, so that Emancipation Day was declared for August 1, 2022.
This motion was passed in the provincial legislature on June 8th. I was behind the scenes sending emails to all the politicians relentlessly.
Can you tell us what liberation means to you as a person?
Emancipation means a lot to me. We all deserve freedom. I am a 6th generation African Canadian and my 5th great grandmother came to Atlantic Canada (NS) in 1783, leaving a plantation in Virginia, USA. She later came to New Brunswick (NB) when the province was formed in 1784.
What is it about your grandmother that keeps you going?
My heart is so proud of that woman, my ancestor, my grandmother who made her way to Canada to seek freedom.
What’s your daily activity like?
I celebrate our Ancestors every day!
Can you tell us your next project and advice for the next generation?
My next project is to achieve annual funding for our Emancipation Celebrations and have federal, provincial and municipal politicians provide recognition, and annual funding, as this year was hard, with chasing funds from the Province. Another project is publishing my Dissertation and also writing a book about my life.
My advice for the next generation is that they should continually see the importance of freedom and they should not stop seeking for freedom in any part of the world.
What are your hobbies?
My hobbies are quilting and reading all kinds of good books and so on.
What’s your last take on the success of the Emancipation in New Brunswick (NB)?
We all can stand up and do the needful to help and support our communities in different ways possible. I have attached a sample of the letter which I had sent to Minister Dunn, I had sent multiple letters to multiple ministers to ask for support in moving this motion forward in the Legislative House.
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