“Ribs & Ragtime” includes street designation

Amherstburg Freedom Museum board chair Monty Logan (left), Mayor Michael Prue and the town’s manager of roads and fleet Eric Chamberlain unveil new signage for “Mac Simpson Way.”

The popular Amherstburg Freedom Museum fundraiser “Ribs & Ragtime” returned on the weekend, this one having a special meaning.

This year’s event was presented during the 50th anniversary for the museum, and was Saturday night outdoors in front of the buildings. As part of the evening’s festivities, the formal dedication and sign unveiling for a portion of King St. was held. The block between Gore St. and Simcoe St. will have the additional honorary designation of “Mac Simpson Way.”

Monty Logan, the museum’s board chair, said he was excited to see the crowd that gathered for the fundraiser.

Logan said he not only thanked the people who attended last Saturday night, but also those who came to the museum for tours and other public events.

“Every year, you guys show up,” Logan told the crowd.

Many faces come year-after-year to museum events such as “Ribs & Ragtime,” but Logan acknowledged newcomers to the event and encouraged them to come back.

“This is family,” he said. “This is home.”

The Amherstburg Freedom Museum has to fundraise regularly and count on donations, Logan stated, as they receive less than ten per cent of their revenue from government sources.

“We have to work for everything we get,” he said.

According to the museum’s statistics, Logan said approximately 55 per cent of their visitors come from more than 100 kilometres away.

The museum has spent the last five decades remembering the journeys of freedom seekers along the Underground Railroad who came to Canada and their lives after they arrived here.

“Our ancestors fought hard to get here. The work they put in to get here and find freedom is not an insignificant issue,” he said. “We share the stories of our ancestors and, when they got here, the contributions they made. We survive, we thrive, we contribute to society.”

The idea for the museum dates back to 1960, when Melvin “Mac” Simpson wanted to tell the story of Black people in a dignified way. Simpson founded the museum with wife Betty. After finding temporary locations, the museum was incorporated in 1975 as the North American Black Historical Museum.

Logan said he met Mac Simpson as a youth and it made an immediate difference to him.

“I saw some really cool stuff when I came to the museum,” he said. “It wasn’t in my history books. As a young man, it made an impression. This museum has a special place in my heart. I hope Mac and Betty look down on us and that they’re proud.”

Mayor Michael Prue and manager of roads and fleet Eric Chamberlain helped Logan unveil the new signs, with Prue crediting Chamberlain for his work in having the signs created. Prue also pointed out the new mural being created in “Art Alley” in downtown Amherstburg recognizes local Black history and features Mac and Betty Simpson, former mayor Wayne Hurst and museum volunteer and Black history champion Donald Harris.

Noting Amherstburg proudly remembers its history, Prue said “as years go by none of them will be forgotten.”

Prue added Simpson’s ancestry dates back the U.S. Civil War before the family came to Amherstburg. He added the issue of the heritage conservation district will come back before town council June 24, and he pointed out many of the homes the district seeks to protect were built by freedom seekers who needed a place to live.

“This is part of the history of Canada,” he said. “We want to remember them always.”

Also honoured that night was Shelton Brooks, a famous actor and composer who was born in Amherstburg in 1886, with museum assistant curator Irene Moore-Davis pointing out he was pastor of the Nazrey AME Church. 

The church is now a national historic site and part of the museum grounds.

Shelton Brooks (1886-1975) was born in Amherstburg May 4, 1886 where his father was pastor of the church.Brooks, who passed away in 1975 in California, was a performer and composer in the ragtime style. 

In a post to the museum’s social media, it states his best known song is “Some of These Days,” a worldwide sensation.“Other popular songs by Brooks included ‘Darktown Strutters’ Ball,’ ‘Walking the Dog,’ ‘Swing That Thing,’ ‘There’ll Come a Time,’ and ‘Hole in the Wall.’”  

“He left behind a remarkable legacy as an entertainer and artist who shaped early jazz and popular music. Brooks was honoured at the 25th anniversary of ASCAP in 1940 and was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005. “Darktown Strutters’ Ball,” one of the earliest commercially successful jazz recordings, was recognized by ASCAP as one of the most important songs of the first half of the twentieth century, and in 2006 was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.”

“Ribs & Ragtime” includes street designation

By Ron Giofu