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Things weren’t always easy for Canada’s first Black mail carrier. But 140 years to the day Albert Jackson got the job, his legacy was honored with a facility named in his memory.
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A state-of-the-art mail sorting facility in Scarborough will be known as the Albert Jackson Processing Center when it opens next year, Canada Post announced on Thursday, marking Jackson’s place in Canadian history in a ceremony with his descendants.
“There were parts of the ceremony where we almost cried,” said Christine Jackson of Windsor, Albert Jackson’s great-granddaughter. “It was so heartwarming because we know the struggle my great-grandfather had.”
It was a very prominent job, especially for a Black man
Members of the Jackson family, including Christine, her daughter Dolores and her granddaughter Talise, were in Toronto Thursday for the naming ceremony of the new facility. Lawrence Jackson, Christine’s father and Albert’s grandson, also attended the ceremony.
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When completed and open in 2023, the facility named in Jackson’s honor will be Canada’s largest parcel sorting facility and employ about 1,000 people.
“It’s actually amazing,” Dolores said, noting the family was warmly welcomed by Canada Post at the ceremony, which included remarks by CEO Doug Ettinger. “I’m very excited because this is something big for our family. We’re overjoyed with it.”
“Canada Post did a really amazing job, they outdid themselves.”
Albert Jackson was born in 1856 and came to Canada with his family in 1858. He broke barriers to become Canda’s first Black letter carrier on May 12, 1882 — but it wasn’t smooth sailing.
His first day on the job, Jackson’s white coworkers refused to train him, and he was reassigned to work as a hall porter. But Toronto’s Black community rallied behind him, and the headlines eventually reached the desk of then-Prime Minister John Macdonald, who saw Jackson reinstated to his job.
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Jackson worked as a letter carrier for 36 years and took immense pride in his job, Christine Jackson said.
“It was a very prominent job, especially for a Black man,” she said. “I have loved it.”
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Christine Jackson said while she believes racism and intolerance will always exist, recognizing the contributions of Black Canadians throughout history with honors like this will help.
“That little bit of beam of hope that we see in the beauty of the people … maybe it rubs off to other people, and they can see the good in it, since everybody’s created equal.”
Albert Jackson was commemorated with a stamp in 2019 and a plaque unveiled at the site of the former Toronto General Post office in 2017.
