Legacy of pioneering Black advocate, publisher honored with sculpture

The University of Windsor unveiled a statue of abolitionist and newspaper publisher Mary Ann Shadd on Thursday, May 12, 2022. Local artist Donna Mayne created the bronze sculpture which sits at the corner of Chatham and Ferry, site of the former Windsor Star building and current home to the university’s Windsor Hall. Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star

Almost 200 years after her birth, a trailblazing Black publisher, teacher, lawyer and abolitionist who made a home in Windsor is being recognized with a downtown monument to her legacy.

A sculpture depicting Mary Ann Shadd, created by Windsor artist Donna Mayne, now stands on the corner of the University of Windsor campus at Ferry and Chatham Streets with a plaque outlining Shadd’s many contributions to education, abolitionism and journalism.

“Having her story known by more people, hopefully they’ll appreciate what she worked so hard for,” Mayne said.

Shadd was born in Delaware in 1823 and arrived in Canada in 1851. She was a prominent teacher and activist on the Underground Railroad and founded an integrated school in Windsor. On March 24, 1853 she published the first edition of The Provincial Freeman, which advocated for abolitionism and equality. She was the first woman in Canada, and the first Black woman in North America, to establish a newspaper.

Shadd was also the first Black woman in the United States to attend law school and became a leader in the women’s suffrage movement, said Irene Moore Davis, a descendent of the Shadd family and president of the Essex County Black Historical Research Society.

I think she’s a role model for us, for other women, for everyone

“After leaving Windsor she kept rising, continuing to publish, continuing to lead serving as a teacher and principal, becoming a civil war recruiter, graduating from the law school at Howard (University),” Moore Davis said.

“Then having the audacity to sue them for holding back her degree on the basis of gender discrimination. That’s my favorite part of her story about her, truth be told.

The University of Windsor unveiled a statue of abolitionist and newspaper publisher Mary Ann Shadd on Thursday, May 12, 2022. Local artist Donna Mayne created the bronze sculpture which sits at the corner of Chatham and Ferry, site of the former Windsor Star building and current home to the university's Windsor Hall. Relatives of Mary Ann Shadd pose next to the statue. — The University of Windsor unveiled a statue of abolitionist and newspaper publisher Mary Ann Shadd on Thursday, May 12, 2022. Local artist Donna Mayne created the bronze sculpture which sits at the corner of Chatham and Ferry, site of the former Windsor Star building and current home to the university’s Windsor Hall. Relatives of Mary Ann Shadd pose next to the statue. Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star

Members of the Shadd family and descendants came to Windsor from across Ontario and the United States to see the unveiling of the statue Thursday.

“It’s great for the family, and it’s wonderful for the kids coming up behind us,” said Vernon Shadd, a family member who came from Southfield, Mich., to see the sculpture. “They need to know this history.

“I think she’s a role model for us, for other women, for everyone. We’re very appreciative and proud to see this.”

The site where the sculpture stands is also a former home of the Windsor Star, noted university president Robert Gordon.

“The University of Windsor is so proud to honor Mary Ann Shadd’s legacy for generations to come, as we work towards establishing a truly more safe, just, equitable community and campus,” Gordon said.

The University of Windsor unveiled a statue of abolitionist and newspaper publisher Mary Ann Shadd on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The bronze sculpture sits at the corner of Chatham and Ferry, site of the former Windsor Star building and current home to the university's Windsor Hall . University president Robert Gordon, university director of anti-racism organizational change Marium Tolson-Murtty, center, and local artist Donna Mayne who created the statue unveil the sculpture. — The University of Windsor unveiled a statue of abolitionist and newspaper publisher Mary Ann Shadd on Thursday, May 12, 2022. The bronze sculpture sits at the corner of Chatham and Ferry, site of the former Windsor Star building and current home to the university’s Windsor Hall . University president Robert Gordon, university director of anti-racism organizational change Marium Tolson-Murtty, center, and local artist Donna Mayne who created the statue unveil the sculpture. Photo by Dan Janisse /Windsor Star

The process to build the statue began in 2017, though Mayne said she was inspired by Shadd’s legacy years earlier. After some early grants and a clay mock-up, Mayne said she approached the University of Windsor with the idea. It was completed in 2019, although COVID-19 revealed the unveiling.

“When I learned her story, I thought who can’t help but be more inspired by her. And I always felt she deserved more recognition,” Mayne said.

Mayne said she depicted Shadd with her skirts blowing back, representing the discrimination she faced but that never held her back, and with a copy of the Provincial Freeman.

Shadd’s descendants and family said they hope the sculpture, located prominently downtown, will help more people learn about Shadd’s enduring legacy.

“She’ll continue to be an inspiration for the ones coming in back of us,” said Karen Shadd. “The kids will be inspired and hopefully … we’ll see monuments of them some day.”

[email protected]

twitter.com/KathleenSaylors