A new chapter

This was my first architectural encounter after moving to Canada and started my new job in this area.

On a beautiful random afternoon, I decided to wander around the area and crossed path with this local school.

Beneath it, this was an archeological site, once home to the Blackburn family. Lucie & Thornton Blackburn were slaves in 1800’s America.

To seek freedom, one day they took a steamboat, travelled up the Ohio River to the North. Two years (yes, two years) later, they arrived in Canada and became a “free” person.

Once arriving here, this unassuming place, played a vital role in the “Underground Railroad”, a vast network of brave people, helping many more slaves escaped oppression in America to be a “free person” in Canada, to start their new life.

To this day, the former home of the Blackburn’s, remained the only archaeological evidence on the “Underground Railroad” in Toronto. In a way, this is a gem of a relic for Toronto’s African community.

Many people from my hometown, and indeed many other places like Ukraine, Burma, Afghanistan, Syria
and places of extreme oppression where massive tragedies are happening every day, are giving up
everything to make it to Canada, to seek exactly what the Blackburn’s were looking for.

Once upon a time, I used to subconsciously disagree on the idea of people moving into my prosperous hometown. Today, in a way, I have become a “refugee” too. I really appreciate friends, neighbors, co-workers welcoming me with open hands.

Wish everyone coming to Canada, no matter the difficulty and obstacles, a safe journey.

54 Eastern Avenue, Toronto