windsor's mary e. bibb park gets gateway arch honouring 'powerful black woman'
a new gateway arch to the mary e. bibb park, adjacent t...
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friends of the court - mackenzie hall and dignitaries pose next to the new gateway arch at the mary e. bibb park in windsor on sunday, may 25, 2025.
julie kotsis
/
windsor star
a new gateway arch to the mary e. bibb park, adjacent to mackenzie hall, was unveiled sunday afternoon before dignitaries, members of the friends of the court and curious onlookers.
“every person here today is going to be remembered for this moment as we stand here together,” said teajai travis, who was instrumental in pushing for the arch to be erected as a gateway to the park.
mary e. bibb was an educator, journalist, artist, abolitionist, seamstress, “a powerful black woman” who made sandwich the home to the first black newspaper in canada, the voice of the fugitive, travis said.
“it has taken us a very long time to honour mary bibb for the outstanding contribution she made to anti-slavery, black liberation movements, through her community activism, education, the press, her entrepreneurship,” travis said. “but i, like many others, came to mary bibb late.”
mayor drew dilkens speaks at the unveiling of the gateway arch at west windsor’s mary e. bibb park on sunday, may 25, 2025.
julie kotsis
/
windsor star
in 2020, after a request was made by the friends of the court-mackenzie hall, spearheaded by travis, the city renamed the park next to mackenzie hall as the mary e. bibb park.
“she deserves many more accolades than she has received,” said irene moore davis. “teajai is right that so often these incredible women who were part of these historic movements are sort of hidden in the shadows of the men whose names were given more attention in that time.
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“we have the opportunity to reclaim those stories and make sure that we are, in fact, honouring them as they should be.”
several years ago, travis started promoting some of his outdoor performances as being located in mary bibb park before he even knew there was a federal canadian heritage plaque, located in the parkette, outlining the community contributions of mary and henry bibb.
in 2016, travis started researching mary bibb‘s significant imprint on sandwich town during a journey to discover his own ancestral history.
mary bibb is recognized as canada’s first black female journalist for the work she did alongside her husband on the voice of the fugitive, the first antislavery newspaper published in canada by people of african descent.
she was born mary elizabeth miles in rhode island around 1820, the daughter of free black quaker parents. she moved with henry to canada after the united states passed the fugitive slave act of 1850, making it easier for slavecatchers to capture fugitive and free blacks.
henry bibb is recognized as the newspaper’s editor and publisher, but it was mary who filled those roles when he was away and who often wrote uncredited articles.
educated as a teacher, mary founded and taught at a school for black children in 1850, a time when they were not allowed to attend public school alongside white children.
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mary also opened a dressmaking business in windsor and established literary societies. along with henry, she offered settlement services to incoming freedom seekers.
henry’s legacy is celebrated in part by his inclusion as one of 16 black historical figures featured on a mural in paterson park.
the friends of the court commissioned the design, fabrication and installation of the gateway arch, with financial support from the gordie howe international bridge’s community organization investment fund.
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