NEWS RELEASE
SIMCOE COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
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As part of Black History Month 2018, the Simcoe County Historical Association and the Barrie Historical Association will be hosting a presentation by Dr. Karolyn Smardz Frost of Acadia University. In 2007 Dr. Smardz Frost was awarded the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction for I’ve Got a Home in Glory Land, a recounting of the dramatic escape of Thornton and Lucie Blackburn from slavery and their subsequent success as prominent residents of Toronto.
In her latest work of narrative non-fiction, Steal Away Home, Smardz Frost tells the compelling story of Cecelia Reynolds, who escaped slavery in Kentucky at 15 years of age. Upon arriving in Toronto’s vibrant African-American expatriate community, Reynolds initiated a correspondence with her former owner that was to continue for more than 20 years. Later, Reynolds braved the United States’ Fugitive Slave Law to return to Kentucky, finding her former home much changed by war. There Reynolds was reunited with the family she had been forced to leave behind, as well as with her former mistress. Utilizing impeccable research and vivid descriptions of the landscapes and cities that provide a backdrop to the story, Steal Away Home takes readers on a journey through Civil War-era America, the shameful history of American slavery, and the very real story of one woman’s struggle for freedom- and her return home despite the risks involved.
Dr. Smardz Frost will present the story of Cecilia Reynolds in the Rotunda of Barrie City Hall on Feb. 22 at 7:30 p.m. The event is open to the public.
The Simcoe County Historical Association is a voluntary non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, preservation, and appreciation of the history and heritage of Simcoe County.
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