Journey Back to Jackson Park

10/05/2025

Dear Friends,

The Jackson Park Project is looking to drum up support in partnership with local activists and artists to save a piece of invaluable history in the City of Windsor.

The Jackson Park Bandshell Committee, an ad hoc Windsor-based group of over concerned citizens is working to save the Jackson Park Bandshell. This local jewel of Canadian history is intimately linked to the Windsor-Essex Black Community, and it holds incredible historical significance as the site for the international Emancipation Day celebrations in the 1930s to 1960s. These celebrations hosted the likes of Martin Luther King, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mary McLeod Bethune, well known Motown artists, and other cultural icons of the day. The Bandshell is historically significant as a heritage venue for Windsor’s performing arts community, most notably including the annual “Battle of the Bands”, and so much more!

The Bandshell has been decommissioned for approximately 30 years but The Jackson Park Bandshell Committee, with the support of local artists, is determined to restore the bandshell as a heritage site and performance venue for local and incoming artists.

The issue of conducting a feasibility for the Bandshell's restoration will be debated by Windsor City Council on Monday, May 12th. The Jackson Park Bandshell Committee has been advised that a strong delegation of community support would greatly enhance their ability to move a feasibility study forward.

If you are able, we are asking for you to add your support by attending the Council meeting, in-person or virtually, on Monday at 10am. Every little bit helps!

Local community members and representatives of the Jackson Park Project will be speaking at the meeting- Please join us in our efforts to help save this piece of Canadian history!

You can show your support by:

1) Being a presence - joining us online at the City Hall meeting Monday morning using the link below:
https://csg001-harmony.sliq.net/00310/Harmony/en/View/UpcomingEvents

2) Share an article or radio link on socials (Facebook)

ARTICLE

WHAT WE LOSE, WHAT WE CAN GAIN FOR TRYING
Martin Luther King, space activation, green space, Stevie Wonder, seeing potential

MELANIE JANISSE BARLOW

https://melaniejanissebarlow.substack.com/p/what-we-lose?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true

RADIO

Leslie McCurdy, Charlotte LeFrank, Teajai Travis talk Jackson Park Bandshell on AM 800 Dan MacDonald

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/962-the-dan-macdonald-show-sou-76578042/episode/save-the-jackson-park-bandshell-a-274477940/

22/04/2025

Congratulations to our incredible Chair and President, Irene Moore Davis, on receiving the King Charles III Coronation Medal!

We are so proud to see Irene recognized for her outstanding contributions to the community. A huge thank you to the Honourable Sharon Burey, Senator for Ontario, for nominating her for this well-deserved honor.

Irene, your leadership and dedication continue to inspire us all. We’re grateful for everything you do for the Jackson Park Project and beyond!

17/04/2025

Windsor’s Emancipation Day celebration, dubbed the World’s Greatest Freedom Show, from the 1930s to the 1960s was a spectacular days-long event that once attracted over 300,000 visitors annually. In 1967, celebrations were abruptly cancelled due to fears of civil unrest spreading from Detroit.

In this virtual exhibition, ‘World’s Greatest Freedom Show’, explore the roots of Emancipation Day and its message of in*******al unity. Learn more about the social, political, and cultural events that led to its cancellation in 1967, and the successes of the Jackson Park Project to remember and revitalize this important part of Canadian history.

Explore the online exhibition at this link:
https://jppexhibitions.omeka.net/exhibits/show/capstone-exhibition-2024-2025

This digital exhibition was developed as a Capstone Project by students in the Master of Museum Studies program at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information.

Images courtesy of the E. Andrea Moore Heritage Collection and the Jackson Park Project.

16/04/2025

“There are stories tied to why we are here. This was a very special piece of our story…..which is a great gathering of all of us here under this common umbrella of wanting to share stories, wanting to understand histories…and we need to learn to celebrate our story. “
- Kim Simmons and Uju Umenyi

Thank you to all who joined us at the Jackson Park Project Community Gathering & Digital Exhibition. We are grateful for your presence, stories, and contributions to such a meaningful day.

At the close of the event, we offered a yellow rose — a symbol of friendship, connection, and a quiet reminder that you are seen and honored. In a city known as the City of Roses, each of you is a vibrant bloom in this garden of stories, memory, and community care.

Thank you for an amazing event.
The journey continues…

Couldn’t make it? Stay tuned for more events just like this!

https://jacksonparkproject.ca

Tropicana Community Services Essex County Black Historical Research Society University of Windsor York University Black Opportunity Fund University of Toronto Buxton National Historic Site & Museum Museum Windsor Black Women Film - Canada Amherstburg Freedom Museum Ontario Black History Society

10/04/2025

Thank You for Your Support!

The Jackson Park Project is grateful to the Government of Canada’s Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative and Tropicana Community Services for awarding us funds toward capacity building. Your support is vital in helping us preserve and share Black Canadian history, ensuring greater accessibility and representation.

Thank you for believing in our mission!

Tropicana Community Services Employment and Social Development Canada

09/04/2025

🚨 SOLD OUT! 🚨

Our "Knowing Ourselves, Knowing Our Stories" event is officially at capacity! 🎉 Thank you for the overwhelming support—we can't wait to gather and celebrate history, storytelling, and community.

Missed out this time? Keep an eye out for more events coming soon or dive into our archives and research anytime at jacksonparkproject.ca! 📖✨

Special thanks to BOF & BCFC Grant and the B3 Capacity Building Program for their support.

27/03/2025

We’re excited to invite you to the Jackson Park Project Community Gathering & Digital Exhibition on April 12, 2025 in Windsor! This special event is a chance to celebrate community stories, connect with local leaders, and experience a powerful digital exhibition highlighting our shared history.

Event Details:

Location: Art Windsor Essex - 401 Riverside Dr W, Windsor, ON
Doors Open: 10:00 AM | Event Begins: 10:30 AM
Light breakfast & lunch included

What to Expect:

Debut of the Digital Exhibition – Explore historical archives & community storytelling
Panel & Roundtable Discussions – Featuring Community Elders & local leaders
Educator-Focused Sessions – Bringing history into the classroom
Live Artistic Performances – Music, spoken word & more
A Welcoming Space to Connect & Celebrate

This event is free, but space is limited—register today to secure your spot!

REGISTER TODAY: https://rb.gy/s431s4

If you have any questions feel free to reach out. We hope to see you there!

Thank you to BOF & BCFC Grant and the B3 Capacity Building Program for supporting this event. The Digital Exhibition is a Museum Studies Capstone Project, undertaken through a partnership between the Master of Museum Studies program and the Jackson Park Project, and supported by the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto.

26/02/2025

Join our journey and help shape the future of our organization! The Jackson Park Project is recruiting passionate, dedicated volunteers to serve on our Board of Directors for a 2-year term.

The Jackson Park Project is a not for profit corporation created to explore, memorialize, and celebrate the history of the Emancipation Day celebrations that took place in Windsor, Ontario. Our mission is to develop a historical drama for television and documentary, supported by the creation of educational resources for the classroom and a digital archive that acts as a repository of this valuable historical information for the public. We further aim to encourage ongoing conversations about these celebrations, and their place within the larger landscape of Canadian history.

We are particularly interested in candidates who enhance the Board’s existing strengths with experience in one or more of the following areas:

Legal
Fund Development
Financial (Accounting)

Visit this link full description of this position. Positions remain open until filled, though interviews are expected to begin the week of March 3rd, 2025.
https://workinculture.ca/jobs-and-more/the-jackson-park-project-ontario-full-time-board-of-directors/

Edited to add: Visit https://jacksonparkproject.ca/ to learn more about us.

The Jackson Park Project would like to thank Tropicana Community Services’ SBCCI program for making this expansion possible.


Employment and Social Development Canada

03/12/2024

It’s !

In 2012, Giving Tuesday began as a simple idea: a day that encouraged people to do good. Over 10 years later, it has grown into a global day of generosity that transforms communities across the world. And this year, it’s Jackson Park’s turn to join the movement!

The Jackson Park Project is excited to announce that today marks our first year participating in Giving Tuesday. 2024 marks 7 years of the Jackson Park Project, which has grown from a grassroots-initiative to a non-profit working to change hearts and minds by sharing the story of Emancipation Day in Windsor— and by considering its impact in shaping Canadian history, as well as our own identities.

We hope you will continue to follow us on this journey into 2025 and beyond. Continue to support us by following our progress on our website, YouTube, and social media pages, or by making a donation to support our ongoing archival, educational, and film-related projects. Every donation, big or small, makes a huge difference.

Please visit our website or follow the link https://jacksonparkproject.ca/donations to see donation instructions. Join us in making this Giving Tuesday one to remember!

08/09/2024

Sunday September 8th is the last day to have your say through this survey launched by the city of Windsor. Let's keep this history alive!
https://letstalk.citywindsor.ca/jackson-park-bandshell?tool=survey_tool

05/02/2024

We're excited to share that Tonya, our Director of Archival Development, will be speaking tomorrow at 11 AM in the kickoff panel discussion for the Black Histories Wikipedia & Wikidata Edit-a-thon, alongside Natasha Henry-Dixon, PhD and Melissa J. Nelson. The panel is virtual, and you can register for the free here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kick-off-panel-discussion-black-histories-wikipedia-wikidata-edit-a-thon-tickets-794748493137?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Edit-a-thon, organized by the libraries of Toronto Metropolitan University, the University of Toronto, York University, and Toronto Public Library, has events taking place through the rest of February. You can read more about them here: https://bhetoronto.my.canva.site/

Hope to see you there!

A free event series open to everyone— online and in person. Organized by libraries at Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto Public Library, University of Toronto and York University.