Toronto unveils two new street signs honouring Black and Indigenous history

To kick off Black History Month, the City of Toronto unveiled two laneway signs that honour Black and Indigenous history.

In Corktown on Thursday, two laneways signs between Bright Street and St. Paul Street were unveiled to much fanfare amongst community members. Both signs have cultural significance.

“One of them is Henry ‘Box’ Brown. He actually came from Philadelphia during slavery times in a box and that’s why his nickname is box. He travelled in a box for three days I believe,” explained Toronto City Councillor Chris Moise.

It was in 1849 when Henry Box Brown made the courageous escape from slavery in Virginia by nailing himself in a shipping crate headed to Philadelphia.

“He made his way to Canada [and] eventually in Toronto and he actually lived down the street on bright street. We wanted to honour him because he told his story and inspired people not just here in Toronto but around the globe.”

Following emancipation in the city, Brown was said to have dedicated his life to educating the masses about the injustices of slavery.

Moise is hoping these signs will bring more awareness to his story.

“We have many laneways here and street names and people live here and there is history here. Rich history. Even for me, I need to educate myself on what is and what not,” explained Moise.

“I had to learn about Henry Box Brown myself about what he means to Toronto and what he means to me as a Black man in this city. It’s important to tell these stories and to use these street signs to tell these stories going forward.”

​East York Historical Society President Pancheta Barnett said it’s important that we name these laneways.

“Henry Box Brown will teach us a lot in our daily lives. We hope the children will learn from this. We can in our struggles rise up above hardship and all the things that go along with hardships,” said Barnett.

“People will remember this as they walk the streets. It will be in the directory in the city and people can find where it is.”

The second sign called North Star Way represents the journey shared by more than 100,000 people that escaped slavery using the underground railroad. It was said that slaves used the North Star to guide there way out of bondage.