Slavery — the ownership of a person by another — may seem a universe away, but for Yvette Virgin it hits close to home.
As the building caretaker at Five Counties Children’s Centre in Cobourg, the bright and cheerful surroundings are familiar ground for Yvette.
But so too are the dark, shameful moments that her great-great grandfather endured 160-plus years ago — and the echoes of racism that still persist to this day.
“It wasn’t that long ago that he escaped slavery and got his freedom in Canada,” notes Yvette of her great-great grandfather, Thomas John Howard-Holland. “All my life, you were told the stories. You were never too young to know, and you had to know to keep the story alive.”
The story of Thomas John is one of resilience and rebirth. In 1860, he escaped a Maryland plantation where he was a slave, making the perilous journey to freedom in Canada with the support of the Underground Railroad.
Thomas John — whose brother had also escaped to freedom the year before — changed his name to Holland to evade capture. He put down roots in Canada, starting a family of high achievers who have carried on his indomitable spirit as advocates, educators, and activists for social justice.
Yvette is grateful for having a good grasp of her great-great grandfather’s story: she was blessed to know his daughter (her great-grandmother) for the first 12 years of her life.
In that regard, she can appreciate an oft-quoted statement: ‘Slavery is white history. How we survived it is Black history.’
Speaking about her family’s history — her story — is important to Yvette, not only during Black History Month, but any day of the year. She notes that slavery wasn’t just an American institution; it also existed in Canada for hundreds of years up to 1834.
“At times, Canadian history isn’t the nicest and we do really have some shameful parts of our history with our Indigenous people and treatment of Blacks,” Yvette notes. “We must ensure kids are taught all of our history, whether good, bad, indifferent or ugly.”
Growing up as a child of a Black mother and white father, Yvette was often tormented, called nasty names, and constantly watched or scrutinized.
“Being the only kid of colour, or the only Black kid, or the only mixed kid, because I am from more than one culture, it’s a little different,” Yvette notes. “The racism, it can cut a little differently.”
If there was inspiration to help Yvette overcome these obstacles and find her stride in life, it came from the words of her mother Nerene Virgin, a well-known journalist, actress, educator, author, and TV host. Nerene passed away in January 2024, but the lessons she taught Yvette live on.
“My mom always said, ‘Bring your best self forward. Just be honest, open, listen to people. Everybody has a story, and don’t be afraid to tell your story’,” Yvette recalls, noting she takes these words to heart every day.
Nerene accomplished much in her life, even being named in 2016 as one of Canada’s 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women in history. Yvette considers her mom’s volunteer work on the Sick Kids telethon one of her most rewarding experiences, even though Nerene may be best known for her role as Jodie on the 1980s children’s TV show Today’s Special.
“Oh yeah, the Today’s Special stuff,” Yvette says with a smile. “My mom did those mall concerts and there were screaming kids and stuff, but I didn’t find her famous for that. She never showed her notoriety. She was either Mom or Nerene. She was just a friend.”
Nerene was also quotable, once noting: “It’s through education that we open minds. We open hearts. We open people’s eyes.”
It’s these sayings that still resonate with Yvette, especially in an age of growing rage, anger, and attacks.
“I’m almost 60 years of age, and I’ve seen this my entire life,” Yvette says. “I think for my ancestors, and for my mother, they would’ve thought this would be over by now.”
What remedy is there to fix the division?
“My mother would probably just say, ‘Just keep moving forward’. Dialogue. Talking. And engaging with people that feel opposite of you, because at the end of the day, they want to be heard.”
VIDEO: Yvette’s Story: Everyone Matters, Everyone Counts
“Hear them, but then counter back to them with real facts and real examples,” Yvette adds.
Somewhere, Nerene would be smiling at her daughter’s own summation.
“I think that’s what you need to do, because as we know, lessons in life are always hard to learn, especially when tied to the darkness of history,” Yvette says.
