Black History Presentation

Black History Presentation: Finding Bet in Belleville

The City of Belleville’s Glanmore National Historic Site, part of the Community Services Department, and the Belleville Public Library are planning to bring prominent historian Dr. Natasha Henry-Dixon to Belleville for a public presentation focused on an important part of Black History in the Quinte Region.    

Dr. Henry-Dixon will present “Finding Bet in Belleville: The Archives of Slavery in Upper Canada” at the Belleville Public Library on Thursday, June 26, 2025, from 2:00PM to 3:00PM.She will discuss her current research on the history of chattel slavery in colonial Ontario, highlighting her journey in reconstructing the life of Bet, a Black woman enslaved in Belleville, written in a biographical profile, “Where, Oh Where, Is Bet? Locating Enslaved Black Women on the Ontario Landscape.”

Dr. Natasha Henry-Dixon is an assistant professor of African Canadian History at York University. Her recent projects include a biographical series with the Dictionary of Canadian Biography on the lives of a select number of Black people enslaved in colonial Ontario and the self-guided walking tour, Tracing Mary Ann Shadd Cary’s Footsteps in Mid‑19th Century Black Toronto. Her multifaceted work reflects her unwavering commitment to researching, preserving, and sharing the histories of Black Canadians.

 “Finding Bet in Belleville: The Archives of Slavery in Upper Canada,” is presented in partnership by Glanmore National Historic Site and the Belleville Public Library, and will take place at the Belleville Public Library, 254 Pinnacle Street, Belleville on Thursday, June 26 at 2:00PM. To register for this free event, call (613) 968-6731 ext. 2037 or email infoserv@bellevillelibrary.ca.