Hugh Burnett (July 14, 1918 – September 29, 1991) was an

African-Canadian Black Canadians () are Canadians of full or partial Afro-Caribbean or sub-Saharan African descent. Black Canadian settlement and immigration patterns can be categorized into two distinct groups. The majority of Black Canadians are descendants ...

carpenter and

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

leader. A descendant of

slaves Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

, Hugh Burnett was a carpenter in the rural Canadian town of

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. He was active in the National Unity Association, an anti-discrimination group which he co-founded; formed in 1948. At the time, Black people in Dresden and other Ontario towns were regularly refused service in restaurants, barber shops and stores.

History

Burnett was born on July 14, 1918, on a farm outside of

Dresden, Ontario Dresden is an agricultural community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Chatham-Kent in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Located on the Sydenham River, it is named after Dresden, Germany. The main field crops in the area are dent corn, g ...

, to Robert and Myrtle Burnett. As a black man, Burnett was subjected to racism. He was discriminated against for the first time when he was sixteen. After a white motorist ran out of gas, Burnett helped the man. The motorist insisted on going to lunch with him in Dresden. Despite being accompanied by the white motorist, Burnett was refused service. He was angered by being refused service and dedicated himself to fighting racism within Dresden. Another discriminatory incident happened in 1943, when he was 25 years old. After fighting in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he was discharged from the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

for medical reasons. At the time, Burnett lived in

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places *Detroit–Windsor, Michigan-Ontario, USA-Canada, North America; a cross-border metropolitan region Australia New South Wales *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area Queen ...

and worked for the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...

. He visited Dresden to see family. While in Dresden, he went to a restaurant in his army uniform and was refused service. Following the incident, he wrote to the federal

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

Louis St. Laurent Louis Stephen St. Laurent (; February 1, 1882 – July 25, 1973) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 12th prime minister of Canada from 1948 to 1957. Born and raised in southeastern Quebec, St. Laurent was a leading la ...

, to say that there was no law against racial discrimination in Canada. In his fight against discrimination, Burnett, a plain-spoken, determined activist, engaged the support of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

-based groups such as the Joint Labour Committee on Human Rights, whose members included Donna Hill (wife of activist Daniel Hill and mother of author

Lawrence Hill Lawrence Hill (born January 24, 1957) is a Canadian novelist, essayist, and memoirist. He is known for his 2007 novel '' The Book of Negroes'', inspired by the Black Loyalists given freedom and resettled in Nova Scotia by the British after the A ...

and singer

Dan Hill Daniel Grafton Hill IV (born 3 June 1954) is a Canadian pop singer and songwriter. He had two major international hits with his songs " Sometimes When We Touch" and " Can't We Try", a duet with Vonda Shepard, as well as a number of other chart ...

) and prominent labour activist

Bromley Armstrong Bromley Lloyd Armstrong, (February 9, 1926 – August 17, 2018) was a Canadian civil rights leader. He was active in the nascent civil rights era in Canada, beginning with his arrival in 1947. Armstrong was a committed union activist who worked ...

. Delegations to Ontario Premier

Leslie Frost Leslie Miscampbell Frost (September 20, 1895 – May 4, 1973) was a politician in Ontario, Canada, who served as the province's 16th premier from May 4, 1949, to November 8, 1961. Due to his lengthy tenure, he gained the nickname "Old Man O ...

in the early 1950s resulted in the passage of two acts to outlaw discrimination in the province: the ''

Fair Employment Practices Act A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

'' (outlawing workplace discrimination) and the ''

Fair Accommodation Practices Act A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Fairs showcase a wide range of go ...

'' (making discrimination illegal in restaurants, stores, and other public-access areas). Despite these laws, people in the town continued to practice discrimination. The life of Burnett's school-age daughter, Patricia, was threatened. Under Burnett's direction, in 1954, the NUA staged sit-ins of two restaurants that flouted the law, forcing a court challenge that resulted in victory for the NUA and bringing a legal end to overt discrimination in the province. Despite the victory, Burnett was forced to leave town after citizens boycotted his carpentry business. He moved to

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

, continuing his carpentry business under a low profile. Burnett died on September 29, 1991, at age 73.

Legacy

On July 31, 2010, the Ontario Heritage Trust unveiled a plaque commemorating the contributions of Hugh Burnett and the National Unity Association to the civil rights movement in Canada. It stands on the main street of Dresden, at the corner of St. George and St. John Streets, near the restaurant that refused Burnett service. The Dresden plaque reads: Burnett's story is told in the book "Season of Rage: Hugh Burnett and the Struggle for Civil Rights".

References

Notes

External links

* National Film Board http://www.nfb.ca/film/dresden_story/ * National Film Board http://www.nfb.ca/film/journey_to_justice/ * Sootoday http://www.sootoday.com/content/news/full_story.asp?StoryNumber=47724 * Chatham Daily News http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2694488 * Heritage Trust https://web.archive.org/web/20131004232211/http://www.heritagetrust.on.ca/CorporateSite/media/oht/PDFs/Hugh-Burnett-NUA-ENG.pdf * The Toronto Star https://www.thestar.com/news/2008/07/06/amid_sweeping_change_a_pivotal_anniversary_goes_unremarked.html# {{DEFAULTSORT:Burnett, Hugh 1918 births 1991 deaths Anti-black racism in Canada Canadian Army personnel of World War II Canadian civil rights activists Canadian people of African-American descent People from Chatham-Kent Black Canadian activists

History

Legacy

References

Notes

Further reading

External links