Jennifer Vardy Little -
Rear Admiral Paul Maddison was reading a newspaper last summer when he came across an article that piqued his interest. A career navy man, he was keenly interested to see an article about a facet of Canada's military history he had never before heard about: the Black Battalion.
It was also an embarrassment for Maddison, but one he was determined to correct immediately.
The article told the tale of the annual Black Battalion memorial service, held in Pictou each July as part of the Lobster Carnival.
"I am not proud to admit that until recently, I knew nothing about the Black Battalion, other than their name," Maddison said. "I told my aides the following day that the next year, we would be there."
Maddison followed through on his promise, bringing with him three warships - the HMCS Glace Bay, Goose Bay and Moncton - and hundreds of military officers and his army counterpart, Brig.-Gen. Dave Neasmith, from across Nova Scotia to fill the deCoste Centre for this year's ceremony.
Maddison, who has Nova Scotia roots, said he didn't realize the racism that black Nova Scotians faced until he was older. Sitting around the supper table, he remembers his parents saying it was mostly an American problem, rooted in the history of slavery in that country, and that black Canadians were the descendants of freed slaves, so the problem was isolated to the south of the border.
"I took a long time to realize that wasn't true," Maddison told the people who filled the deCoste Centre Saturday morning to mark the efforts of the members of Canada's only Black Battalion.
The battalion was a perfect example of that racism, but also of the perseverance of a community that was determined to do their duty.
"Wouldn't it be wonderful if the ship's captains had depended on the men of Africville to fill their ships as they did on the steeple of the Africville church to guide them safely through the Bedford Basin," Maddison said.
Keeping the memory of the men he called trailblazers alive was one of the reasons Maddison wanted to participated in the 16th memorial ceremony, but he also wanted to deliver a message of hope.
"Just as it's important for us not to forget, it's also important to look forward optimistically," he said.
"We are working to build bridges within the African Nova Scotian community. We have the opportunity, the commitment and the trust to ensure that there is no impediment to African Nova Scotians who wish to better understand the military."
