I had the opportunity to hear parts of a play about Samuel Stout this week in honour of Black History month. This man was the first black settler in the Port Perry area in the late 1800’s. When I first heard about the presentation, I had a wonderful imagining that this was a tremendous story of inclusion in the 19th century so close to my hometown, and for the most part it was. Samuel was the church organist, band leader and local barber for many years. He married a Scottish bride and had five children. However, in other ways it was not, he was relegated to only serving white customers in his barber shop, faced many instances of prejudice and did not own property. Most shocking of all is that history all but forgot him until Theatre on the Ridge did a review of stories about people buried in one cemetery and starts to look at his story from his unmarked grave. The play will be performed in its final state in 2025. It made me think of all the work we do toward inclusion, roles, diversity, and equity. How we must force ourselves to look carefully at the gains and the setbacks and keep trying to do better. Is a person part of a community or are they simply attending. Am I missed when I am not in attendance or am I just a name on the roster. I love the theatre, the way it can take a tough history, a great story and weave it into something that leaves us to think a little harder about our role, mindset, and assumptions. We all have assumptions and bias, that can’t be eradicated, but if we keep on acknowledging and listening, we will soon have our minds open to a reflection of whether all customers are allowed in our barber chairs.
UltimateInclusion.com 