Outcry after new plaque honouring abolitionists Mary and Henry Bibb stolen from park
Police are still investigating and hoping for information from the public
The theft of a plaque honouring abolitionists and publishers Mary and Henry Bibb at Mary E. Bibb Park has community members and police saying that what was stolen is much more than the monetary value of the memorial.
Police say the plaque honouring was reported missing March 26. The city had restored the plaque in February to coincide with the park's renaming from Mackenzie Hall Park to Mary E. Bibb Park, in Sandwich Town, during Black History Month.
Mary E. Bibb, who was born a freed slave in Rhode Island, moved to Windsor with her husband Henry in 1850. The next year in the southwestern Ontario city, they first published The Voice of the Fugitive, an anti-slavery newspaper.
Const. Darius Goze of Windsor police said the plaque was stolen off its display pedestal.
"The cost of operating and restoring the plaque was over $6,000, but obviously the value is far more worth than that," he said in an interview. "Mary and Henry Bibb are one of Canada's most influential couples of African descent, and they fought for equality and freedom in Canada."
He said police are investigating, but wouldn't say if there were any leads.
"We are looking to get more information from the public to assist us in this investigation," he said.
Police are asking anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers.
Disappointment and hurt
The symbolic value of the plaque has community members disappointed that someone would steal it.
Shantelle Browning-Morgan, secretary for the Essex County Black Historical Research Society and a high school teacher in Windsor, said she saw news of the theft just before she went to bed.
"It was difficult to sleep after that," she said. "Just the disrespect and the dishonouring of their memory. Because the plaque is there to honour their legacy and to allow us to appreciate and understand that past and learn some of their story."
Browning-Morgan hopes the plaque will soon return to its rightful place — and if it isn't, that it will be replaced.
"It's really upsetting that someone doesn't really understand the value of that, and hopefully the person who took it does understand who and what the plaque represents and is able to return it without damage," she said.
"My hope is that the plaque would be replaced. As it should be — there needs to be some type of heritage marker there to honour their story, their legacy, their memory."
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
