North Star: A Portal for Black History in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent

Nominated for the Stephen A. Otto Award for Research and Documentation

North Star: A Portal for Black History in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent is an invaluable resource that illuminates the rich, often overlooked history of Black individuals and communities in the region. This initiative blends academic rigor with community-driven engagement to ensure that Black heritage is recognized, preserved, and actively shared.

Willow Key researched, compiled, and wrote the content for the portal while pursuing her MA in History at the University of Windsor in 2024 for this innovative digital storytelling platform. By integrating scholarly documentation with immersive and interactive narratives, Key brings historical truths to life for educators, researchers, and the broader public. This dynamic approach allows audiences to connect with history in a meaningful way, bridging past and present while celebrating the resilience and contributions of Black communities. The Leddy Library provides invaluable support in curating primary source materials, oral histories, and historical accounts. Through meticulous archival work, researchers and scholars are empowered to uncover narratives that have long been overshadowed, fostering a deeper understanding of Black heritage in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent.

Together, North Star, Leddy Library, the Black Historical Research Society, and Willow Key demonstrate how historical documentation can be both scholarly and socially impactful.

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