One of the key architects behind Toronto’s moves to “decolonize” and distance itself from historical figures deemed problematic by city officials is no longer working for the city.
As the general manager of economic development and culture, Cheryl Blackman oversaw the defunding of a historic reenactment at Fort York over a bogus “anti-colonial review of values.”
Blackman also spearheaded efforts at the City of Toronto to rename Yonge-Dundas Square, citing diversity, equity and inclusion principles.
True North reached out to the City of Toronto for confirmation on Blackman’s status of employment but was not provided a reason as to why Blackman no longer works for the city.
“We can confirm that Ms. Blackman is no longer employed by the City of Toronto and that all programming will continue without interruption,” said a city spokesperson.
Blackman was placed in charge of consulting on the renaming of Yonge-Dundas Square after a petition was presented to the City of Toronto, spurred by the killing of George Floyd in 2020 and subsequent protests.
The committee she led alleged that the square’s namesake, Henry Dundas, was allegedly responsible for extending the transatlantic slave trade, a claim that his descendants and historians dispute.
The city’s research was found to be faulty and dispelled by descendant Linda Dundas, who provided peer-reviewed studies showing that the claims against her ancestor were inaccurate.
“Professor Angela McCarthy, an expert in Scottish history, published two peer-reviewed articles in 2022 that detail the inaccuracies in the accusations against Henry Dundas. In her written submission to the Executive Committee, she advised it not to accept the accusation that Dundas had prolonged the slave trade,” said Dundas.
These studies were ignored by the city. Eventually, the city of Toronto settled on a controversial new name for Dundas, Sankofa Square.
As first reported by True North, the term “Sankofa” comes from an African tribe known for its active role in the slave trade.Blackman also triggered a review of Fort York’s historic re-enactment program that resulted in the defunding of Friends of Fort York’s heritage activities.
Freedom of information documents showed that the review was triggered on flimsy grounds and that city officials made no effort to substantiate why Friends of Fort York fell afoul of the city’s decolonization policies.
