While the expulsion narrative is well known in Nova Scotia, the Acadian involvement in slavery is not, and Gaudet hopes this personal discovery sheds light on Canadians' collective understanding of slavery. "In my research on Acadian history, I've never really at all encountered reference to the potential of Acadian slave owners," Gaudet said. In it, Doucet bequeaths a Black slave named Jerome to his wife, along with the rest of his property. Slavery is not a Black history, she said, but one that everyone, regardless of race, must carry and learn from. But she said that every white group that arrived in Nova Scotia before slavery was abolished practised slavery.

Source: CBC News August 08, 2020 09:00 UTC