As Black History Month gets underway, Canada Post has unveiled a new stamp honouring Chloe Cooley, a young Black woman who was known to challenge her enslavement in the late 18th century.
Cooley lived in Queenston, Upper Canada, a region where enslavement was on the rise at the time but attitudes toward the practice were beginning to shift and the abolitionist movement was also growing.
Rumours about a potential ban against slavery began to heat up. Enslavers, afraid they might end up losing what at the time was considered their property, started selling slaves. Among those enslavers was Adam Vrooman, who enslaved Chloe Cooley, according to Canada Post.
In March 14, 1793, Cooley was abducted by Vrooman, who violently bound her, dragged her to the shores of Niagara River. Cooley fought back. Her screams for help and protests for freedom were so loud that they apparently drew the attention of those nearby.
In the end, however, Cooley was taken across the river to New York State and sold.
We don’t know what happened to Cooley afterward, but witnesses shared what they saw with Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe, an avowed abolitionist. He was apparently able to use their testimony to introduce new legislation. On July 9, 1793, what became known as the Act to Limit Slavery in Upper Canada was passed.
Years later, in 1833, enslavement was officially abolished throughout the British Empire.
Canada Post says Cooley’s act of resistance in 1973 had a “profound” impact on the history of enslavement in Canada.
Although there are no known photographs of Cooley in existence, Canada Post says the stamp’s illustration was created through extensive consultation with experts in local and regional history, Black history and period fashion.
Reporting for this story was paid for through The Afghan Journalists in Residence Project funded by Meta.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — New Zealand won the Women’s T20 World Cup for the first time, beating South Africa by 32 runs on Sunday after a standout performance from Amelia Kerr with bat and ball.
South Africa’s chase was held to 126-9 in 20 overs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in reply to New Zealand’s 158-5 in the final of the 18-day tournament.
South Africa was also seeking to become a first-time champion.
After South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and opted to bowl, Kerr top scored for New Zealand with a 38-ball 43. Brooke Halliday hit 38 runs in 28 deliveries and opener Suzie Bates scored 32 in 31. Nonkululeko Mlaba took 2-31 in four overs for South Africa.
South Africa made a strong start to its chase, reaching 51-1 in 6.5 overs but never really threatened afterward, reaching the halfway stage of its innings at 64-3.
Wolvaardt top scored for South Africa with a 27-ball 33.
Kerr took 3-24 in her four overs, including Wolvaardt’s wicket.
This was South Africa’s second straight final appearance in the tournament. Losing to Australia by 19 runs, it had finished runners-up in its home tournament in 2023, its best result in the tournament.
New Zealand, meanwhile, reached the tournament final for the first time since 2010. In the first two editions – 2009 and 2010 – it had lost to England by six wickets in London, and to Australia by three runs in Barbados.
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday canceled his trip to Russia for a BRICS summit after an accident at home that left him with a cut in the neck, his office said.
The 78-year-old leader was scheduled to attend a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies in the city of Kazan from Tuesday to Thursday this week.
Hospital Sirio Libanês in Sao Paulo said in a statement that the leftist leader was instructed not to take long distance trips, but can keep his other activities. Doctors Roberto Kalil and Ana Heleno Germoglio said they will regularly check on Lula’s recovery.
Brazil’s presidency said in a separate statement that Lula will take part in the summit by videoconference and will continue his work in capital Brasilia this week. It did not disclose details about what caused the president’s injury.
