The Wellington County Collection
Maya Angelou wrote the poem -And Still I Rise, that Nelson Mandela read at his inauguration in 1994, after a twenty-seven year imprisonment.
The message in Angelou’s poem is clear. No matter what the circumstances, there should always be hope to cling to.
It was that kind of faith and a belief in that philosophy to never give up hope, that ultimately allowed the Black pioneers of Wellington county to survive.
And that they did survive is the point of this new collection.
How they took on an unknown and unforgiving harsh climate to live in, one that most had never experienced, then went on to create a new and very good life for themselves within it from nothing, was the challenge that they successfully and courageously met.

Rella Foundation collection – donated from Miller collection
Wellington County, Ontario ,
Title: “1900 Wellington County African-Canadian settler"
Rella Foundation collection – Wellington County, Ontario,
Title: Jemima Lawson - 1904 Rural One Room School House
Peel Township, Ontario