A headstone has been unveiled to honour the previously unmarked gravesite of Abraham Walker.
Walker, who was born in Saint John in 1851, is known for being the first Canadian-born Black lawyer.
A group of local lawyers, including Neil Clements, worked with PRUDE Inc. and the New Brunswick Black History Society to raise money for the headstone.
PRUDE Inc. organized an event to unveil the headstone at the Church of England cemetery on Thorne Avenue on Thursday morning, where Walker is buried next to his wife, Eliza.
Ralph Thomas with the New Brunswick Black History Society, and the former president of PRUDE, said Walker cast a long legacy. He compared the trailblazing lawyer to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at Thursday’s unveiling.
“A.B. Walker forecast all these things that were going to go wrong, and he was always upset about the fact that the white folks and the Black folks would not stand up,” Thomas said.
Thomas worked and researched Walker with Peter Little, who went on to write a book on Walker’s life.
At the unveiling, Little called Walker “a brilliant man” whose legacy “was swept into this previously unmarked grave.”
Little said Walker was a master of short-hand notetaking, eventually opening up a shop to teach shorthand as he worked as a court reporter.
Despite being known as the first Canadian-born Black lawyer, discrimination prevented Walker from actually practicing law.
“A.B. Walker fought for rights and he fought hard and he paid the penalty for it,” Thomas said. “They wouldn’t allow him to be in courtrooms, and they wouldn’t work with him.”
As a result, Walker moved on to become an early advocate for civil rights.
Thomas says the headstone is one of the greatest accomplishments he’s seen in recognizing the city’s Black community.
“It does my heart so good,” he said. “I’m so excited about the fact we now have a beautiful stone over there that represents what we fought for.”
