In a Salt Spring Island library hangs a large painting of a father and daughter dressed in 19th-century clothing — a glimpse of the little known history of Black people who moved to British Columbia seeking freedom.
The painting, commissioned by Judy Sims, portrays her great-great-great grandfather Howard Estes and his daughter, Sylvia Stark, and serves as a reminder of the family’s struggle with enslavement in the U.S., their escape, and the challenges they faced after arriving in B.C.
Sims, 78, says it’s important to remember the province’s early diversity, as well as the adversity faced by formerly enslaved settlers yearning for a new home.
“It’s a rich
