Marie Carter is a lifelong resident of Dresden, Ontario, where she researches and writes about the history of her community, the former Dawn Settlement area. Her eclectic career has included graphic artist, reporter-photographer for community newspapers and church press, and rural organizer of outreach to migrant agricultural workers. Dr. Afua Cooper is an award-winning historian, author, and poet. She is professor of Black studies in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dalhousie University where she holds a Killam Research Chair. Afua has mobilized Black studies in Canada through her scholarly work, and artistic endeavours—this within the academy and beyond. She established the Black Studies program at Dalhousie, first as a minor, and later as part of the leadership team that launched the Bachelor of Arts in Black and African Diaspora Studies. This is the first such program in Canada. Dr. Cooper also founded the Black Canadian Studies Association. She was awarded the Royal Society of Canada’s J.B. Tyrrell Historical medal for her outstanding contribution to Canadian history. Afua is the Principal Investigator for A Black People’s History of Canada project.

"This diligently researched work reveal[s] why a Black agricultural settlement fashioned some 200 years ago...has been denied its rightful legacy."—The Winnipeg Free Press“Carter’s work traces the detailed contours of a complex Black abolitionist community, extending the analysis through the 20th century to make an important contribution to an understudied period in Black Canadian history.” —Nina Reid-Maroney, author of The Reverend Jennie Johnson and African Canadian History, 1868-1967“Scholars have long viewed the Dawn Settlement as a failed venture, but in Carter’s analysis it gains its rightful place alongside Buxton and St. Catherines, Canada West. Bridging 200 years of history, In the Light of Dawn combines social, community, and personal history to build a bridge between past and present.” —dann j. Broyld, author of Borderland Blacks“Carter places Dresden’s Black community in their rightful place as vibrant contributors to Canada’s rich Black history.” —Deirdre McCorkindale, University of Guelph“Carter provides comprehensive insights into the development and evolution of a historical Black community. A welcome addition to the field of African Canadian historiography.” —Natasha Henry-Dixon, York University"In the Light of Dawn is a revelation!...[an] excellent educational resource for all ages." —Jury Citation, 2026 Saskatchewan Book Awards Publishing in Education Prize

• Foreword by Dr. Afua CooperIntroductionChapter 1. Locating the Dawn Settlement in the Historical LandscapeChapter 2. Beyond the Underground Railroad: Migrations to the Dawn Settlement in the Fur Trading EraChapter 3. The Shared Dream of Education: The Founding of the British American InstituteChapter 4. The Seeds of Discord: Exploring the Political Landscape of DawnChapter 5. The British American Institute: The Early Days of Success and GrowthChapter 6. Henson’s Rising Star: Beyond the Fictional Uncle TomChapter 7. The Rev. John Scoble and the Decline of the British American InstituteChapter 8. “Who Has Not Heard of William Whipper?”: Exploring the World of the Black EliteChapter 9. “And Still They Come!”: The Black Elite Migration to DawnChapter 10. The Intellectual Migration: The Ideas and Ideals of the Black Elite Come to the Dawn SettlementChapter 11. “I Never Seen Greater Minds to Learn”: Dawn’s Missionary InfluenceChapter 12. Dennis Hill and the Fight to Desegregate Common SchoolsChapter 13. Leaving the Promised Land: The Haitian Emigration MovementChapter 14. The Storms of WarChapter 15. The Final Battle for the bai: Brown and Scoble vs. Wright and MyersChapter 16. Restructuring the bai to Serve a Changing SocietyChapter 17. A Time to Die and a Time to Mourn: The Fate of Dawn’s Early LeadersChapter 18. Migration, Resistance, and Contribution in a New CenturyChapter 19. Answering the Call: Contributions to Community and MilitaryChapter 20. The nua Story: The Continued Resistance to SegregationChapter 21. The Journey Towards a More Authentic History Afterword: The Road AheadAcknowledgementsBibliographyNotesIndex

Marie Carter is a lifelong resident of Dresden, Ontario, where she researches and writes about the history of her community, the former Dawn Settlement area. Her eclectic career has included graphic artist, reporter-photographer for community newspapers and church press, and rural organizer of outreach to migrant agricultural workers. Dr. Afua Cooper is an award-winning historian, author, and poet. She is professor of Black studies in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dalhousie University where she holds a Killam Research Chair. Afua has mobilized Black studies in Canada through her scholarly work, and artistic endeavours—this within the academy and beyond. She established the Black Studies program at Dalhousie, first as a minor, and later as part of the leadership team that launched the Bachelor of Arts in Black and African Diaspora Studies. This is the first such program in Canada. Dr. Cooper also founded the Black Canadian Studies Association. She was awarded the Royal Society of Canada’s J.B. Tyrrell Historical medal for her outstanding contribution to Canadian history. Afua is the Principal Investigator for A Black People’s History of Canada project.

"This diligently researched work reveal[s] why a Black agricultural settlement fashioned some 200 years ago...has been denied its rightful legacy."—The Winnipeg Free Press“Carter’s work traces the detailed contours of a complex Black abolitionist community, extending the analysis through the 20th century to make an important contribution to an understudied period in Black Canadian history.” —Nina Reid-Maroney, author of The Reverend Jennie Johnson and African Canadian History, 1868-1967“Scholars have long viewed the Dawn Settlement as a failed venture, but in Carter’s analysis it gains its rightful place alongside Buxton and St. Catherines, Canada West. Bridging 200 years of history, In the Light of Dawn combines social, community, and personal history to build a bridge between past and present.” —dann j. Broyld, author of Borderland Blacks“Carter places Dresden’s Black community in their rightful place as vibrant contributors to Canada’s rich Black history.” —Deirdre McCorkindale, University of Guelph“Carter provides comprehensive insights into the development and evolution of a historical Black community. A welcome addition to the field of African Canadian historiography.” —Natasha Henry-Dixon, York University"In the Light of Dawn is a revelation!...[an] excellent educational resource for all ages." —Jury Citation, 2026 Saskatchewan Book Awards Publishing in Education Prize

• Foreword by Dr. Afua CooperIntroductionChapter 1. Locating the Dawn Settlement in the Historical LandscapeChapter 2. Beyond the Underground Railroad: Migrations to the Dawn Settlement in the Fur Trading EraChapter 3. The Shared Dream of Education: The Founding of the British American InstituteChapter 4. The Seeds of Discord: Exploring the Political Landscape of DawnChapter 5. The British American Institute: The Early Days of Success and GrowthChapter 6. Henson’s Rising Star: Beyond the Fictional Uncle TomChapter 7. The Rev. John Scoble and the Decline of the British American InstituteChapter 8. “Who Has Not Heard of William Whipper?”: Exploring the World of the Black EliteChapter 9. “And Still They Come!”: The Black Elite Migration to DawnChapter 10. The Intellectual Migration: The Ideas and Ideals of the Black Elite Come to the Dawn SettlementChapter 11. “I Never Seen Greater Minds to Learn”: Dawn’s Missionary InfluenceChapter 12. Dennis Hill and the Fight to Desegregate Common SchoolsChapter 13. Leaving the Promised Land: The Haitian Emigration MovementChapter 14. The Storms of WarChapter 15. The Final Battle for the bai: Brown and Scoble vs. Wright and MyersChapter 16. Restructuring the bai to Serve a Changing SocietyChapter 17. A Time to Die and a Time to Mourn: The Fate of Dawn’s Early LeadersChapter 18. Migration, Resistance, and Contribution in a New CenturyChapter 19. Answering the Call: Contributions to Community and MilitaryChapter 20. The nua Story: The Continued Resistance to SegregationChapter 21. The Journey Towards a More Authentic History Afterword: The Road AheadAcknowledgementsBibliographyNotesIndex

Marie Carter is a lifelong resident of Dresden, Ontario, where she researches and writes about the history of her community, the former Dawn Settlement area. Her eclectic career has included graphic artist, reporter-photographer for community newspapers and church press, and rural organizer of outreach to migrant agricultural workers. Dr. Afua Cooper is an award-winning historian, author, and poet. She is professor of Black studies in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Dalhousie University where she holds a Killam Research Chair. Afua has mobilized Black studies in Canada through her scholarly work, and artistic endeavours—this within the academy and beyond. She established the Black Studies program at Dalhousie, first as a minor, and later as part of the leadership team that launched the Bachelor of Arts in Black and African Diaspora Studies. This is the first such program in Canada. Dr. Cooper also founded the Black Canadian Studies Association. She was awarded the Royal Society of Canada’s J.B. Tyrrell Historical medal for her outstanding contribution to Canadian history. Afua is the Principal Investigator for A Black People’s History of Canada project.

"This diligently researched work reveal[s] why a Black agricultural settlement fashioned some 200 years ago...has been denied its rightful legacy."—The Winnipeg Free Press“Carter’s work traces the detailed contours of a complex Black abolitionist community, extending the analysis through the 20th century to make an important contribution to an understudied period in Black Canadian history.” —Nina Reid-Maroney, author of The Reverend Jennie Johnson and African Canadian History, 1868-1967“Scholars have long viewed the Dawn Settlement as a failed venture, but in Carter’s analysis it gains its rightful place alongside Buxton and St. Catherines, Canada West. Bridging 200 years of history, In the Light of Dawn combines social, community, and personal history to build a bridge between past and present.” —dann j. Broyld, author of Borderland Blacks“Carter places Dresden’s Black community in their rightful place as vibrant contributors to Canada’s rich Black history.” —Deirdre McCorkindale, University of Guelph“Carter provides comprehensive insights into the development and evolution of a historical Black community. A welcome addition to the field of African Canadian historiography.” —Natasha Henry-Dixon, York University"In the Light of Dawn is a revelation!...[an] excellent educational resource for all ages." —Jury Citation, 2026 Saskatchewan Book Awards Publishing in Education Prize

• Foreword by Dr. Afua CooperIntroductionChapter 1. Locating the Dawn Settlement in the Historical LandscapeChapter 2. Beyond the Underground Railroad: Migrations to the Dawn Settlement in the Fur Trading EraChapter 3. The Shared Dream of Education: The Founding of the British American InstituteChapter 4. The Seeds of Discord: Exploring the Political Landscape of DawnChapter 5. The British American Institute: The Early Days of Success and GrowthChapter 6. Henson’s Rising Star: Beyond the Fictional Uncle TomChapter 7. The Rev. John Scoble and the Decline of the British American InstituteChapter 8. “Who Has Not Heard of William Whipper?”: Exploring the World of the Black EliteChapter 9. “And Still They Come!”: The Black Elite Migration to DawnChapter 10. The Intellectual Migration: The Ideas and Ideals of the Black Elite Come to the Dawn SettlementChapter 11. “I Never Seen Greater Minds to Learn”: Dawn’s Missionary InfluenceChapter 12. Dennis Hill and the Fight to Desegregate Common SchoolsChapter 13. Leaving the Promised Land: The Haitian Emigration MovementChapter 14. The Storms of WarChapter 15. The Final Battle for the bai: Brown and Scoble vs. Wright and MyersChapter 16. Restructuring the bai to Serve a Changing SocietyChapter 17. A Time to Die and a Time to Mourn: The Fate of Dawn’s Early LeadersChapter 18. Migration, Resistance, and Contribution in a New CenturyChapter 19. Answering the Call: Contributions to Community and MilitaryChapter 20. The nua Story: The Continued Resistance to SegregationChapter 21. The Journey Towards a More Authentic History Afterword: The Road AheadAcknowledgementsBibliographyNotesIndex