We Were Here:

About Willow Key

I am a second-year graduate student in the Department of History at the University of Windsor. My research explores the effects of postwar urban renewal on Windsor’s historic Black neighbourhood known as the McDougall Street Corridor. In the fall of 2023, I will be starting a PhD in History.

I currently serve as lead researcher for the “We Were Here: Recovering the Stories of the McDougall Street Corridor Project” as part of the University of Windsor’s Anti-Black Racism Student Leadership Experience Grant and in partnership with the Essex County Black Historical Research Society. I also serve as lead researcher for the “McDougall Street Corridor Walking Tour,” a joint project between the University of Windsor, Centre for Cities, and Parallel 42. This project is funded by the Canadian Urban Institute and the Federal Economic Development Agency of Southern Ontario.

I am currently a member of the Essex County Black Historical Research Society, the Hour-A-Day Study Club, and the Association of Black Women Historians.  

I would like to thank the University of Windsor’s Anti-Black Racism Student Leadership Engagement Grant, sponsored the University of Windsor’s Office of the President and the Office of the Vice-President Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

I would like to extend gratitude to Nancy Allen for her work throughout this project, specifically her knowledge of the community and her assistance with organising interviews.

Also, many thanks to Kaitlyn Ellsworth for providing contacts and resources; Dr. Lorene Bridgen-Lennie and Mary-Katherine Whelan from the Amherstburg Freedom Museum for their support with images and sources; The  Hour-a-Day Study Club and the Essex County Black Historical Research Society for their support; Michelle Turnbull and the Windsor Jewish Federation & Community Centre for their assistance with finding sources and contacts; Sue Fader and Michael Fish for their assistance in the Leddy Library Archives and City of Windsor Archives, respectively.