Joseph Drummond
Born	Joseph Stewart Drummond (1926-04-07)April 7, 1926 Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Died	January 13, 1975(1975-01-13) (aged 48) Saint John, New Brunswick
Occupation	Activist
Movement	Civil rights

Joseph Drummond (April 7, 1926 – January 13, 1975) was a Canadian activist based in Saint John, New Brunswick. He became involved with the NAACP and the civil rights movement in the United States and later in his home province of New Brunswick.

Drummond was a key figure of the NBAACP, New Brunswick's branch of the NAACP. In 1964, he staged a sit-in at a Saint John barbershop to protest against barbers refusing to serve Black people. He also served as a member of the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission and as vice-chairman of the National Black Coalition in Canada. Drummond was also a parliamentary candidate for the New Democratic Party during the 1972 federal election.

Life and career

Joseph Drummond was born on April 7, 1926 in Saint John, New Brunswick to parents John Drummond and Agnes Stewart. ^[1] While serving in the Royal Canadian Navy, he became interested in civil rights and became involved with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) while in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1941. ^[2] In 1949, he helped lead a Canadian Seamen's Union strike. ^[3] In 1957, he started participating in activism, shortly after which he was made to leave the Navy. In 1961, Drummond became a field worker in the NAACP's New York City headquarters and became a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference two years later. ^[2]

Drummond also became involved with the NAACP as well as civil rights activism in his hometown of Saint John. ^[2] On May 12, 1964, ^{[4] [5]} while serving as the vice-president of the New Brunswick Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NBAACP), ^{[6] [7]} he organized a sit-in with two other NBAACP members at a barbershop in Saint John's Haymarket Square to protest against the owner's refusal to serve Black men. ^{[5] [8]} The owner, Tom Arbing, proclaimed that he had "never cut a colored person's hair in 55 years." ^{[4] [9]} Drummond stated that the New Brunswick Fair Accommodations Act was only being followed by a few of the city's barbers. ^[7] In addition, he spoke about Black people facing difficulties when it comes to accessing suitable housing and employment. ^[10]

Drummond served as the vice-chairman of the National Black Coalition in Canada and was a member of the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission, ^[2] which he resigned from in 1971, citing his "frustration of trying to do a job and unable to get it done." ^{[11] [12]} Drummond was also involved in politics, running as the New Democratic Party candidate for the Saint John—Lancaster riding during the 1972 federal election, ^{[2] [13]} where he lost to Progressive Conservative candidate Thomas Miller Bell. ^[14]

Death and legacy

On January 13, 1975, Drummond died in hospital at the age of 48. Several years prior to his death, in 1966, he had undergone open heart surgery in Montreal. ^[12] In 2021, a mural containing two portraits of Drummond and Lena O'Ree, another civil rights activist in the city, were displayed in Saint John's north end neighbourhood. ^[15]

See also

• Black Canadians in New Brunswick
• Fred Hodges, another activist from Saint John. First visible minority elected in the Saint John City Council
• Ralph Thomas, activist and former boxer from Saint John. Co-founder of the New Brunswick Black History Society

References