The Dundas Historical Society reports that the first non-Native settler in the Burlington-Hamilton area (including the historical boundaries of East and West Flamborough) was a woman by the name of Sophia Pooley. Sophia was a black slave who was brought here from the United States in 1778 by Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant, and remained the only non-Native for around six years.

Around 1807, Sophia was sold to Captain William Hatt for $100, before finally being able to live her life as a free person after the War of 1812.

Sophia Pooley’s story reminds us of how far we (the collective, human “we”) have come in 200 years.

Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe enacted legislation that began the end of slavery in Upper Canada by 1793, while the British Empire abolished the practice in 1834. Sadly, the United States chose a different path that would ultimately lead to Civil War and generations of pain.

Tuesday night, I watched a turning point in our shared history as Barack Obama declared victory in the 2008 American Presidential election. President-elect Obama has become a symbol of hope and change for the United States. This is truly an exciting time, not only for our southern neighbours, but also for the larger world.

What would Sophia Pooley think if we told her that, in two centuries, an African-American would be elected to the most powerful office in the world? Today we have an event to stand at and measure how far human society has come -and it is an event we can be proud of.

Nathan Tidridge, History Department, Waterdown District High School