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Black men in Canada faced racial discrimination and overworking on the job as sleeping car porters. Black men, like my father, would work on the job tirelessly polishing shoes, brushing coats, stowing baggage, babysitting children, etc.

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The No.2 Construction Battalion always performed a large number of tasks to help give support to needed labor. My uncle during this time would help improve logging roads and build logging railways.

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Many Black men rushed to enlist for service in WWI. My older brother had enlisted in service, however, was rejected like many other black men. White men told recruiting officers that they refused to work with Black men. This was due to racism.

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The No. 2 Construction Battalion was the largest Black unit in Canada. My family, amongst many other Black Canadians, showed our passion and dedication through the representation of Black communities towards our country.

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All sleeping car porters were called by the same first name "George." This was because George Pullman, who invented the sleeper cars, had a slavery attitude and called slaves after their masters. My father in this case was named George Abara.

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The sleeping car porters were tired of their harsh and unfair treatment. Therefore, they came together and unionized to fight to improve their conditions and wages. April 1917, they launched their own union.

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Dear Mom and Dad,
I hope you're doing well! I have so many intriguing stories to tell you about the work life as a sleeping car porter! You will never believe what our family had to go through during this time period; it's incredible! Men working as sleeping car porters had to do much hardworking labor in order to earn a living, however, it was never enough. Some jobs that they were responsible for included: greeting passengers, stowing baggage, shining shoes, brushing off coats and hats, looking after sick children and adults, and more. As well as that, inventions and new technology that have affected our family was the invention of the Pullman Sleeper Car. The Pullman Sleeper Car was invented by George M. Pullman and was designed to be a more comfortable and lavished passenger car, in comparison to a regular passenger car. This invention has affected our family as Black men were the preferred race for hiring because of their domestic service. However, our jobs take a turn due to the fact that George Pullman had a slave attitude towards the Black men that worked for his porter company. Because of the men's racial discrimination and major exploitation on the job, Black men improved their situation and they turned to create a union together called the Order of Sleeping Car Porters. Black men ultimately fought for their working rights, better wages, and better labor conditions. I wish you both well Mom and Dad and I hope to return to you at my best convenience! I love you so much!

Yours lovingly,
Jayda Abara

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Dear Mom and Dad,
How are you both doing? I hope you're doing well and staying safe! I have so much exciting news to tell you about the No. 2 Construction Battalion and let me tell you...it's quite amazing. Did you know I found out that soldiers endured harsh treatment and have been working incredibly hard for labor? Our Black community had to face various challenges and hardships while enlisting in World War I. For example, many Black soldiers underwent racism and got rejected due to their race and color. This racism reflected how Canada was at the time and represented how Black people were viewed as the less important and valued race. However, how we overcame this dilemma was that our community brought up the No. 2 Construction Battalion which was the largest Black unit in Canada and was authorized because of the pressure from the black community in Canada to be allowed to take part in WWI. The battalion reflected the strong dedication of Black men to fight racism and contribute to Canada's First World War effort. Additionally, Black men had very different beliefs, values, and attitudes once they faced rejection and racism. Black men successfully fought for recognition and this demonstrated that Black communities across the country had a voice. I hope to write to you again and share more fantastic stories with you! I wish you both the very best and I'll get back to you soon!

Yours lovingly,
Jayda Abara

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During WWII, Black men saw a significant amount of growth in Black Canadians serving in the military. However, Black soldiers would still encounter struggles to serve in the military. My Uncle James (along with many other courageous individuals), served a special role in building depots, moving supplies to troops, maintaining railroads, providing wood to rebuild trenches, dissolving duckboards, and more.

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My uncle made many great contributions to the home front with his friends in the military. They helped to achieve success by doing labor in factories to make artillery and weapons in order for the soldiers to fight overseas. As well as that, they raised funds for the war effort by devoting their time in patriotic activities.

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As a woman during the war, my Aunt Tia had to work many jobs in order to help the war effort along with many other women. For instance, important contributions included: women working in factories to construct vehicles, ammunition, weapons, and other similar materials, more. Overall, Black women worked essential jobs in numerous industries filling in the parts of men who were away fighting at war.

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Dear Aunt Tia and Uncle James,
How have you been? I haven't reached out to you in such a long time! I am writing to you to talk about what our Black Canadian community took on during the Second World War; it's astonishing! In the midst of WWII, massive changes occurred to Black Canadian families such as many young children losing their fathers in battle, witnessing the horrible chaos of war, families being separated for long periods of time, and shortages of supplies like meat, gasoline, sugar, and more. Furthermore, the roles of men, women, and children during WWII have changed remarkably over time. Black Canadian women worked in many service sectors for decades where job opportunities were created during wartime that had been traditionally for men. For instance, some of these include nurses, pilots, welders, and clerks. However, unfortunately, many employers brought women out of their higher-paying jobs during the war either completely out of the workforce or, to lower-paying jobs. Black men's roles on the Home Front consisted of them being introduced to various possible challenges in comparison to their knowledge of their common proper roles as men. Although some men felt a threat by the expanding roles of women, men connected themselves with the idea of masculinity in many different ways. Black Canadian children's lives were also greatly impacted during WWII which made their lives tougher. Male teachers started abandoning their classrooms to go to war leaving children with no teacher to educate them in school. As well as that, adults started to vanish from their children's life as soon as the war began as older brothers, fathers and uncles went to enlist in the war. This usually left the child in a state of confusion, loneliness, and depression especially if they were younger. I wish you all the best and I give you my loving regards! I'll speak to you soon aunt and uncle!

Yours lovingly,
Jayda Abara