Urgent Call for Support to Preserve and Restore Windsor’s Historic Jackson Park Bandshell
Dear Colleagues and Community Leaders,
On behalf of the Jackson Park Project, we are writing to express our strong support for the preservation and restoration of the Jackson Park Bandshell in Windsor, Ontario—a historic landmark that stands at the crossroads of Canadian heritage, cultural identity, and community resilience. The Jackson Park bandshell is one of Canada’s most significant and most overlooked cultural landmarks, and, with your support, we can ensure that its legacy is preserved for generations to come.
Historical Significance and Cultural Legacy
The Jackson Park Bandshell is far more than an abandoned structure; it is a monument to one of Canada's most remarkable yet overlooked chapters in the fight for freedom and equality. For nearly four decades, from the late 1930s to the mid-1970s, this modest stage served as the epicenter of Windsor's internationally acclaimed Emancipation Celebrations, events that were once dubbed "The Greatest Freedom Show on Earth."
During its heyday, the Bandshell welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors from across North America, serving as a groundbreaking space for civil rights discourse, community, and unity. It was a unique space where people of all backgrounds came together to celebrate freedom, faith, and music at a time when such unity was extraordinarily rare. The structure also gained legendary status through its "Battle of the Bands" events, which launched countless musical careers and cemented Windsor's place in North American music history.
Today, this irreplaceable piece of Canadian heritage faces the threat of demolition by neglect. The loss of the Bandshell would represent nothing less than the erasure of a story that fundamentally shapes our collective understanding of freedom, community, and identity as Canadians.
Current Situation and Urgent Need
For the past two years, dedicated community members have been actively engaged with Windsor City Council and City Administration, advocating for the restoration of this heritage-listed property. Their efforts have been complicated by ongoing disputes over the adjacent Windsor Stadium property, owned by the Greater Essex County District School Board (GECDSB). As a response to ongoing housing shortages, it has been proposed that this historic landmark be demolished and replaced with housing developments.
The loss of the bandshell, and any opportunities to restore it, represents a painful erasure of a story that shapes our collective understanding of freedom, community and identity as Canadians.
The Jackson Park Project, working with Windsor organizations like the Jackson Park Bandshell Committee, is committed to preserving and sharing the history of the bandshell and Emancipation Day celebrations through our documentary work, educational programming, and digital archives. We firmly believe that preserving and restoring the bandshell is essential to ensuring that present and future generations can connect with the powerful legacy of Emacipation Day celebrations in the very place where it unfolded.
In May 2025, members of the Jackson Park Project were present at City Hall to show our solidarity and support, along with noted members of the Windsor community. Advocacy has now moved to the Provincial level and we are encouraging community members to join us and the Windsor Bandshell Committee to speak up in support.
Learning from Past Mistakes
The federal recognition of Emancipation Day as a national holiday in 2021 demonstrates growing awareness of this important history, and the United Nations in December 2024 declared a second International Decade for People of African Descent, which was co-sponsored by the government of Canada. This declaration is an international recognition of the importance of preserving our local Black Canadian histories and the landmarks that symbolize them.
Call to Action
We are urging organizations and individuals to join us in advocating for the preservation and restoration of the Jackson Park Bandshell by:
Signing this letter of support to demonstrate community commitment to preserving and restoring the Jackson Park bandshell which will be directed to Hon. Stan Cho, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming and Ministry of Sport, MPP for Windsor West Lisa Gretzsky and Andrew Dowie MPP for Windsor-Tecumseh.
Sending a message to the Office of The Premiere through the online contact form:
https://correspondence.premier.gov.on.ca/EN/feedback/default.aspx
3. Sharing this message within your networks to build broader community support and encourage members of your network to advocate.
4. Recognizing cultural significance by acknowledging the Bandshell's role as a crucial piece of Canadian Black history and its importance to our national heritage on social media platforms using the hashtag: #savethebandshell and #jacksonparkbandshell.
Conclusion
Black history is Canadian history. The stories shared through the Jackson Park Project are invaluable and incomplete without making an effort to preserve the spaces that these stories unfolded. The Jackson Park bandshell is a crucial landmark that must be restored and preserved for current and future generations.
Join us in the important work of ensuring that this remarkable piece of history continues to tell its story for generations to come.
Sincerely,
The Jackson Park Project Team
