FIRST READING: Parks Canada officially ‘decolonizes’ Sir John A. Macdonald’s house – National Post

May 22, 2024

The new curation seems committed to finding oppressive, white supremacist undertones in even the home’s most quotidian objects

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Sir John A. Macdonald furnished his home with mahogany processed by slaves in the Caribbean. He combed his hair with the shells of now-endangered turtles. He exhibited parrot-based design motifs as a possible way of showing off the “perceived social and intellectual superiority” of his race.

And the country he built remains “steeped in racism” and encoded by “colonialism.”

These are just some of the takeaways from a new “decolonized” visitor experience just unveiled by Parks Canada at Macdonald’s Kingston, Ont., home.

Read More: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/parks-canada-decolonizes-sir-john-a-macdonalds-house