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A Footnote to Freedom: Reclaiming the Life and Legacy of a Black Battalion Soldier
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy
I borrowed this book from a local library and it looks like the library system was able to get early copies. This book offers a lesser-known chapter of Black Canadian history and, since I'm a Nigerian-Canadian woman, I had to read it.
Even though Lance Dixon's grandfather, George Dixon, was a member of the only Black battalion in Canadian history, he's definitely not a great role model. George Dixon let racism and other hardships harden him until he became a shell of a man. The apology the Canadian government gave to the No. 2 Construction Battalion and its descendants is also not enough to compensate for centuries of racism. Monetary compensation, parades, distribution of military medals, et cetera would've been a great addition to the apology. Remember, readers, that the United Kingdom paid reparations to enslavers, not the enslaved, after slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire and that only Black people who lived on the South Carolina and Georgia Sea Islands received forty acres of land after the American Civil War ended.
It's important people know about the sins of Canada's past and come up with better plans to help those who were victims of oppressors' "might makes right" mentality.
Even though Lance Dixon's grandfather, George Dixon, was a member of the only Black battalion in Canadian history, he's definitely not a great role model. George Dixon let racism and other hardships harden him until he became a shell of a man. The apology the Canadian government gave to the No. 2 Construction Battalion and its descendants is also not enough to compensate for centuries of racism. Monetary compensation, parades, distribution of military medals, et cetera would've been a great addition to the apology. Remember, readers, that the United Kingdom paid reparations to enslavers, not the enslaved, after slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire and that only Black people who lived on the South Carolina and Georgia Sea Islands received forty acres of land after the American Civil War ended.
It's important people know about the sins of Canada's past and come up with better plans to help those who were victims of oppressors' "might makes right" mentality.
March 31, 2026
One family’s story of racism, redemption, and the legacy of the No. 2 Black Construction Battalion.
From an early age, Lance B. Dixon had heard about his grandfather George Dixon, one of six hundred men who served in the only Black battalion in Canadian history — the No. 2 Construction Battalion of the First World War. Sadly, his knowledge about George’s war experiences stopped there. In fact, much of his life remained a mystery. It has been left to Lance’s father, Blair Dixon (also a veteran), to tell their story while reliving the shame they were taught to feel about being Black bodies in “a white man’s world.”
In A Footnote to Freedom, through intimate conversations with his father, Dixon grapples with the effects of racism across three generations. He also brings to light the painful irony of the Black battalion’s that these men had to fight their own country to fight for the freedom of others in a distant land. This is the tale of his grandfather’s redemption and the legacy he leaves behind.
From an early age, Lance B. Dixon had heard about his grandfather George Dixon, one of six hundred men who served in the only Black battalion in Canadian history — the No. 2 Construction Battalion of the First World War. Sadly, his knowledge about George’s war experiences stopped there. In fact, much of his life remained a mystery. It has been left to Lance’s father, Blair Dixon (also a veteran), to tell their story while reliving the shame they were taught to feel about being Black bodies in “a white man’s world.”
In A Footnote to Freedom, through intimate conversations with his father, Dixon grapples with the effects of racism across three generations. He also brings to light the painful irony of the Black battalion’s that these men had to fight their own country to fight for the freedom of others in a distant land. This is the tale of his grandfather’s redemption and the legacy he leaves behind.
April 23, 2026
Glad this story has been put down for the historical record.
2.5 rounded up to 3
2.5 rounded up to 3
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews