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Black History Month spotlight: Jack Washington

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During Black History Month CHCH News is delving into the lives of some of the region’s most significant contributors.

READ MORE: Black History Month spotlight: Tillie Johnson

Jack Washington was born in Hamilton in 1919, he grew up in the city’s north end with his 15 brothers and sisters.

Washington’s niece Shawn Washington-Purser says, “music was always part of the family so that at one time the family was the choir at Stewart memorial church.”

Washington-Purser says when her uncle Jack wasn’t babysitting his younger siblings or shining shoes at the race tracks, he’d work at the local music bars as a washroom attendant. While he couldn’t watch the show he still somehow had a front-row seat to history.

READ MORE: How the City of Hamilton is celebrating Black History Month

“The artists of colour that weren’t allowed in any of the clubs and restaurants back in the day, because that’s what it was even in Hamilton, they used to go back to my grandmother so, you know, uncle Jack would bring them back and my grandmother would put on a big spread and they would get to know people like Oscar Peterson,” Washington-Purser said.

Washington and his brothers Ormsby, Harold, and Doc formed a travelling quartet, a brave task given the racist climate of their era.

While some musicians’ dreams would include bright lights and international tours, Jack and his brothers wanted to build something special in Hamilton, “the Washington family, they were all hometown boys and girls… they look to bring their music to Hamilton, to their friends, to the dance clubs, to the coffeehouses, to some of the local bars and that’s where their music was and that’s where their heart was… they were looking to make Hamilton happy,” Washington-Purser said.

In 1948 Washington would become the first black host on CHML radio, hosting his own show for two years.

The city showed its love for Jack later in his life, presenting him with an honorary doctorate from McMaster university. That same year, a new park in Hamilton’s ward 2 was named after him, and the John C. Holland award for merit now bears his name.

Despite his collection of beloved music, Shawn Washington-Purser tells CHCH News many of the Washington boys, including Jack himself, were never taught how to read music, just straight from the soul.

READ MORE: ‘We Are Hamilton – Black History Remembered’ unveiled at City Hall

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