Eight local actors are taking on the roles of historical figures from Saint John and beyond. Neil S. Clements, a barrister and solicitor in Saint John, is playing entrepreneur Cornelius Sparrow. Cornelius Sparrow was a runaway slave from Norfolk, Va. Born into slavery in 1824, Cornelius managed to escape from Virginia and ultimately found his way to and settled in Saint John in 1851 with his wife, Martha Ann Whitehead. I have an understanding of how difficult it was in the early 2000s to the present to be a successful Black entrepreneur in Saint John. We Were Here: Neil Clements as Cornelius Sparrow CBC News New Brunswick Video 5:49 On playing the runaway slave who became a prominent business owner in Saint John.

Source: CBC News February 16, 2021 09:56 UTC