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Vancouver Sun
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Everything you need to know about the threat of Alberta separatism
After the Conservatives' federal election loss, some Albertans frustrated with Liberal government policies are rallying for separation from Canada. Recently, hundreds of separatists held a rally at the Alberta legislature, angered at the province's place within confederation. It's not the first time Albertans have pushed for sovereignty. There were upswings in separatist sentiment during the National Energy Program in the 1980s. More recently, separatist agitators gained steam in the dying years of the 2010s, angered over Liberal legislation that targeted the energy sector and a general downturn in the petro-province's economic fortunes. This culminated with the now-defunct Wexit movement. Now, separatist sentiment is back. And Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government has made it easier for separatists to get a referendum on the ballot by reducing the threshold necessary to do so. She said if Albertans want it, her government will hold a referendum on separation. Here's what you need to know about the likelihood of that and the strength of the Alberta separatist movement. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Not much. At least not electorally. Just once was a separatist elected to the Alberta legislature. Gordon Kesler, an oil scout and rodeo rider , won a byelection in 1982. He was elected by voters in Olds, Alta., who didn't like bilingualism, the metric system, gun control and then prime minister Pierre Trudeau's National Energy Program. Kesler won, but he sat only for two-and-a-half months, before running in the general election and losing solidly. But it turns out Kesler wasn't a true believer: By 1983, he was vowing to leave the Western Canada Concept party unless it dropped separatism from its platform. Despite the deep admiration that conservative Albertans tend to express for Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister can also be identified as the first prime minister to put the needs of central Canada over the needs of the west. His 1878 National Policy was crafted specifically to force east-west rather than north-south trade, to the outrage of those in what was then the North-West Territories. 'The people of the North-West are allowed but a degree more control of their affairs than the serfs of Siberia,' wrote Frank Oliver, the publisher of Edmonton's first newspaper, in August 1885. Ottawa's rule, he wrote, is 'despotism as absolute, or more so, than that which curses Russia.' This sentiment has ebbed and flowed over the years (and also existed beyond Alberta's borders, in other parts of the Prairies). There was anger in some parts of the west over the 1885 execution of Louis Riel, a Métis leader who is now recognized by many as the founder of Manitoba. Preston Manning, the founder of the federal Reform Party, traces the origins of alienation back to that event, as well as land surveys of the west done in 1869 with insufficient regard for the local populations. Freight rates on the national railways were also a source of grievance. In Alberta, specifically, William Aberhart's Social Credit Party, which was founded in 1935, briefly flirted with separatism. But it wasn't until the energy crises of the 1970s, the election of Trudeau Sr. and the National Energy Program that Alberta separation emerged in its more modern form. Throughout all of this, only the fringes of Alberta's political spectrum have actually wanted the province to leave Canada. But far more Albertans have shared some sense of alienation or anger with Ottawa. In 1975, the Calgary Herald surveyed 221 Calgarians for their views on Alberta separation and alienation. Only eight people expressed support for separation. That's 3.6 per cent of respondents. However, by other metrics, Albertans were alienated, with more than 70 per cent saying Alberta politicians weren't taken seriously in Ottawa. By 1980, things had shifted: Mel Hurtig, the late pro-Canada publisher, commissioned a poll that found 14 per cent of Albertans supported separation. 'God forbid if the separatist movement would be able to find a charismatic leader,' Hurtig told the audience at an Edmonton hotel. It wasn't considered front-page news. It appeared on page D22 of the Herald, above a story about a robot running amok in Florida and the TV listings. Still, the chatter remained, and by 1980, Reform party MPs were telling the media that they were hearing about the issue from constituents. Later that year, Doug Christie, the head of Western Canada Concept, held a fundraiser in Edmonton. It was a flop: He raised so little money that it 'wouldn't keep anyone in cheap cigars,' the Herald reported. Still, separation kept coming up again, though it wasn't always taken seriously. 'Alberta, alas, is over-generously supplied with chronic complainers whose lung capacity dangerously exceeds their IQs,' wrote Herald columnist William Gold in 1995. Separatists, Gold wrote, were a 'miniscule dishwasher copycat' of Jacques Parizeau's Quebec aspirations 'with no such claim on the respect of decent people.' In 1997, two years after Quebec's last, failed attempt to separate, Social Credit leader Randy Thorsteinson said he thought it was inevitable that Alberta would separate. By 2002, when Jean Chrétien's government was signing the Kyoto Accords on climate change, then Alberta premier Ralph Klein warned that it could lead to separation. Naomi Lakritz, a Calgary Herald columnist, shellacked Klein. 'If the rest of Canada sees Alberta as greedy, uncaring, money-grubbing and self-centred in its negative reaction to the Kyoto accord, then Ralph Klein's use of the word 'separatism' and his petulant warning not to 'push us too hard,' has just reinforced that view,' Lakritz wrote. Even in 2018-20, when the Wexit movement — which advocated for the separation of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba — was ascendant and aggrieved westerners formed the Maverick Party, the movement never got that far. The Maverick Party never managed to win any seats and none of the provincial separatist parties had a meaningful showing in the 2019 or 2023 elections. In 2019, the Angus Reid Institute found that 60 per cent of Albertans were open to the idea of the province joining a western separatist movement. This, however, is a bit of a vague question. ThinkHQ did polling that year , and found that when presented with a clear question — would you vote to stay or go? — only 23 per cent of Albertans said they'd opt to go it alone. More recent polling, conducted by the Angus Reid Institute prior to the 2025 federal election, pegged separatist support at 25 per cent, and that jumped to 30 per cent when Albertans were asked if they would vote to leave if the Liberals formed government again. The Association for Canadian Studies found in recent polling that 52 per cent of Canadians believe the threat of Alberta separating should be taken seriously. In Alberta itself, that's a view held by 63 per cent of those polled. A Postmedia-Leger poll , found that 35 per cent of Albertans would support an independent western bloc, comprised of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Support for Alberta and Saskatchewan forming an independent state lies at 30 per cent, while 29 per cent of Albertans think the province should go it alone. But, put another way, the most attractive option to Albertans, at least according to Leger's polling, is still rejected by 65 per cent of Albertans. This is, however, uncharted territory. It could be a different situation altogether if a question actually makes it to the referendum stage. There have been a handful of separatist parties in Alberta, such as the Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta and the Independence Party of Alberta. Ideologically speaking, separatists are largely conservatives and the parties are, too. For example, while separatism flowered in the 1970s and '80s, the defeat of the Trudeau Liberals by Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservatives stanched the enthusiasm at the time. And in 2001, when the Alberta Independence Party was founded in Red Deer, the inspiration for it, National Post reported, was the rejection of Stockwell Day's Canadian Alliance party by voters in central and eastern Canada. The latest iteration of a separatist party in Alberta is the Republican Party of Alberta, and it's another conservative party. The current leader is Cameron Davies, a long-time Alberta conservative. The vice-president of policy is former conservative parliamentarian Art Hanger. Other conservatives are involved, too. The polling also bears this out. In 2023, Environics research found that 83 per cent of United Conservative Party voters felt like Alberta didn't get the respect it deserves. In contrast, just 37 per cent of New Democrats felt that way. That same survey found that 67 per cent of UCP supporters agreed that Alberta got so few benefits from being a part of Canada, it may as well go it alone, compared to 24 per cent of NDP supporters. The first step would be to get to a referendum. This could happen if the provincial government chooses to hold one, or under the Alberta's Citizen Initiative Act, which allows any Albertan to put their concerns to a provincial referendum if they garner enough support. Smith has said that the government would hold such a referendum, if it had enough support. In order for citizens to force a referendum on the issue, they must gather the signatures of 10 per cent of all Albertans who voted in the last provincial election. Just shy of 1.8 million Albertans voted in the 2023 general election, so those wanting a separation referendum must gather around 180,000 signatures. Then, everything would follow per the federal Clarity Act. This legislation sets out that a province — whether Quebec, Alberta or anywhere else — may not unilaterally secede from Canada. They must negotiate secession with the federal government and the rest of the provinces, settling on some sort of constitutional amendment and agreement. The preamble also sets out a few guideposts on what happens. First, the outcome of a referendum would need to demonstrate a ' clear majority in favour of secession,' which would then 'create an obligation to negotiate secession.' The Clarity Act does not set a specific percentage that counts as a 'clear majority,' although 51 per cent is often cited as a clear majority. (The House of Commons could determine that that wasn't clear enough , and that means that secession could not go ahead.) Second, the question asked on the referendum itself must be 'free of ambiguity.' Third, for any province to legally leave would require negotiations between all the provinces and opening up and amending the Constitution. If all that was satisfied — plus any other aspects of the Clarity Act — and if an agreement was reached, then Alberta could separate. Eric Adams, a University of Alberta law professor, has said it 'seems next to impossible.' 'If you look to the Supreme Court of Canada's statement on separation, it looks exceptionally difficult but may be feasible, if … those negotiations produce some workable separation arrangement,' Adams said in 2019 . All of Alberta is covered by treaties, the majority of it by Treaties 6, 7 and 8. And there are 813,000 hectares of specific reserve land. After Smith said she would be willing to hold a referendum, a coalition of First Nation chiefs met for an emergency meeting and denounced the talk of separation. 'We're not going anywhere and if you feel that you have problems with First Nations you could leave,' said Chief Troy Knowlton of Piikani Nation . While the Alberta government is making it easier for citizens to push for a referendum, in the face of concern from Indigenous people in Alberta, the government introduced 11th-hour amendments to the legislation changing up the referendum process. The amendments were in the legislation passed as the spring session of the Alberta legislature drew to a close. 'In response to feedback from First Nations and Indigenous partners and to reassert our commitment to protecting Treaty rights, the bill now includes a clause stating that nothing in a referendum under the Act is to deviate from existing Treaty rights,' said Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery in a statement. 'Alberta's government will always recognize, protect, and honour Treaty rights as recognized by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.' It remains to be seen whether this would affect the ability of Albertans to even get a separation referendum on the ballot in the first place. An analysis of First Nations rights vis-à-vis separation, written by University of Calgary law professors Robert Hamilton and David Wright, says that Indigenous people in the province would likely have a significant role to play in any future negotiations over separation. 'It is reasonable to think that Indigenous peoples would expect to be full negotiating partners in any movement toward Albertan or Western secession,' wrote Hamilton and Wright. They also said that it would be more complicated for both Ottawa and Edmonton than to simply hand over treaty obligations to a hypothetical future independent state government. 'The only way Canada would be able to legally agree to secession, then, would be if there were guarantees in place ensuring that Alberta would respect the rights of Indigenous peoples to the same extent as they are at Canadian law (we set aside for the moment critiques on the adequacy of such) and if Indigenous peoples agreed to this modification in the relationship,' they wrote. 'The Crown cannot unilaterally decide to divest itself of its obligations or transfer them to another government.' Still, this perhaps would not amount to an Indigenous veto. 'It would seem plausible that there could be a state succession to a treaty…. People generally haven't suggested that Quebec would be incapable of separating due to treaties,' said University of Saskatchewan law professor Dwight Newman. 'At a broad level, Alberta could likely take on the obligations associated with the treaties to ensure that they continue on. I do see it as appropriate that Indigenous peoples are part of the conversations.' Bruce Pardy, a Queen's University law professor, wrote in an email that there would be no Indigenous veto in the case of a separation vote, but that opponents of separation might use Indigenous rights to 'discredit the process.' 'Canadian constitutional rights will not automatically be carried over to a newly independent Alberta. At the outset, everything will be an open question. That includes the status of Aboriginal people,' wrote Pardy. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Everything you need to know about the threat of Alberta separatism
Article content After the Conservatives' federal election loss, some Albertans frustrated with Liberal government policies are rallying for separation from Canada. Recently, hundreds of separatists held a rally at the Alberta legislature, angered at the province's place within confederation. Article content Article content It's not the first time Albertans have pushed for sovereignty. There were upswings in separatist sentiment during the National Energy Program in the 1980s. More recently, separatist agitators gained steam in the dying years of the 2010s, angered over Liberal legislation that targeted the energy sector and a general downturn in the petro-province's economic fortunes. This culminated with the now-defunct Wexit movement. Article content Now, separatist sentiment is back. And Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's government has made it easier for separatists to get a referendum on the ballot by reducing the threshold necessary to do so. She said if Albertans want it, her government will hold a referendum on separation. Here's what you need to know about the likelihood of that and the strength of the Alberta separatist movement. Have separatists ever had any success in Alberta? Not much. At least not electorally. Just once was a separatist elected to the Alberta legislature. Gordon Kesler, an oil scout and rodeo rider, won a byelection in 1982. He was elected by voters in Olds, Alta., who didn't like bilingualism, the metric system, gun control and then prime minister Pierre Trudeau's National Energy Program. Kesler won, but he sat only for two-and-a-half months, before running in the general election and losing solidly. Article content But it turns out Kesler wasn't a true believer: By 1983, he was vowing to leave the Western Canada Concept party unless it dropped separatism from its platform. When did the Alberta separatism movement begin? Despite the deep admiration that conservative Albertans tend to express for Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister can also be identified as the first prime minister to put the needs of central Canada over the needs of the west. His 1878 National Policy was crafted specifically to force east-west rather than north-south trade, to the outrage of those in what was then the North-West Territories. 'The people of the North-West are allowed but a degree more control of their affairs than the serfs of Siberia,' wrote Frank Oliver, the publisher of Edmonton's first newspaper, in August 1885. Ottawa's rule, he wrote, is 'despotism as absolute, or more so, than that which curses Russia.' Article content Article content This sentiment has ebbed and flowed over the years (and also existed beyond Alberta's borders, in other parts of the Prairies). There was anger in some parts of the west over the 1885 execution of Louis Riel, a Métis leader who is now recognized by many as the founder of Manitoba. Preston Manning, the founder of the federal Reform Party, traces the origins of alienation back to that event, as well as land surveys of the west done in 1869 with insufficient regard for the local populations. Freight rates on the national railways were also a source of grievance. In Alberta, specifically, William Aberhart's Social Credit Party, which was founded in 1935, briefly flirted with separatism. But it wasn't until the energy crises of the 1970s, the election of Trudeau Sr. and the National Energy Program that Alberta separation emerged in its more modern form. Article content Throughout all of this, only the fringes of Alberta's political spectrum have actually wanted the province to leave Canada. But far more Albertans have shared some sense of alienation or anger with Ottawa. What's the history of the Alberta separatism movement? In 1975, the Calgary Herald surveyed 221 Calgarians for their views on Alberta separation and alienation. Only eight people expressed support for separation. That's 3.6 per cent of respondents. However, by other metrics, Albertans were alienated, with more than 70 per cent saying Alberta politicians weren't taken seriously in Ottawa. By 1980, things had shifted: Mel Hurtig, the late pro-Canada publisher, commissioned a poll that found 14 per cent of Albertans supported separation. 'God forbid if the separatist movement would be able to find a charismatic leader,' Hurtig told the audience at an Edmonton hotel. Article content It wasn't considered front-page news. It appeared on page D22 of the Herald, above a story about a robot running amok in Florida and the TV listings. Still, the chatter remained, and by 1980, Reform party MPs were telling the media that they were hearing about the issue from constituents. Later that year, Doug Christie, the head of Western Canada Concept, held a fundraiser in Edmonton. It was a flop: He raised so little money that it 'wouldn't keep anyone in cheap cigars,' the Herald reported. Still, separation kept coming up again, though it wasn't always taken seriously. 'Alberta, alas, is over-generously supplied with chronic complainers whose lung capacity dangerously exceeds their IQs,' wrote Herald columnist William Gold in 1995. Separatists, Gold wrote, were a 'miniscule dishwasher copycat' of Jacques Parizeau's Quebec aspirations 'with no such claim on the respect of decent people.' Article content In 1997, two years after Quebec's last, failed attempt to separate, Social Credit leader Randy Thorsteinson said he thought it was inevitable that Alberta would separate. By 2002, when Jean Chrétien's government was signing the Kyoto Accords on climate change, then Alberta premier Ralph Klein warned that it could lead to separation. Naomi Lakritz, a Calgary Herald columnist, shellacked Klein. 'If the rest of Canada sees Alberta as greedy, uncaring, money-grubbing and self-centred in its negative reaction to the Kyoto accord, then Ralph Klein's use of the word 'separatism' and his petulant warning not to 'push us too hard,' has just reinforced that view,' Lakritz wrote. Even in 2018-20, when the Wexit movement — which advocated for the separation of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba — was ascendant and aggrieved westerners formed the Maverick Party, the movement never got that far. The Maverick Party never managed to win any seats and none of the provincial separatist parties had a meaningful showing in the 2019 or 2023 elections. Article content How much support is there for Alberta separatism? In 2019, the Angus Reid Institute found that 60 per cent of Albertans were open to the idea of the province joining a western separatist movement. This, however, is a bit of a vague question. ThinkHQ did polling that year, and found that when presented with a clear question — would you vote to stay or go? — only 23 per cent of Albertans said they'd opt to go it alone. More recent polling, conducted by the Angus Reid Institute prior to the 2025 federal election, pegged separatist support at 25 per cent, and that jumped to 30 per cent when Albertans were asked if they would vote to leave if the Liberals formed government again. The Association for Canadian Studies found in recent polling that 52 per cent of Canadians believe the threat of Alberta separating should be taken seriously. In Alberta itself, that's a view held by 63 per cent of those polled. Article content A Postmedia-Leger poll, found that 35 per cent of Albertans would support an independent western bloc, comprised of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Support for Alberta and Saskatchewan forming an independent state lies at 30 per cent, while 29 per cent of Albertans think the province should go it alone. But, put another way, the most attractive option to Albertans, at least according to Leger's polling, is still rejected by 65 per cent of Albertans. This is, however, uncharted territory. It could be a different situation altogether if a question actually makes it to the referendum stage. Who are the separatists and alienated Albertans? There have been a handful of separatist parties in Alberta, such as the Wildrose Independence Party of Alberta and the Independence Party of Alberta. Ideologically speaking, separatists are largely conservatives and the parties are, too. For example, while separatism flowered in the 1970s and '80s, the defeat of the Trudeau Liberals by Brian Mulroney's Progressive Conservatives stanched the enthusiasm at the time. Article content And in 2001, when the Alberta Independence Party was founded in Red Deer, the inspiration for it, National Post reported, was the rejection of Stockwell Day's Canadian Alliance party by voters in central and eastern Canada. The latest iteration of a separatist party in Alberta is the Republican Party of Alberta, and it's another conservative party. The current leader is Cameron Davies, a long-time Alberta conservative. The vice-president of policy is former conservative parliamentarian Art Hanger. Other conservatives are involved, too. The polling also bears this out. In 2023, Environics research found that 83 per cent of United Conservative Party voters felt like Alberta didn't get the respect it deserves. In contrast, just 37 per cent of New Democrats felt that way. That same survey found that 67 per cent of UCP supporters agreed that Alberta got so few benefits from being a part of Canada, it may as well go it alone, compared to 24 per cent of NDP supporters. Article content Could Alberta really separate? The first step would be to get to a referendum. This could happen if the provincial government chooses to hold one, or under the Alberta's Citizen Initiative Act, which allows any Albertan to put their concerns to a provincial referendum if they garner enough support. Smith has said that the government would hold such a referendum, if it had enough support. In order for citizens to force a referendum on the issue, they must gather the signatures of 10 per cent of all Albertans who voted in the last provincial election. Just shy of 1.8 million Albertans voted in the 2023 general election, so those wanting a separation referendum must gather around 180,000 signatures. Then, everything would follow per the federal Clarity Act. This legislation sets out that a province — whether Quebec, Alberta or anywhere else — may not unilaterally secede from Canada. They must negotiate secession with the federal government and the rest of the provinces, settling on some sort of constitutional amendment and agreement. Article content The preamble also sets out a few guideposts on what happens. First, the outcome of a referendum would need to demonstrate a 'clear majority in favour of secession,' which would then 'create an obligation to negotiate secession.' The Clarity Act does not set a specific percentage that counts as a 'clear majority,' although 51 per cent is often cited as a clear majority. (The House of Commons could determine that that wasn't clear enough, and that means that secession could not go ahead.) Second, the question asked on the referendum itself must be 'free of ambiguity.' Third, for any province to legally leave would require negotiations between all the provinces and opening up and amending the Constitution. If all that was satisfied — plus any other aspects of the Clarity Act — and if an agreement was reached, then Alberta could separate. Eric Adams, a University of Alberta law professor, has said it 'seems next to impossible.' Article content 'If you look to the Supreme Court of Canada's statement on separation, it looks exceptionally difficult but may be feasible, if … those negotiations produce some workable separation arrangement,' Adams said in 2019. What role could Indigenous people play? All of Alberta is covered by treaties, the majority of it by Treaties 6, 7 and 8. And there are 813,000 hectares of specific reserve land. After Smith said she would be willing to hold a referendum, a coalition of First Nation chiefs met for an emergency meeting and denounced the talk of separation. 'We're not going anywhere and if you feel that you have problems with First Nations you could leave,' said Chief Troy Knowlton of Piikani Nation. While the Alberta government is making it easier for citizens to push for a referendum, in the face of concern from Indigenous people in Alberta, the government introduced 11th-hour amendments to the legislation changing up the referendum process. The amendments were in the legislation passed as the spring session of the Alberta legislature drew to a close. Article content 'In response to feedback from First Nations and Indigenous partners and to reassert our commitment to protecting Treaty rights, the bill now includes a clause stating that nothing in a referendum under the Act is to deviate from existing Treaty rights,' said Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery in a statement. 'Alberta's government will always recognize, protect, and honour Treaty rights as recognized by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.' It remains to be seen whether this would affect the ability of Albertans to even get a separation referendum on the ballot in the first place. An analysis of First Nations rights vis-à-vis separation, written by University of Calgary law professors Robert Hamilton and David Wright, says that Indigenous people in the province would likely have a significant role to play in any future negotiations over separation. Article content 'It is reasonable to think that Indigenous peoples would expect to be full negotiating partners in any movement toward Albertan or Western secession,' wrote Hamilton and Wright. They also said that it would be more complicated for both Ottawa and Edmonton than to simply hand over treaty obligations to a hypothetical future independent state government. 'The only way Canada would be able to legally agree to secession, then, would be if there were guarantees in place ensuring that Alberta would respect the rights of Indigenous peoples to the same extent as they are at Canadian law (we set aside for the moment critiques on the adequacy of such) and if Indigenous peoples agreed to this modification in the relationship,' they wrote. 'The Crown cannot unilaterally decide to divest itself of its obligations or transfer them to another government.' Article content Latest National Stories
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
50 years ago, Beck bought Dandridge house that already had a place in Knoxville's Black history
Before it became the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, the century-old house on Dandridge Avenue was already entwined with Knoxville's Black history. The Black families who lived there during the 1940s, '50s and '60s led with resiliency while facing racism in the form of threats and vandalism. In the 1970s, it was a gathering place for the Black community when Knoxville's Community Development Corporation used the house as a field office during urban removal, which displaced more than 2,500 Black families in Knoxville between 1959-74. Today, it's a place where those stories, and many more, are shared as part of Beck's mission to steward Black history and celebrate Black culture in East Tennessee. When it was chosen to become Beck, however, the house's own history wasn't necessarily a driving factor, said the Rev. Reneé Kesler, Beck executive director. Beck's founders were focused on preserving the history of Knoxville's Black community from the destruction of urban removal, but initially the house was picked for the center more because of the space and location. "And then I think as you began to look at the sacredness of the place, you realize, wait a minute, this was a transformative space. This was a space with its own history," Kesler told Knox News. "And I think over the years, that's what we've really brought to life, so it's almost divine." The house at 1927 Dandridge Ave. was built in 1912 by James Cowan as a wedding gift for his wife, Alice Saxton Cowan, Kesler said. At the time, the area was primarily occupied by affluent white folks. It was still that way when physician Edgar Lennon purchased the house in 1946, Kesler said. Lennon was one of the first Black residents of the neighborhood, and many neighbors were unhappy. The Ku Klux Klan soon acted, Kesler said. Before Lennon could move in, the hate group poured gasoline on a 10 to 12-foot cross outside the house and lit it on fire, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported in May 1947. An explosion went off at the house that night, too. A note was left at the cross burning site demanding Lennon not move into the house he had bought. "Money might move you in, but money can't change your color," it read. "If you insist on living in our community, please know that you will be the most unwelcome individual that lives there." The next day, Knoxville police announced there would be no further investigation, but Lennon stayed. "He was wasn't afraid of anything," Kesler said. In fact, the account of the night passed down in oral histories says that Lennon's first comment to emergency responders was, "I don't know who did this, but they need to come clean it up." "I wonder what would have happened, and how would the story be different if Dr. Lennon had reacted differently," Kesler said. "But he didn't. He went on living, staying resilient and doing it in love." James and Ethel Beck, prominent members of Knoxville's Black community, purchased the house in 1965, Kesler said, although they didn't live there for long. James Beck died in 1969, and Ethel Beck in 1970. In 1971, the Knoxville Housing Authority was authorized to contract with architects to fix up the Beck house for use as the Morningside site office for urban removal's Morningside Project, the News Sentinel reported July 20, 1971. The organization purchased the house from the Beck estate for $17,500 and spent $14,500 on updates and repairs, according to a 1974 News Sentinel article. As the field office, the house became a place "for the people to come, and to meet in, to talk about urban renewal, talk about their community, you know, kind of what what would you like to see in your community now as a result of urban renewal having happened," Kesler said. "So it became this place and space of meetings, and dialogues, and discussions." By 1974, the Knoxville Housing Authority had become Knoxville's Community Development Corporation. Its Board of Commissioners approved a price of $22,500 for the house's sale to a planned "Black cultural center" that year. That was a lot of money for the not-yet-chartered organization, but a woman named Bessie Brice ensured Beck received the funds. Brice was the treasurer of the Ethel Beck Home for Orphans, which Ethel Beck ran until it closed in the 1950s. Brice gave $20,000 from the orphanage account to help buy the home and asked it be named after the Becks. That funding was supplemented with $2,500 from Knoxville Mayor Kyle Testerman's administration, according to Beck's website. The Beck Cultural Exchange Center purchased the house from Knoxville's Community Development Corporation 50 years ago on May 15, 1975. Beck's space has been added onto since then, but although it's been converted into a cultural center, the house itself remains largely the same. Its floors, doors and windows are original, Kesler said. The historic house portion of Beck includes the Ethel Beck Hall, the Heritage Room, the Village Market Room, the Pioneer Stairway, the William Hastie Room and the Ether Rice Research Lab. "It truly is a space and place of unity and bringing community together," Kesler said. "The branches that we have on this beautiful tree are because of the solid root ... that was built by the people 50 years ago when they envisioned this." Hayden Dunbar is the storyteller reporter. Email Support strong local journalism by subscribing at This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Beck house became repository for Knoxville Black history 50 years ago
Associated Press
27-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Handel's Swirls Up New Berrylicious Flavor Created By California Franchisee
Raspberry Dream Cream Launches April 1 YOUNGSTOWN, OH, UNITED STATES, March 27, 2025 / / -- Just in time for spring, Handel's Ice Cream, the brand serving handmade ice cream since 1945, is introducing a new flavor that's ripe for the picking. Raspberry Dream Cream is the brainchild of west coast franchisee Keith Kesler and features raspberry sherbet mixed together with the brand's signature vanilla ice cream. Guests can enjoy this limited-time, sweet sensation from April 1 through May 15 at participating locations, while supplies last! 'Raspberry Dream Cream bursts with bright, fruity flavor that blends perfectly with our classic vanilla ice cream,' said Hillary Frei, Chief Marketing Officer of Handel's Ice Cream. 'As we celebrate our 80th anniversary, we're excited to continue delighting our guests with seasonal flavors that match their tastes and cravings.' Dream Team A longtime franchisee and ice cream lover, Keith Kesler was the creator of this new flavor. In addition to being a franchisee, Kesler is a Professor of Communication and is passionate about experimenting with new flavors. Kesler and his team experimented with various sherbets in their stores and discovered that blending them with the brand's creamy vanilla ice cream created one of their favorite combinations. 'I eat ice cream all over the world and am constantly trying new flavors and then experimenting to improve the taste,' said Kesler. 'Our sherbets are fantastic, and our vanilla is the best out there. The two come together beautifully in Raspberry Dream Cream.' Kesler opened his first shop in Laguna Niguel, California, and added another just three months later. Today, he and his partner's portfolio include locations in Temecula, Newport Beach, Laguna Nigel, Oceanside, Vista and beyond. 'Our first Handel's was the 39th store for the brand, and now there are more than 150 locations. We love being fully immersed in the brand and involved in each of our locations. I was a fan long before becoming a franchisee. Handel's is an authentic, beloved brand with quality ingredients and flavors that simply taste amazing,' he added. Raspberry Dream Cream marks Handel's second new flavor release in 2025. Earlier this year, the company launched Sticky Fingers, another franchisee-developed flavor. Handel's launches franchisee submissions as new flavors. Guests can enjoy the new flavor and other Handel's favorites by the dish, cone, or in a shake. For those looking to take some home, Handel's also offers its ice cream in pints, so fans can enjoy it later. For more information, including the latest news on the 80th anniversary, visit or follow them on Facebook or Instagram. About Handel's Homemade Ice Cream Handel's Homemade Ice Cream has been in the business of making and selling fresh ice cream, handmade in stores every day, since 1945. Founded in Youngstown, Ohio, the Handel's legacy was created by Alice Handel and Lenny Fisher, who grew the brand from a single Scoop Shop into a flourishing chain using fresh ingredients and upholding a commitment to quality. Each batch of Handel's ice cream is made fresh daily, using Alice's original methods and recipes. There are 48 flavors available daily and more than 140 flavors that rotate seasonally. In 2023 and 2024, Handel's ranked in Franchise Times ' Top 400 list, recognizing the largest franchise systems in the United States, and its 'Fast & Serious,' a list of the smartest-growing franchises for the year. The brand is also recognized by TasteAtlas for one of the top 100 Most Iconic Ice Creams of the World. Handel's has been named #1 Ice Cream on the Planet by National Geographic, one of the Top 10 Best Ice Cream Businesses by USA Today, one of the Top 500 Restaurants in America by Nation's Restaurant News , and Top 500 Franchises by Entrepreneur Magazine. Handel's currently has over 150 locations across 15 states and is growing. To learn more about Handel's franchise opportunities, visit
CBS News
26-03-2025
- CBS News
Westminster police conducting traffic control blitzes to ticket Colorado speeders and those with expired license plates
The Westminister Police Department says that, across Adams County, officers are seeing drivers traveling way too fast on their roadways. In areas like Highway 36 and sections of Sheridan Boulevard, they see drivers going at least 20 mph over the posted speed limit. Officers say if you're caught speeding, they will ticket you. During the enforcement, at least four speeders were pulled over at the intersection of Sheridan and Yates in a matter of minutes. Each one was going at least 15 mph over the posted speed limit. Officers William Kesler and Tyler Tate use light detection and ranging -- or "LIDAR" -- guns to track speeders. The machine uses an infrared laser beam to measure the distance and speed at which a driver is traveling. The laser is pointed at the front of the vehicle, and the machine does the work. "We just basically stop people who are going an excessive speed limit," Tate said. "We are looking for those drivers who are doing more fragrant violations. If we stop you, you don't have to get a ticket. It is part of the education that has to do with drivers and change their behavior." Kesler and Tate say they hear every excuse in the book, but there is never a reason to speed. "Even though you were going 10 to 15 miles per hour over, you are only covering 30 seconds to maybe a minute off of your timeframe," Kesler said. "The traffic lights are specifically set for the speed limit, and that's how the traffic is controlled. If you were going 20 over, we have to go at least 25 over just to catch up to you." Both officers say if you are pulled over for going at least 10 mph over the posted speed limit, you're looking at a $190 ticket. If you are caught going 20 to 24 mph over the posted speed limit, you're looking at a $270 ticket. Anything 25 mph and over is more fines and a mandatory court appearance. Along with speeders, Westminster officers are looking out for people with expired license plates. The department will continue conducting blitzes to get these drivers off the road.
