The Gray brothers, Milton, Fleming (more commonly referred to by his middle name “Danny”) and Vender were some of Mount Allison University’s first ever Black students.

Milton Gray, in fact, was the very first Black person to attend Mount Allison in the early 1940s.

An unfinished portrait of Milton, who would have been a teenager at the time, is currently on display in the Owens Art Gallery and on their website.

Falvey says that Milton did not complete his studies as he was drafted by the United States military.

Milton attended Mount Allison while Alex Colville was there, which is why there is this unfinished portrait of Milton on the back of Alex Colville’s self portrait.

Falvey says that Milton’s portrait calls attention to the lack of Black people accounted for in Mount Allison’s history.

“A lot of things led us to a desire to examine the absence and presence of Blackness in our collection, and it’s mostly absence. So this seemed like an opportunity to highlight this, and then try to think critically about it," Salvey said.

The three brothers Gray were all originally from New York City, and Milton’s brother Danny noted that the Mount Allison and Sackville community was not particularly welcoming.

He often experienced anti-Black racism, such as the only barber in town refusing to cut his hair, a restaurant in Amherst refusing to serve him, and spectators at University rugby games yelling racial slurs at him.

Danny Gray wrote in his later years that, “[he] was unused to hostility from strangers, especially since [he] couldn’t figure it out… a reason. [He] was continually anxious. In addition, there was no one with whom [he] could talk. [He] never saw another Black person in the surrounding vicinity.”

The brothers Gray, among countless other Black students, are often underrepresented in Mount Allison’s history. But that does not mean that Black students are not a significant part of Mount Allison’s history.

Falvey says the Owens is “trying to make a connection between the absence of Blackness in [their] collection, but also the presence of Black history at Mount A, and how that history is not told.”

Falvey says that the Owens Art Gallery is in need of an update when it comes to showcasing Black history, and Black artists in general.

The Gallery currently only has one Black artist in its permanent collection.

She says that showcasing Gray’s portrait is part of an ongoing work in progress to showcase the past, present, and future of Black art.

“February is a great time to engage with Black history, but Black historians work all year, all the time," Falvey said.

The Gallery is only open to students, faculty, and staff by appointment during the orange phase of COVID-19 restrictions.

Community members can hopefully take a look at Milton Gray’s portrait upon the province’s eventual return to the yellow phase, or by checking out their website.

You can also read more about Danny Gray by accessing the winter 2018 edition of Mount Allison’s “The Record.”

Hear this story as reported by CHMA: