The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce and Women in Niagara are proud to announce that Rochelle Bush has been named the recipient of the 2025 International Women’s Day (IWD) Award. This prestigious honor recognizes her dedication to preserving, promoting, and protecting Canada’s Black history.
Rochelle Bush is the owner and primary guide of Tubman Tours Canada. A proud descendant of freedom seekers, she was born and raised in St. Catharines, Ontario, where her deep-rooted connection to the community continues to shape her work. Her maternal great-great-grandfather served as minister-in-charge of Salem Chapel, BME Church during the period when Harriet Tubman was an active member.
For over twenty-five years, Rochelle has been dedicated to preserving, promoting, and protecting Canada’s rich Black history. She played a pivotal role in shaping the early Black history narrative and government tourism initiatives in St. Catharines and across the Niagara region. Through this work, she began offering step-on guide services, showcasing Niagara’s Freedom Trail and enhancing visitors’ understanding of the Underground Railroad. Approximately fifteen years ago, she launched the Harriet Tubman Tour, highlighting Tubman’s time in St. Catharines.
Rochelle serves as a Trustee and the resident historian of Salem Chapel, BME Church, Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Sites. She is a certified Niagara Tourism Ambassador, a licensed Niagara Parks tour guide, and has held key positions including Board Director of the Historical Society of St. Catharines, Board Member of the St. Catharines Museum, and Emancipation Day organizer. She is also affiliated with the historic Zion Baptist Church.
Highlights
- Co-curated the 2023 award-winning exhibition Bound and Determined: Chloe Cooley, Enslavement, and the Fight for Freedom at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum.
- Led the 2021 initiative to rename a public park in St. Catharines in honor of Richard Pierpoint, the city’s first Black settler and a War of 1812 veteran.
- Developed the 2017 Niagara Parks “Crossing into Canada” Interpretive Panels, highlighting Harriet Tubman’s journey.
- Featured in a 2013 interview with Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. for the award-winning PBS documentary The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross.
- Contributed to the 2003 National Park Service Harriet Tubman Special Resource Study in Washington, D.C.
- Participated in the 1997 Parks Canada and National Park Service Bi-National Underground Railroad Field Study.
Through her extensive work, Rochelle Bush continues to be a leading voice in Black history preservation, ensuring that the legacies of Harriet Tubman and other freedom seekers remain an integral part of Canada’s historical narrative.
