Peyton Neustaedter, MA

Historian of Black Canada

Directory
Calgary, Alberta
Plate:
Specialization
20th-Century Black Prairie History
Credentials
MA in History, University of Calgary
Current Role
Lead Researcher, John Ware Archaeological Dig
Location
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

01 / ABOUT

Biography

Peyton Neustaedter is an independent historical researcher and public historian based in Calgary, Alberta. Specializing in late-nineteenth and twentieth-century Black Prairie history, newspaper records, and transnational Black freedom networks, her scholarship examines how Black communities across Western Canada navigated society and forged their own political, social, and economic realities.

She holds a Master of Arts in History, completed with a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) fellowship. Her thesis, “Preaching Pan-Africanism in Alberta: Reverend George Washington Slater, Jr. and ‘Our Negro Citizens,’” recovers the intellectual and religious networks that brought together Alberta’s rural and urban Black communities and linked them to the North American freedom struggle through the columns of the local press.

Alongside research on twentieth-century Black activism in the Prairies, including the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and the Alberta Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, Neustaedter is deeply committed to collaborative public history. In 2026, she served as the Historian in Residence for the Calgary Public Library and Heritage Calgary, creating public exhibitions and lectures highlighting the lived experiences of Black communities on the Prairies. Currently, Neustaedter serves as the Lead Historical Researcher for the University of Calgary’s interdisciplinary investigation of John Ware’s homestead in Millarville, Alberta.

Fields of Inquiry

Black Prairie History (1870–1965) Transnational Black Freedom Networks Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) Alberta Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (AAACP) Community Archives & Public History Historical Archaeology

02 / RESEARCH

Archival & Public History Projects

Examining the intersections of Black organizing, community-building, print culture, and material archaeology across the Canadian Prairies and the United States.

CURRENT RESEARCH

Pan-Africanism, Print Culture & Mid-Century Prairie Activism

This project investigates Black activism across the Canadian Prairies, challenging narratives that frame Western Canadian Black history solely through rural isolation and small communities. Focusing first on Reverend George Washington Slater Jr.’s column “Our Negro Citizens” in the Edmonton Journal, this research traces how Black Prairie residents built their communities and engaged with Pan-Africanism, Garveyism, and civic advocacy.

Extending into the mid-twentieth century, this project also examines the Prairie chapters of A. Philip Randolph’s Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and the Calgary-based Alberta Association for the Advancement of Coloured People as they mounted legal and municipal challenges against racial discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations.

Key Archives: Glenbow Western Research Centre, Library and Archives Canada Period: 1918–1965
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY • SSHRC PARTNERSHIP

John Ware Archaeological Dig

Led by Cheryl Foggo and Dr. Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer, Neustaedter is the Lead Historical Researcher for the University of Calgary’s SSHRC-funded archaeological and historical investigation at John and Mildred Ware’s homestead in Millarville, Alberta. Moving beyond the mythologization of Ware’s legacy, this project situates the Ware family within the economic and social realities of Alberta’s ranching community. This project aims to reconstruct daily domestic life by integrating material culture excavated on-site with archival records, newspapers, and pioneer reminisces.

Key Collections: John Ware and Lewis Family Fonds, Glenbow Western Research Centre, Calgary Herald Period: 1850–1905
CURATORIAL & COMMUNITY WORK

Public History

Neustaedter is dedicated to restoring Black presence within Western Canadian historiography and heritage institutions. As the 2026 Historian in Residence (Calgary Public Library & Heritage Calgary) and researcher for the Black Heritage Committee at Heritage Park Historical Village, she collaborates with community to recognize, honour, and share Black Prairie stories. Recent initiatives include Neustaedter’s work with the Black Heritage Committee to permanently bring historical photographs of Black families to Heritage Park, and her lecturing for various community associations across Calgary.

Key Collections: University of Calgary Digital Archives, Digital Newspaper Archives Period: 1850–1980

03 / PUBLICATIONS

Selected Works

Academic writing, public scholarship, and presentations.

Master’s Thesis and Academic Writing

JUL 2026 • UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY MA Thesis

“Preaching Pan-Africanism in Alberta: Reverend George Washington Slater, Jr. and ‘Our Negro Citizens’”

Neustaedter, Peyton. Master of Arts Thesis, Department of History.

View on UCalgary Scholaris

Public Scholarship

Public Presentations

SEPT 2026 • GOOD CHEER BREWING, CALGARY

Neustaedter, Peyton. “The Black Pioneers of Calgary.” Lecture for Historical Society of Alberta at Good Cheer Brewing, Calgary, Alberta, 29 September 2026.

In this public lecture for the Historical Society of Alberta, Neustaedter shared the stories of three eras of influential Black Calgarians: The Lewis Family, Violet King, and Oliver Bowen.

AUG 2026 • CENTRAL LIBRARY, CALGARY

Neustaedter, Peyton. “Alberta and the African American Search for Freedom.” Lecture at Central Library, Calgary, Alberta, 15 August 2026.

In this lecture, Neustaedter traced the migration of African Americans from the Southern United States to Alberta to share the foundational story of Black settlement in the province.

MAR 2026 • CINCINNATI, OHIO

Neustaedter, Peyton. “From Chicago to Edmonton: Reverend G.W. Slater, Jr. and Black Radicalism Across Borders.” Paper Presentation at the Society of Nineteenth-Century Americanists Biennial Conference, Cincinnati, Ohio, 12 March 2026.

As an invited presenter at the Society of Nineteenth-Century Americanists Biennial Conference, Neustaedter shared her MA research and discussed how Rev. George Washington Slater Jr.’s dedication to Pan-Africanism and Black uplift crossed national boundaries and drew Alberta’s Black communities to Black radical tradition.

04 / CONTACT

Contact & Collaboration

Available for academic collaborations, archival and historical consulting, exhibition curation, and speaking engagements across Western Canada and beyond.

Areas of Availability

  • Academic Collaborations
  • Archival & Historical Consulting
  • Exhibition Curation & Public History
  • Speaking Engagements & Lectures
Location

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Electronic Mail
p.neustaedter@ucalgary.ca

Contact

Complete the form below to send an inquiry or speaking invitation.

Responses typically sent within 2–3 business days.