Black and African Canadians | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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  • Article

    Mifflin Gibbs

    Mifflin Wistar Gibbs, politician, judge, diplomat, banker, entrepreneur (born 17 April 1823 in Philadelphia, PA; died 11 July 1915, in Little Rock, AR). Gibbs was a notable figure in both American and Canadian history. In just over a decade in colonial British Columbia, he prospered in business, advocated for the Black community, served as an elected official and helped guide British Columbia into Confederation. Gibbs was the first Black person elected to public office in what is now British Columbia.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/new_article_images/Mifflin-Gibbs.jpg Mifflin Gibbs

  • Memory Project Archive

    Albert Joseph Thomas (Primary Source)

    "Gosh, I wonder if it could be possible? So I asked her a question and she says, yes. Well, I said, you’re looking at him. And she started crying. I’m pretty proud about what I did." Albert Joseph Thomas served in the army during the Second World War. See below for Mr. Thomas' entire testimony. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/MemoryProject/AlbertJosephThomas/1513_original.jpg Albert Joseph Thomas (Primary Source)

  • Memory Project Archive

    Everett Sylvester Cromwell (Primary Source)

    "One time I drove for 36 hours without stopping. When I stopped it was just long enough to off-load and load. That was war. That’s what you trained for." See below for Mr. Cromwell's entire testimony. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/MemoryProject/EverettSylvesterCromwell/cromwell service photo.jpg Everett Sylvester Cromwell (Primary Source)

  • Memory Project Archive

    Leonard Braithwaite (Primary Source)

    "I started to go down to Bay and Wellington. That’s where the recruiting station was. The first time the guy, the recruiting officer, just said, "No, sorry, we don’t take you people."" See below for Mr. Braithwaite's entire testimony. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/MemoryProject/Braithwaite_AirForce_Tweet.jpg Leonard Braithwaite (Primary Source)

  • Article

    Muslims

    See ISLAM.

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    https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Muslims

  • Article

    No. 2 Construction Battalion

    On 5 July 1916, the Department of Defence and Militia authorized the formation of No. 2 Construction Battalion. It was the largest Black unit in Canadian history. Its members continued the proud tradition of service to king and country that went back to the American Revolution and continued through the War of 1812 and the Rebellions of 1837–38 to the start of the First World War. But there were many obstacles: Black soldiers and communities faced racism both at home and overseas, despite their commitment to the war effort.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/d2114b98-ef0d-4e98-aa49-892b095d77cc.jpg No. 2 Construction Battalion

  • Article

    Onye Nnorom

    Onyenyechukwu (Onye) Nnorom, family physician, specialist in public health and preventive medicine (born 27 February 1981 in Montreal, Quebec). Nnorom is the associate director of the residency program in public health and preventive medicine at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. She also leads the Black health curriculum at the university’s medical school. Her work addresses the health inequities that racialized and immigrant communities face.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/new_article_images/OnyeNnorom/Onye_Nnorom2.JPG Onye Nnorom

  • Article

    Order-in-Council P.C. 1911-1324 — the Proposed Ban on Black Immigration to Canada

    Order-in-Council P.C. 1324 was approved on 12 August 1911 by the Cabinet of Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier. The purpose of the order was to ban Black persons from entering Canada for a period of one year because, it read, “the Negro race…is deemed unsuitable to the climate and requirements of Canada.” The order-in-council was the culmination of what researcher R. Bruce Shepard has called Canada’s “campaign of diplomatic racism.” Though the order never became law, the actions of government officials made it clear that Black immigrants were not wanted in Canada (see Immigration).

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/9d43e9db-d903-4447-a4a6-ad497d99685f.jpg Order-in-Council P.C. 1911-1324 — the Proposed Ban on Black Immigration to Canada

  • Article

    Portia White

    Portia May White, contralto, teacher (born 24 June 1911 in Truro, NS; died 13 February 1968 in Toronto, ON). Portia White was the first Black Canadian concert singer to win international acclaim. She was considered one of the best classical singers of the 20th century. Her voice was described by one critic as “a gift from heaven.” She was often compared to the celebrated African American contralto Marian Anderson. The Nova Scotia Talent Trust was established in 1944 specifically to enable White to concentrate on her professional career. She was named a “person of national historic significance” by the Government of Canada in 1995.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/!feature-img-thumbnails/port-white-twe.jpg Portia White

  • Article

    Portia White (Plain-Language Summary)

    Portia May White, singer, teacher (born 24 June 1911 in Truro, NS; died 13 February 1968 in Toronto, ON). Portia White was one of the best classical singers of the 20th century. She was the first Black Canadian concert singer to become famous. Her voice was described by one critic as “a gift from heaven.” She was often compared to the African American singer Marian Anderson. The Nova Scotia Talent Trust was founded in 1944 to allow White to focus on her singing career. She was named a “person of national historic significance” by the Government of Canada in 1995. This article is a plain-language summary of Portia White. If you are interested in reading about this topic in more depth, please see our full-length entry: Portia White.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/PortiaWhiteHeader.jpg Portia White (Plain-Language Summary)

  • Article

    Rosemary Brown

    Rosemary Brown, née Wedderburn, OC, OBC, social worker, politician (born 17 June 1930 in Kingston, Jamaica; died 26 April 2003 in Vancouver, BC). Rosemary Brown was Canada's first Black female member of a provincial legislature and the first woman to run for leadership of a federal political party.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/home-page-images/rosemary-brown-resized.jpg Rosemary Brown

  • Article

    Sleeping Car Porters in Canada

    Sleeping car porters were railway employees who attended to passengers aboard sleeping cars. Porters were responsible for passengers’ needs throughout a train trip, including carrying luggage, setting up beds, pressing clothes and shining shoes, and serving food and beverages, among other services. The vast majority of sleeping car porters were Black men and the position was one of only a few job opportunities available to Black men in Canada. While the position carried respect and prestige for Black men in their communities, the work demanded long hours for little pay. Porters could be fired suddenly and were often subjected to racist treatment. Black Canadian porters formed the first Black railway union in North America (1917) and became members of the larger Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in 1939. Both unions combatted racism and the many challenges that porters experienced on the job.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/new_article_images/SleepingCarPorters/L3D211046.jpg Sleeping Car Porters in Canada

  • Article

    Stanley G. Grizzle

    Stanley George Sinclair Grizzle, CM, OOnt, citizenship judge, politician, civil servant, labour union activist (born 18 November 1918 in Toronto, ON; died 12 November 2016 in Toronto, ON). Stanley Grizzle had an illustrious career as a railway porter, soldier, civil servant, citizenship judge and activist for the rights of Black Canadians.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/Twitter_Cards/Grizzle.jpg Stanley G. Grizzle

  • Article

    Sylvia Stark

    Sylvia Estes Stark, pioneer (born 1839 in Clay County, Missouri, US; died 7 November 1944 in Fruitvale, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia). Born into enslavement, Sylvia Stark was one of more than 600 Black Americans who emigrated to British Columbia in 1858 at the invitation of Governor James Douglas. She was one of the original settlers on Salt Spring Island.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/new_article_images/SylviaStark/SylviaStark.jpg Sylvia Stark

  • Article

    Ted King

    Theodore “Ted” Stanley King, civil rights activist, real estate broker, accountant, railway porter (born 14 July 1925 in Calgary; died 7 July 2001 in Surrey, BC). Ted King was the president of the Alberta Association for the Advancement of Coloured People from 1958 to 1961, where he advocated for the rights of Black Canadians. In 1959, King launched a legal challenge against a Calgary motel’s discriminatory policy, decades before human rights protections existed throughout Canada. The case made it to the Alberta Supreme Court. Though it was not successful, King’s case exposed legal loopholes innkeepers exploited in order to deny lodging to Black patrons.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/!feature-img-thumbnails/ted-king-tw.jpg Ted King