Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) was a South African black nationalist who spent 27 years in prison for fighting against the country’s discriminatory apartheid system of racial segregation. From 1964 to February 11, 1990 Nelson Mandela was incarcerated. After his release, Mandela was chosen deputy president of the African National Congress (ANC);…
Category: Timeline Stories
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1960: Canadian Bill of Rights is enacted. 1982: Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms came into force on April 17, 1982. 1985: Equality Rights (section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms) It took another three years for this section to come into effect, April 17, 1985. The delay…
John Braithwaite was first elected to North Vancouver City Council in 1972. He served on council until 1976, then took a brief break; he was re-elected in 1983 and was then re-elected consecutively until his retirement in 2002. Altogether, John Braithwaite spent 23 years in elected office; he also has…
Awards and recognition: 1972 – National Black Coalition Award 1973 – United Nations, Human Rights Fellowship 1989 – YWCA, Woman of Distinction Award 1991 – University of British Columbia Alma Mater Society, Great Trekker Award 1995 – Government of British Columbia, Order of British Columbia 1996 – Government of Canada,…
The Church was originally constructed east of the Old East Saanich Road, nearby Sandhill Creek. Charles Alexander initiated and assisted in the building of the original church and was one of its first lay preachers. This church stood for some 30 years; the congregation built a new building completed in…
John Freemont Smith was born in the Danish West Indies (now the Virgin Islands). He initially prospected in the Interior then spent some time in Victoria where he married and started a family. The family moved back to Kamloops; John owned and operated a retail business. In 1902 he became…
Marie Stark Wallace (August 15,1867 – June 15,1966) is the third of four daughters of Silvia and Louis Stark. When Marie was in her nineties, she wrote the history of her family. After her death, her manuscript was published in The Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper as an 11-part series. “From…
The Society formed sometime in 1975. They focused on providing cultural and social activities and encouraging their children to learn about their history. They had an estimated 90 households as members. One major achievement was the production of “A Catalogue of Information and Sources of Information Pertaining to Blacks in…
BC Black History Awareness Society in partnership with the Royal BC Museum opened this exhibition on August 14, 2021. Hope Meets Action: Echoes Through the Black Continuum, the story of Afro-diasporic ‘British Columbia’ history, past, present and future. Written, told and designed by Black voices, this exhibition reclaims and retells…
Using the 2016 census, Statistics Canada released the report “Diversity of the Black population in Canada: An Overview”. Some findings: • In 2016 close to 1.2 million people in Canada self-identified as Black. • The Black population was younger than the total population in Canada. The median age for the…
Sharmarke Dubow is a Somali Canadian politician and human rights advocate. He cast his first vote ever in an election in Canada on October 20, 2018 AND in that same municipal election, he was elected a City Councillor in Victoria, BC. Meet Sharmarke
The themes are Recognition, Justice, and Development with the overall goal to promote and protect human rights. A UN Working Group at the invitation of the Canadian gov’t, visited Canada in 2016. They met with federal and provincial government agencies including Global Affairs, Statistics Canada, Immigration, Public Safety, RCMP, National…
The official citation reads: “Eleanor Collins, C.M. is a supremely talented vocalist who changed the face of race relations in mid-20th Century Vancouver. In 1948 she was ostracized upon moving into one of the city’s predominantly white neighbourhoods. She responded by fostering the values of equality and acceptance within her…
February 7, 2014: BC Black History Awareness Society organized a Leon Bibb Concert at Government House, hosted by the Honourable Judith Guichon, OBC Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. Leon was accompanied by his friend and pianist of 30 years, Bill Sample. The event was also a celebration of Leon’s 92nd…
1926: The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926 in the United States, when historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History announced the second week of February to be “Negro History Week“. This week was chosen because it coincided with…
The #BlackLivesMatter started in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the shooting death of 17-year old, unarmed Trayvon Martin. Martin was shot a year earlier on February 26, 2012. Three women Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, started what has become a global organization. The organization’s mission…
Designation Date: April 20,2009 “Our government is proud to honor a man who worked tirelessly for the local Black Community as a politician, businessman, and defender of human rights”. On February 19, 2017, the plaque was presented to the BC Black History Awareness Society and the City of Victoria. On…
“Visible Minority” refers to whether a person belongs to a visible minority group as defined by the Employment Equity Act and, if so, the visible minority group to which the person belongs. The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as ‘persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race…
The preface: “This catalogue is the result of a summer project of the Victoria Black People’s Society. The aims of the project were to research existing information in public records pertaining to Blacks in British Columbia, catalogue this information, and publish it in a consolidated form. The researchers have been…
Career: 1966 Graduated Peter A. Allard School of Law, UBC 1974 Appointed to the provincial court of B.C. 1991 Voted by B.C. lawyers as one of the four best Provincial Court Judges in the province 1995: Appointed Supreme Court Justice 2008 Received a distinguished service award from the Black Law…
In 1993 a BC Black History Awareness committee was formed to address a request from the Royal BC Museum and Archives to the Black community in Victoria to stage a Black History Month event at the museum. The success of that event was the catalyst for community members to form…
Emery Barnes had been in politics since 1972. On August 30, 1972 he was elected as the first member in the double-member riding of Vancouver Centre, along with MLA Gary Lauk. He and Lauk were re-elected in 1975, 1979 and 1983. In 1986 Lauk retired, Emery was joined by Mike…
Affectionately called “Vie’s” it was an iconic part of the black community in Hogan’s Alley, and THE favorite place to be served great food for many people working night shifts; as well as a meeting place for visiting entertainers and celebrities that included Louis Armstrong, Count Bassie, Cab Calloway, Sammy…
On October 12, 1974 Valmond Romilly, a Smithers lawyer was stopped on the street and then arrested by three Vancouver city policeman. The police claimed that Romilly was a suspect wanted for questioning. They based this claim on the fact that the suspect, like Romilly, was Black. Romilly was not…
On August 30th, 1972 Emery Barnes was elected as the first member in the double-member riding of Vancouver Centre, along with MLA Gary Lauk. He and Lauk were re-elected in 1975, 1979 and 1983. In 1986 Lauk retired, Emery was joined by Mike Harcourt. In 1991, Barnes was elected to…
The Harry Jerome International Track Classic is held annually in honour of Harry Jerome. His athletic excellence, talent and tenacity on and off the track inspired a generation of Canadians to “never give up” in their own endeavours. His legacy of athletic excellence and commitment to youth and sport remain…
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: An estimated 250,000 people took part in…
At its height in the 1930s and 1940s, the Black population in the Strathcona neighbourhood of Vancouver numbered approximately 800. It was a mixed community of mainly Italian, Chinese and Blacks. In 1958 the Vancouver City Council approved a “redevelopment plan” that called for the demolition of nearly all of…
This is the first racially oriented, AND non-violence/activist organization in British Columbia. It provided a community voice and support for self-definition through census taking, supported/liaised with other Canadian and American organizations, endeavoured to influence the curriculum in B.C. schools, as well as providing support for individuals facing discrimination in areas…
The very first Eleanor show aired on June 12, 1955. Eleanor Collins has been the recipient of numerous awards for her contribution to arts and entertainment, including the 1986 Centennial Distinguished Pioneer Award and induction into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame, Lifetime Achievement Awards from ACTRA’s Sam Payne Award,…
Black settlement in Vancouver’s Hogan’s Alley, was largely due to the neighbourhood’s proximity to the Great Northern Railway station, where many of the men in the community worked as porters. A collective bargaining agreement was signed with the CPR in May 1945, but it had taken about 3 years to…
Circa 1910 Black people began settling in the East Side neighbourhood of Strathcona in Vancouver creating an active and distinctive community. There were a number of businesses, restaurants, and entertainment venues owned and operated by Black community members. At its height in the 1930s and 1940s, the Black population in…
“Pioneer of Victoria spends day in the city, Judge Gibbs of Little Rock Arkansas, here in the gold rush”. Colonist, August 31, 1907 The article includes a review of Gibbs career since leaving Victoria in 1869 and some details about his time here. “being engaged in business on Yates Street,…
The 1 week art exhibition included 22 paintings: views of Victoria, surrounding area and the mainland. Brown is considered the first professional Black artist on the Pacific North West. The photo was taken in his studio at the Occidental Hotel in Victoria. The painting in progress on the easel is…
Fielding and Julia Spotts were part of the first Black community that settled in Saanich, just north of Victoria. They had eight children. Fielding was a trustee at the schools their eight children attended; Lake District School circa 1870 and then at the South Saanich School circa 1879 to 1884. …
Today the First Baptist Victoria church is located at the corner of North Park and Quadra Streets, Victoria. In the initial stages of this church, Blacks and whites, met in homes for prayer meetings. “On May 3, 1876 fifteen people met to organize the First Baptist Church. They were: William…
“Emily Arabella (Emma) Stark 1856 – 1890 Emily was the daughter of Louis and Sylvia Stark. She was appointed the first teacher in the new North Cedar School in 1874, becoming the first Black teacher on Vancouver Island.” Emma had grown up on Salt Spring Island, arriving with her parents,…
Pompey Jackson is believed to be the oldest person buried at Ross Bay Cemetery (G42 W18). On October 3,1873 on page 3 of the British Daily Colonist is a brief notice of his death “Old Jackson, a colored man, aged 111 years, died near the Royal Oak yesterday (October 2,…
*When Salt Spring was incorporated in Spring 1873, John Craven Jones and Henry W. Robinson were elected to the seven-member council. *John Craven Jones was the island’s school teacher originally from Oberlin, Ohio. *Henry William Robinson, originally from Bermuda, served as the council secretary. *Salt Spring Island remained incorporated for…
*Peter Lester sat as a juror in February 1860 but Black men were not on the “official list of jurors maintained by the Sheriff’s office” as had been promised by Douglas. *In March 1872, Black residents presented a petition to the Legislative Assembly requesting their names be added to the…
John Sullivan Deas took over the salmon canning business that had been started by Edward Stamp, and pre-empting the land that now bears his name. *July 25,1872, British Colonist Newspaper “At the Fishery which is carried on by Mr. Deas some 300 cases of canned salmon were already put up,…
British Columbian Population by Principal Racial Ethnic Origins 1871. Source: Jean Barman “The West Beyond the West”, pg. 429. Total population: 36,427 comprised of: Indigenous est. 25,661 (70.8%) British/Continental European 8,576 (23.7%) Asian 1,548 (4.3%) An informal census by the Victoria Police Department in 1871 counted 128 colored men and 89…
*By 1871 the federal government of Canada finally promised to build a railway to British Columbia, however the railway was not completed until 1885! *By a United Kingdom Order in Council, British Columbia became the sixth province on 20 July 1871. Sir Joseph Trutch was appointed the first Lieutenant Governor,…
We know that some Blacks did return to fight in the Civil War and after the Civil War with the abolition of slavery in the U.S. in 1865. *On July 21,1868 the Fourteenth Amendment is ratified, granting citizenship to any person born or naturalized in the United States. *On February…
On May 30, 1864 the Corps paraded in full strength to pay respects to Governor Kennedy. Governor Kennedy reviewed the company and in his address “he regretted that he was compelled to refuse to give them official recognition, as there was no authority for their existence now that the Hudson’s…
Government Gazette lists “Persons liable to pay taxes under the provision of the ‘Trade Licenses Amendment Act, 1862’ for the half-year commencing July 1, 1863”. Based on recognized names, 22 Black businesses are listed. Most were assessed between $300 and $600.00. Nathan Pointer’s clothing store had the highest assessment of…
These colored forces were called “contrabands”. Early in the war, enslaved men and women began offering to fight for the Union forces. In August (1861), the US Congress passed the Confiscation Act of 1861 making legal the status of runaway slaves. It declared that any “property” used by the Confederate…
On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation issued by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln went into effect, however it did not abolish slavery. The Proclamation, written the previous September, declared free all enslaved people in the Confederate States (or portions of those states) who resided in territory still in rebellion against…
John and Charlotte Dandridge arrived in Victoria in 1858. John Dandridge is one of the men who applied for citizenship in 1858. In 1860 they were joined by their daughter, Sydna Edmonia Robella, her husband Abner Hunt Francis and their daughter Theodosia, age about 16. John, with most of the…