BC Black History Timelines
Charles and Nancy were married in Springfield Illinois, on December 25,1849. In 1899 they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with many friends and well-wishers at their home in Lake Hill (a subdivision in Saanich, BC). Read more More than 400 descendants have been documented and many still live on Vancouver Island, Salt Spring Island and on the mainland. In 1980, Alexander Park in Victoria was dedicated in honour of their son Frederick Douglas Alexander and his wife Mary Louisa (nee Barnswell) Alexander. The studio portrait is 10 years later. The dress was made for their 60th wedding anniversary. Image: Studio portrait of Charles and Nancy Alexander on their 60th wedding anniversary. Image Courtesy of Royal BC Museum and Archives
Mifflin Wistar Gibbs was a prominent citizen of Victoria, serving as a councillor and co-owned the retail firm of Lester & Gibbs, a general store that was known for outfitting prospectors. He left Victoria in 1869 and became a municipal judge in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1873. His return visit was reported in the Colonist on August 31, 1907.“Pioneer of Victoria spends day in the city, Judge Gibbs of Little Rock Arkansas, here in the gold rush”. The article also reports "Mr. Gibbs owned five acres of land at the corner of Michigan and Menzies where he lived and where his five children were born..” This land, now Irving Park, is where the plaque is located honouring Gibbs as a "Person of National Historic Significance." Image of Gibbs, U.S. municipal judge, courtesy of Royal BC Museum and Archives
Henry Houston Scott, his wife Amy, and their three youngest children came from Oklahoma. The Scott’s settled in Surrey in 1912, purchasing a seven-acre parcel along today’s 64 Avenue at 181A Street. They were among the earliest Black families in that area. The family ran a farm, but all that remains today are some apple trees that still blossom. One son, Roy, worked at the local lumber mill and for Canadian Pacific Railway. Son Jesse worked as a dairy farmer and oil refinery worker and played baseball for the local team. Benola, the daughter and last surviving family member, died in 1971. A family grave stone was installed in 2018 by the City of Surrey.
Black men seeking to enlist for service in WWI were repeatedly turned away from military recruitment offices across Canada, but by 1916 the Allied leadership had become alarmed at the bloodbath that was taking place on European battlefields. The No. 2 Construction Battalion, the first and only Black battalion in Canadian military history, was authorized on July 5, 1916 with headquarters in Nova Scotia. “The Black Battalion 1916-1920 Canada’s Best Kept Military Secret” written by Senator Calvin W. Ruck is dedicated “To the memory of all Blacks who served in the Great War 1914 –1918” and relates their fight for equity in this country to the fight for this country. Twelve men who were born in BC or were living in BC enlisted in the Battalion: Pte. Roy Alexander, Pte. Norman Bowden, Pte. Arthur Burns, Pte. Joseph Gilkes, Pte. Arnold William Harris, Pte. Ernest Hutcheson, Cpl. Daniel Livingstone, Pte. David Daniel Redman, Sapper James Douglas Whims, Pte. Robert Clark Whims, Sapper James Edward Wintworth, and Pte. Harry Wright. The battalion was officially disbanded on September 15, 1920.On July 9, 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a National Apology to the No. 2 Construction Battalion and their Descendants, acknowledging the overt racism they had endured before, during, and after the war. The National Apology No. 2 Construction Battalion - Legacy in BC and Beyond
The Battle of Vimy Ridge took place on April 9, 1917. Pte. R. Gilbert, one of the few Black men permitted to enlist, (the 103rd Battalion recruited in, and was mobilized at Victoria, British Columbia) captured a German Officer who then gave Pte. Gilbert his own Iron Cross, because of the bravery and courage Gilbert showed in capturing the officer and 24 of his men! Find out more
Railway porters were hired from cities with established Black communities, including Vancouver’s Hogan’s Alley. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights states “porters tended to be highly educated men, with university degrees in science, medicine or business administration – prevailing racist attitudes held that Black people were socially inferior to whites and were meant to work in menial or subordinate vocations.” The porters’ union signed a collective bargaining agreement with the CPR in May 1945 after three years of intense negotiations. Sleeping Car Porters in Canada Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque: Railway porters played a major role in the struggle for Black rights in Canada. Starting in the late 1880s, they emerged as leaders of African Canadian communities in Montréal and in other urban centres. Through their unions, such as the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and the Order of Sleeping Car Porters, they gained recognition for Blacks within the labour movement. After the Second World War, the porters made important contributions to the campaign for human rights, particularly through their struggle to end discrimination in railway employment. Designation Date: 1994-11-24
The location at the corner of Jackson and Prior Streets in Vancouver originally had a Lutheran Church that was constructed in 1904. The building was purchased in 1918 through the leadership of local resident Nora Hendrix and around 1921 opened as the African Methodist Episcopal Fountain Chapel. It was the spiritual and social heart of the community. The first minister to serve was Reverend Ulysses S. Robinson, who arrived in Canada in October, 1921 (1888-1947). Reverend Robinson was the longest serving minister. The first Canadian-born minister was Reverend J. Ivan Moore. While today it is a private residence, it was designated as a Heritage Property by the City of Vancouver in 1994. *Image: Rev. J. Ivan Moore welcomes Mrs. Robert Crump, her twin sons Robert and Ronald, 12, well-known Vancouver entertainers, and Sandra, 5, to Fountain Chapel. (1952) Photographer H.R. Lovely, Vancouver Daily Province
Barbara Howard was born and raised in Vancouver. She was the first Black woman athlete to represent Canada in an International event, competing at the 1938 British Empire Games held in Sydney, Australia from February 5 to 12. In 2012 she was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in the Pioneer Category.
Descendants of the Black pioneers who remained in BC enlisted to fight for Canada. Hiram Whims was born in Tennessee and immigrated to Salt Spring Island around 1859. Four grandsons served in World War I. Two great-grandsons served in World War II. We honour and remember the men and women who served and continue to serve in war, conflict and peace Image: William "Billy" George Whims, was born on Salt Spring Island, the son of George Harim Whims. Billy was stationed in Petawawa, Ontario. Courtesy of Salt Spring Island Archives
Viola Desmond went to the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia on November 8, 1946. She sat in a main floor seat and refused to move to the balcony, which was the only place Black patrons were permitted. She was arrested, dragged out of the theatre, spent a night in jail, and charged with tax evasion for not paying the one-cent difference in the price of the main floor and balcony tickets. Desmond fought the case all the way to the Nova Scotia Supreme Court. Although unsuccessful, her actions called attention to and helped end the practice of segregation. On November 19, 2018, Desmond became the first Canadian woman to appear alone on a Canadian bank note—a $10 bill. She was also named a National Historic Person in 2018.
On April 15, 1948, the Province newspaper reported that Mr. & Mrs. Dermont Cromwell received a letter demanding that they move from their home in southeast Vancouver, as they were not wanted in the neighbourhood. Auspiciously, Mr. Cromwell was the President of the Canadian Society for the Advancement of Colored People. Friends and neighbours rallied support for the couple. On May 21, 1948, Mrs. Margaret Kent was found guilty of threatening the couple and received a suspended sentence on posting a $1,000.00 peace bond. Anti-Black racism remained prevalent in the province. In August 1948 Vancouver hotels refused accommodation to the Black cast of “Carmen,” and even 17 years later, in August 1965, professional Black football players were refused accommodation in some Vancouver hotels.
Barbara Howard wrote “I got my first job in Alberni from sending out resumes. It never occurred to me that people did not hire black teachers. About 10 years later, when I came back to Vancouver, I had no trouble getting work as a substitute teacher. So I waited every morning for that call at 7am to see if I’d have work that day.” At Strathcona School “I found out the P.E. teacher they had— a very fine teacher— was retiring, and they wanted to hire me full time. I stayed for eight years.” Barbara Howard on Life as an East Van P.E. Teacher Image: “Barbara Howard is being inducted @BCSportsHall (2012) in the Pioneer category. She is a LEGEND!” by miss604 licensed with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
The very first Eleanor show aired on June 12, 1955. Eleanor Collins received numerous awards for her contribution to arts and entertainment, including the 1986 Centennial Distinguished Pioneer Award, induction into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame (1992), ACTRA’s Sam Payne Lifetime Achievement Award, and lifetime achievement awards from the Toronto Black Diversity Network Black Canadian Award and the Black Women in Jazz Award. On November 21, 2014, on her 95th Birthday, Eleanor Collins was invested into the Order of Canada and in January 2022 honoured with a commemorative stamp. Image courtesy of Judith Maxie
The International Day was adopted by the UN six years after March 21, 1960 – the day police officers in a Black township in South Africa opened fire on a group of people peacefully protesting the oppressive apartheid laws. Sixty‐nine protestors were killed that day. “Apartheid” is a racist legal system that denied rights and freedoms to anyone who was not considered white. In particular “the pass laws” were used by government to restrict where Black South Africans could work, live and travel. In South Africa, March 21 is now known as Human Rights Day. The anniversary of the Sharpeville Massacre, March 21, is remembered around the world as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Citation: Matthew McRae. “The Sharpeville Massacre.” Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Published March 19, 2019. Updated: August 8, 2023
“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.” An estimated 250,000 people took part in the one-mile March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. It was the largest demonstration for human rights in the U.S. and a strong showing of unity. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech in which he called for an end to racism. Image: View from the Lincoln Memorial toward the Washington Monument Credit: United States Marine Corps, Public Domain
In 1958 the Vancouver City Council approved a “redevelopment plan” that called for the demolition of nearly all of Strathcona, including Hogan’s Alley. By 1967, more than a dozen blocks, including the western section of Hogan’s Alley, had been leveled for the new viaduct. The centre of Strathcona’s Black neighbourhood and parts of Chinatown were effectively destroyed. Some years later, the Hogan’s Alley Society (HAS) was formed. It advocates for Black Vancouverites “who have endured the legacies of urban renewal and their erasure from the official historical narrative.” Image: Mike W. CC BY-SA 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Africville residents trace their roots back to the late 1700’s. The community was founded chiefly by Black Loyalist Nova Scotians and formerly enslaved African Americans. The majority of residents were landowners in a close-knit community with stores, a school, a post office and the church. During the late 1960s, the City of Halifax condemned and tore down the area. “The church was demolished on Nov. 20, 1967 in the middle of the night. This was done before the city actually owned the building. The church was bulldozed with many vital records inside. The last home to be demolished would happen on Jan. 2, 1970.” Source: The Trials and Triumphs of Africville, published March 25, 2020, by Craig Baird https://canadaehx.com/2020/03/25/the-trials-and-triumphs-of-africville/
In spring 1968, six Caribbean students at Sir George Williams University filed a complaint against biology professor Perry Anderson, making a case that he practised racial discrimination in his courses. The University dismissed the complaint. In response, some 200 demonstrators held a peaceful sit-in. Forceful police intervention resulted in extensive property damage. The demonstration and its aftermath received international attention. Although the affair was widely publicised at the time as a “riot,” the demonstration and repercussions are now appreciated in the broader context of racism. In October 2022, as one of the 88 Task Force recommendations, President Graham Carr delivered an official apology on behalf of Concordia University for its role in the 1969 “riots.” Image: Sir George William University (today Concordia). The Henry F. Hall building in 1970, (photo by Conrad Poirier [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)
Harry Winston Jerome was born on September 30, 1940 in Saskatchewan. His family moved to the Vancouver area in 1951. Rising above the intense racism and discrimination at their school and in their neighbourhood, Harry and his sister Valerie excelled in a variety of sports. Harry’s exceptional speed made him one of the best sprinters to ever represent Canada. The Harry Jerome International Track Classic is held annually in his honour. “His talent, tenacity, and athletic excellence on and off the track inspired a generation of Canadians to ‘never give up’ in their own endeavours.” Image: The 9-foot bronze statue of Harry Jerome in Stanley Park, Vancouver was unveiled in 1988. More at Canadian Encyclopedia
Affectionately called “Vie’s” the restaurant 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. It was a meeting place for visiting entertainers and celebrities including Louis Armstrong, Count Bassie, Cab Calloway, Sammy Davis Jr., Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, Lou Rawls, Diana Ross and the Supremes, and Jimi Hendrix (whose grandmother was a cook at Vie's) Viva (Vie) was a descendant of the pioneer Alexander family that settled on Salt Spring Island. Her husband, Bob Moore, was from Alabama. Viva died in 1975. Her daughter, Adelene Ellen Alexander Clark, took over Vie's until it closed in 1979. Image: Notice posted in the Vancouver Sun about the closure of Vie’s Chicken and Steakhouse at 209 Union Street
Marie Stark Wallace (1867 - 1966) was 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 “From Slavery to Freedom: The History of the Stark Family” was published in The Gulf Island Driftwood newspaper as an 11-part series starting on November 7, 1979. The story begins around 1839 when her mother was a young enslaved girl in Missouri. Image: Sylvia Stark and daughter Marie Stark Wallace during the apple harvest in the 1930s. Courtesy of Salt Spring Island Archives
Joe arrived in Vancouver around 1885-1886 when he was about 20 years old. He worked as a bartender but spent many hours at English Bay, taking it upon himself to be THE informal swimming teacher and lifeguard. In 1910 the City of Vancouver recognized Joe as an official lifeguard to be employed and paid by the City. To celebrate Vancouver’s centennial; Vancouver Historical Society formally declared Joe as “Vancouver Citizen of the Century”. Joe's story Image courtesy of Royal BC Museum and Archives
In 1986 the City of Victoria undertook The Fort Victoria Brick Project to commemorate early Victoria pioneers and settlers. A double row of 1000 bricks was laid from 1000 to 1150 Government Street and in Bastion Square. The bricks for Sir James Douglas and Lady Amelia Douglas are in Bastion Square. Black Pioneers that have engraved bricks are: Charles and Nancy Alexander, James and Mary Louisa (nee Lowe) Barnswell , Howard and Hannah Estes, Mifflin Gibbs, Wellington Delany Moses, Nathan and Sarah Pointer, Louis and Silvia Stark, Ringo’s Restaurant. Charles Jr., Ada and Kenneth Alexander, grandchildren of Charles and Nancy Alexander, are also remembered with engraved bricks. Their stories can be found on our website and at this digital exhibit, designed and developed by BCBHAS and hosted by Digital Museums Canada "Influencing the Vision of Canada" Watch this short video about the bricks in Bastion Square
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 and later with MLA Mike Harcourt. In 1991 Barnes was elected to the revised riding of Vancouver-Burrard and appointed Deputy Speaker of the Legislature. He was elected as the Speaker by secret ballot in 1994 and became the first Black person to hold this position in any Canadian province. Image courtesy of BC Legislature
The success of the Black History Month 1994 event by the Special Event Advisory Committee working with the Royal BC Museum and Archives was the catalyst for community members to form the BC Black History Awareness Society. The Society was incorporated on March 18,1994. Since October 2018, the society has been a registered charity. The first Board members were Clyde Griffith, President, Valin Marshall, Vice-President, Jean Howell, Secretary, Carl Thompson, Treasurer, and Directors-at-large Jonathan Johnson and Tyrone Gaskin. Image: Some of the first board members, committee members, and supporters, November 1994. (l-r) Valin Marshall, Jean Howell, Emery Barnes (seated) Frank Robinson, Menziwe Mbeo, Clyde Griffith About our logo
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. After his release, Mandela became president of the African National Congress (ANC). In 1993 Mandela and then President de Klerk were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In April 1994, the ANC won South Africa’s first elections. Mandela was sworn in as president of South Africa on May 10, 1994. Since 2009, his birthday on July 18 has been observed annually as Nelson Mandela International Day. Image: Mandela in Washington, DC 1994: © copyright John Mathew Smith 2001. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license
Rosemary Brown (1930-2003) was an acclaimed community leader and elected representative. She was distinguished by many awards and recognition before and after being invested into the Order of Canada in 1996. 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, Officer of the Order of Canada 2001 - Government of Jamaica, Commander of the Order of Distinction 2002 - Canadian Labour Congress, Award for Outstanding Service to Humanity 2002 - Harry Jerome Award 2009 - Commemorative Stamp issue Image: Rosemary Brown 1979, Courtesy of Royal BC Museum and Archives
Justice Selwyn Romilly is recognized as an eminent jurist in the province. Milestones in his celebrated career include: 1966 - Graduated Peter A. Allard School of Law, UBC 1974 - Appointed to the provincial court of B.C. 1991 - Voted by BC lawyers as one of the four best Provincial Court Judges in the province 1995 - Appointed as BC Supreme Court Justice 2008 - Received a distinguished service award from the Black Law Students Association of Canada Image: © Selwyn Romilly all rights reserved
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 birthday of Abraham Lincoln on February 12 and of Frederick Douglass on February 14, Black communities had celebrated both dates together since the late 19th century. 1970: Black History Week becomes Black History Month in the U.S. 1976: Black History Month officially recognized by the U.S. government 1987: In the United Kingdom Black History Month is now celebrated in October 1995: In December 1995, the House of Commons in Canada officially recognized February as Black History Month 2008: In February 2008, Senator Donald Oliver, the first Black man appointed to the Senate, introduced the motion to "Recognize Contributions of Black Canadians and February as Black History Month." It received unanimous approval and was adopted on March 4, 2008. Image: Joanna Nix-Walkup, Unsplash