BC Black History Timeline
Leon Bibb Plays at Government House, Victoria and it’s his 92nd birthday
May 8, 2014: Eleanor Collins is invested into the Order of Canada
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 community —and consequently became a civic leader and pioneer in the development of British Columbia’s music industry. Celebrated for her extensive career as a jazz singer with CBC Radio and Television, she became the first Black artist in North America to host a nationally broadcast television series.”
The investment ceremony took place in Ottawa on November 21, 2014 the occasion of her 95th Birthday.
Image courtesy of Judith Maxie
2015-2024: International Decade for People of African Descent
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 Defence, Correctional Services, and the Canadian Human Rights Commission as well as non-governmental organizations and academics.
Their report was published on August 16, 2017 and includes an Historical Overview of Canada, Demographics and 41 recommendations. The report concluded:
“Despite Canada’s reputation for promoting multiculturalism and diversity and the positive measures taken by the national and provincial governments, the Working Group is deeply concerned about the structural racism that lies at the core of many Canadian institutions and the systemic anti-Black racism that continues to have a negative impact on the human rights situation of African-Canadians.”
June 11th is now Doug Hudlin Day in Victoria
| Doug Hudlin worked for the City of Victoria but his love was being on the field as an umpire. He umpired generations of Island ball players over four decades. Remembered as the “Gentleman Umpire”, Doug was inducted into the Victoria Sports Hall of Fame in 1998, Umpires Association Hall of Fame in 2011 and was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Sports Hall of Fame 2 weeks after this day was declared. Doug was also a founding member of BC Black History Awareness Society.
The plaque was unveiled at Royal Athletic Park, Victoria on June 11, 2022 |
June 24, 2017: Doug Hudlin is inducted, posthumously, into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
Known as the “Gentleman Umpire”, Doug was inducted into the Victoria Sports Hall of Fame in 1998, Umpires Association Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Canadian Baseball Sports Hall of Fame in 2017; and he is a founding member of BC Black History Awareness Society. Read more about Doug
Image courtesy of Barbara Hudlin. James Douglas “Doug” Hudlin in 1988
BC Black Pioneers exhibit opens at Digital Museums Canada
Designed and developed by our Society, British Columbia Black Pioneers is a collection of short stories about women, men, families, and partnerships that show the intricacies of the events, experiences, and circumstances of everyday life of the Black pioneers, such as winning prizes at the earliest Saanich Fair in 1875, organizing by women in Victoria to raise money to support Black troops in the American Civil War, and confronting discrimination while still achieving many “firsts” in business, politics, and education.
BC Black History Awareness Society (BCBHAS) created this online exhibit to share their stories and describe the influence that they and their families had on the province’s historical development and diversity. The exhibit, which officially opened in December 2020, is hosted by Digital Museums Canada. Visit the online exhibit
Read about this project
Image depicts some of the intrepid pioneers who made Vancouver Island and Salt Spring Island their home beginning in 1858. Images courtesy of City of Victoria Archives, Royal BC Museum and Archives, and Salt Spring Island Archives. This collage was compiled by Beth Cruise, ©BC Black History Awareness Society.
August 14, 2021: “Hope Meets Action: Echoes through The Black Continuum”
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 the complicated history of stolen people on stolen land, and how the contributions of Black leaders echo across the centuries into the present; a history that has long been whitewashed in the annals of colonial history.
The exhibition was open at the museum on the first floor until March 31, 2022. It is now featured in the RBCM Learning Portal.
Canada Heritage Stamp Honours Eleanor Collins
“Canada’s First Lady of Jazz” She has fostered the values of equality and acceptance; is recognized as a civic leader and pioneer in the development of British Columbia’s music industry. She is celebrated for her extensive career as a jazz singer; one of the first Black artists in North America to host a national, weekly television series. Read more of her unparalleled story