Stories
40 posts
August 1 1834 is important in Canadian history because the Slavery Abolition Act affected the lives of those enslaved and the lives of their descendants. March 24, 2021: Canada’s House of Commons voted unanimously to officially designate August 1 Emancipation Day. It marks the actual day in 1834 that the […]
April 25th,1858 the Steamship Commodore sailed into Victoria harbour from San Francisco. On board were 35 Black people, the Pioneer Committee, to meet with Governor Douglas. They were free men and women seeking a place where they could raise their families, educate their children, practise their professions, enjoy the results […]
The arrival of the Black Pioneers to B.C. in 1858 was designated as a National Historic Event by the Government of Canada on September 22, 1997. This plaque was commissioned by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board and was unveiled on February 20, 2000 at the Shady Creek United Church […]
She 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 will always be celebrated for her extensive career as a jazz singer. Not only is she the first black artist in North America to host […]
Learn about these places, spaces, and landscapes that underscore the achievements and contributions of the first 1858 pioneers, their descendants, and the incomers and immigrants of African heritage who have chosen to make their home here.
This bakery business offered an extraordinary variety of biscuits, fancy breads and baked goods for many decades. Moses Rowe Smith arrived in Victoria in 1858 from London, Ontario. He had been engaged in the bakery business there. He set up his bakery on the south side of Johnson Street, but […]
Gilbert single-handedly captured a German Officer and 24 of his men at Vimy Ridge. Robert Burt Gilbert was born on July 31, 1887 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Both parents, James Gilbert & Matilda Rogers were born in the U.S. Records show that in 1916 he lived at 846 Fisgard St. Victoria, […]
Artist, Dentist, Judge, Juror, Policemen, Politician, Teacher, Television Host. In acknowledging these “Firsts”, we can reflect on the advice Gibbs received, before deciding to migrate to Vancouver Island, from Julia Griffith, the English comrade of abolitionist Frederick Douglass: “What! Discouraged? Go do some great thing.” Here are some “firsts” for […]
It’s here! – a 52-page illustrated publication, BC Black History Timeline, to purchase by donation We launched a BC Black History digital timeline in 2021; and then began receiving requests for a print version. Working with a graphic design firm, we are now offering an illustrated 52-page publication to purchase […]
By the spring of 1860 40 to 50 Black men were enrolled in the Victoria Pioneer Rifle Corps. The Corps was officially sworn in on July 4, 1861. In 1859, when the volunteer Fire Department was being created in Victoria, several Black men volunteered to serve but they were […]
In February 1860 he was the 1st Black to sit as a juror in B.C. Peter Lester moved with his wife Nancy and five children to San Francisco from Philadelphia in 1850, where he was appalled to find that slavery was still a fact of life in the free state […]
A tinsmith by trade, Deas became the leading canner on the Fraser River in the 1870's. Deas Island, where the cannery was located, bears his name. To mark Canada's 150th birthday, 150 noteworthy British Columbian's were named: February 24, 2017: John Sullivan Deas - built first commercial salmon cannery. Salmon […]
Patriarch and Matriarch of Alexanders of Victoria, arrived in Victoria aboard the ship Oregon in July 1858. Charles was born August 16, 1824 in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a free black. Nancy was born May 25, 1834 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was also a free black. They were […]
Farmer, cooper, husband, father, church leader, school trustee ... Applicants for British Citizenship in an 1858-1859 report in the Victoria Gazette listed Fielding Spotts as a cooper. It is believed he arrived late in 1858/early 1859 and worked at this trade in Victoria until about 1864. Eighteen fifty-nine was a […]
Born into slavery, as a child she taught herself to read; travelled from Missouri with her parents, was a pioneer on Salt Spring Island, became a legend, living to the age of 106. Sylvia Estes was born in Clay County, Missouri to parents who were slaves. Her parents and their […]
Emma Stark was the 1st Black teacher on Vancouver Island, 1874, at the Cranberry-Cedar School near Nanaimo. Emma was born on February 17, 1856 in California. Her given name was Emily Arabella. She is the daughter of Sylvia and Louis Stark. She had 1 brother Willis, born on January 9, […]
1st teacher on Salt Spring Island circa 1859 to 1875; one of only 16 public school teachers in the Province at that time. John Craven Jones was the 2nd oldest of three brothers who came to Salt Spring Island in 1859. John's older brother is William Allen who settled in […]
The Government of Canada is proud to honor a man who worked tirelessly for the local Black Community as a politician, businessman, and defender of human rights ... His story... Mifflin Wistar Gibbs was born in Philadelphia, April 17, 1823 to Jonathan C. and Maria Gibbs. Gibbs father, a minister […]
Giscome Portage Trail bears his name, and is a designated heritage site. Giscome Portage Trail was designated an official Heritage Site in 1997. BC Parks took over management of the trail when it was designated a Protected Area in the year 2000. The image is titled "Crossing the Portage" by Richard […]
William Allen Jones was the 1st dentist in B.C. (1886) to be granted a license under the British Columbia Dental Act. William Allen Jones, was the oldest of three brothers who came to Salt Spring Island in 1859, pre-empting land on the west side of Ganges Harbour. All three brothers […]
James Douglas was born in Demerara, British Guiana, which is now Guyana, in 1803. His father was a Scottish merchant with commercial interests in sugar plantations, his mother was a free woman of Barbadian-Creole ancestry. In the records of the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) he is referred to as Scotch […]
The 1st professional Black artist, working and living in the Pacific North West, British Columbia and California. In addition to his oil paintings. Brown was also a cartographer and lithographer. The Royal B.C. Museum holds the greatest number of and most significant of Brown's Canadian works and continue to add […]
“Vancouver Citizen of the Century” - Credited with saving at least 29 lives from drowning, including adults and children, as well as teaching three generations of Vancouver children to swim; in 1986 the Vancouver Historical Society formally declared Joe as “Vancouver Citizen of the Century”. Seraphim Joseph Fortes was most […]
Renowned Classical Pianist & Music Educator. “If children hear fine music from the day of their birth and learn to play it, they develop sensitivity, discipline and endurance. They get a beautiful heart.” Shinichi Suzuki Ruby Sneed was born Ruby Evelyn Proctor on April 30, 1917 in Edmonton Alberta. Her self-educated […]
Emery Barnes was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in 1972 as the first member in the double-member riding of Vancouver Centre, along with former MLA Gary Lauk. He and Lauk were re-elected in 1975, 1979 and 1983. In 1986 after Lauk’s retirement, Emery was joined by Mike […]
First black woman athlete to represent Canada in an International competition and the first person from a visible minority to be hired as a teacher by the Vancouver School Board. Born and raised in Vancouver, Barbara grew up in the Grandview neighborhood with her sister and three brothers; she attended […]
The first black person to be named to the B.C. Supreme Court; is recognized as having made significant contributions to judicial and legal education contributing to the development of the law in British Columbia and Canada. Career: 1966 Graduated Peter A. Allard School of Law, UBC. 1974 He was appointed […]
Fastest man on earth … The Harry Jerome International Track Classic is held annually in honour of Harry Jerome, he has inspired a generation of Canadians and has a legacy of athletic excellence and commitment to youth and sport. Harry Jerome: To mark Canada's 150th birthday, 150 noteworthy British Columbian's […]
Politician, feminist, writer, educator, lecturer and mother, Rosemary Brown has contributed much to B.C. and Canada including being the 1st black woman elected to a Canadian Provincial Legislature (B.C) and running for the leadership of the Federal NDP Party in 1975. Rosemary Brown has contributed much to her adopted country […]
renowned singer, song-writer, recipient of the Order of B.C. in 2009, founder of "Step-Ahead" program for youth which was performed in more than 20 schools in Canada ... Leon Bibb, born February 7, 1922 in Louisville, Kentucky, is a former New Yorker who has been living in Vancouver, B. C., […]
On April 11, 1930 George Paris Carter turned 70. Colonist April 11, 1930, page 23: The article included the picture of George and reads: “When Mr. George Paris Carter woke up this morning at his house at 149 St. Lawrence Street, his first thought on gazing out at his sunlit […]