Around 1910 Black people began moving to Vancouver’s East Side neighbourhood of Strathcona, a mixed community of mainly Italian, Chinese and Black people. The Black people mostly settled in what became known as “Hogan’s Alley”. At its height in the 1930s and 1940s, the Black population numbered approximately 800. There were businesses, restaurants, and entertainment venues owned and operated by Black community members. The destruction of Hogan’s Alley starting in the 1950’s was part of a wave of “urban renewal” efforts across Canada and the U.S. that often targeted Black communities and their cultural enclaves.
