Radio Canada's podcast series features 3 minute discussions about Black History in Canada and some of the pioneering Black Canadians who helped shape our country.
Eleanor Collins was the first Canadian woman, the first Alberta woman, and the first Black entertainer in Canada to have her own national television show. This article discusses her many achievements. Video and audio files are included in the article.
Portia White was the first Black Canadian concert singer to win international acclaim. White was named a “person of national historic significance” by the Government of Canada in 1995. Don't miss the embedded video.
This article tells the story of Violet Davis, the first Black person to graduate with a law degree in Alberta and the first Black lawyer admitted to the Alberta Bar Association.
In this history lesson, you will learn about the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit of Elijah McCoy, a prolific inventor who held 57 patents, mostly on designs related to locomotives.
This animated video presents an overview of inventor, Elijah McCoy, who was born in Canada and moved to the United States where he found success inventing solutions for industry.
This online exhibit is from the Archives of Ontario, celebrating Daniel G. Hill's contributions to human rights in Canada. The exhibit was prepared by Hill's son, Lawrence Hill, the author of The Book of Negroes.
Read the story of Harry Jerome, a Black Canadian athlete, who overcame a terrible injury as well as racist attitudes in the Canadian Press to become an Olympic Champion.
This Heritage Minute tells the story of Viola Desmond, an entrepreneur who challenged segregation in Nova Scotia in the 1940s. Viola Desmond is the first Canadian woman to appear on the face of a Canadian banknote, the $10 bill.
Fil Fraser was a pioneering Black Canadian broadcaster, journalist, author, producer, humanitarian, and educator who worked in many parts of Canada, including Alberta.
Mary Ann Shadd Cary was a writer, educator, lawyer, abolitionist and the first black newspaperwoman in North America. She founded her newspaper in Canada.
Mathieu Da Costa was the first Black person known to have visited Canada. While here, he worked as in interpreter for Dutch and French authorities at first and later for Indigenous communities. Learn more about him here!
An article by Alberta Senator Paula Simons that tells the story of Joseph Lewis, a Black voyageur in early Canada, who settled in Alberta before moving to the Red River Colony.
William Hall was the first Black Canadian to receive the Victoria Cross. Born in 1827, he died in 1904 after a life as a ship's captain. Read about his life as a sea captain in the Royal British Navy and how he came to win the Victoria Cross.
Learn about Rosemary Brown, Canada's first Black female member of a provincial legislature and the first woman to run for leadership of a federal political party.
