In January of 1998, Parks Canada introduced a weekly Web Site named This Week in History, which presents a variety of events that have shaped Canada’s past, present and future. These short texts are summaries, not complete histories.
The following This Week in History selections are courageous tales and inspiring narratives related to Black Canadians history and heritage.
A Black woodcutter from Shelburne, Nova Scotia, 1788© Library and Archives Canada / C-040162 A Cry for Land
On February 28, 1788, Nova Scotian Governor John Parr approved a land grant for 184 Black Loyalists (supporters of the British crown) at Birchtown, Shelburne County, N.S. For the more than 3000 Black Loyalists who had been evacuated from the United States, this was a small step towards calling Nova Scotia their home.
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'Woman of Colour' Upper Canada, 1830s / Watercolour by Caroline Estcourt© National Archives of Canada / C-093963 Slavery Attacked in Upper Canada
On July 9, 1793, Royal Assent was given to a colonial "Act to prevent the further introduction of Slaves, and to limit the term of Contracts for servitude" within Upper Canada, now southern Ontario. A personal initiative by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe, it was a cautious step toward justice for the small number of African slaves in Canada…
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Portrait of Josiah HensonCourtesy of St. Clair Parkway CommissionJosiah Henson – Birth of a Leader
On June 15, 1789, Josiah Henson was born into slavery at Charles County, Maryland. Finding freedom in Canada, Henson became one of the most famous people of his day for his association with Harriet Beecher Stowe's main character in Uncle Tom's Cabin…
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Mary Ann ShaddNational Archives of Canada / C-29977 A Voice for Freedom
Mary Ann Schadd and The Provincial Freeman
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George BrownNA / PA-1079 Champion of Freedom
George Brown and the Anti-Slavery Society of Canada
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Steamer Commodore Entering Victoria in 1858Image Courtesy of BC Archives / Call Number: PDP00476 Black Pioneers in British Columbia
On April 25, 1858, a group of free African-Americans from California arrived in Victoria, British Columbia, aboard the steamer Commodore. Prompted by an invitation from Governor James Douglas and anticipating a home with protected civil rights, they came to the British colony to start a new life…
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George Dixon© UPI-Corbis- Bettman One of Boxing's Best is Born
On July 29, 1870, George Dixon was born in the northern end of Halifax in a community known as Africville. His family was one of eight prominent families in the community of former African-American slaves from the United States that freedom in Nova Scotia after aiding the British in the War of 1812…
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Sam LangfordWith permission from the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia Sam Langford
Sam Langford was possibly the best boxer never to have fought for a title. At a time when most White boxers refused to cross the "colour line" and fight against Blacks, Langford was unable to overcome these obstacles…
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Reverend William White© Veterans Affairs CanadaThe First Black Battalion in Canada
July 5, 1916, marks the creation of the No. 2 Construction Battalion in Pictou, Nova Scotia. There was a great deal of pressure to recruit more men during the First World War, allowing for the creation of the first Black battalion in Canadian history…
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Advertising Material Produced by Columbia Concerts, Inc.© Public Archives of Nova Scotia / MG 100, Vol. 245, 15a Breaking Down Racial Barriers Through Music
On November 7, 1941, Portia White made her formal musical debut at Eaton Auditorium in Toronto. This recital began a remarkable singing career that symbolized the breaking of social barriers for African Canadians...
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