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Throughout the year we will feature "Did you know" facts and information on upcoming events to learn more about Black excellence, celebration, and history.
| House Keepers |
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Did you know that there is a well-known photograph of Black women posing in front of a brick building that has been circulating on the internet for many years now? Many have thought this photo to be of African-American women from the 1800’s or 1900’s. Particularly around Black History Month, this old photograph pops up in articles, websites, social media and other place very frequently? Who were these women? Where did they come from? Where was this photo taken? What were their stories?
This picture captures a row of women who came to Canada from the Caribbean to work as housekeepers and caregivers during what was and still is known as “the domestic scheme.” The image is dated 1912.
The building they stood in front of was Ontario House, a residence run by YWCA Toronto at 698 Ontario Street. It was a place for workers to find both safety from employers and community with other Black women who shared the experience of leaving home to work in a predominately white society. The women endured racism, sexism at work and lived in poor housing conditions, yet through it all the dignity and resilience they held shone through in this photograph.
The old neighbourhood of St. Jamestown was home to many manual labour and domestic workers and the tenants and families lives in homes which were in mostly squalid conditions. When a block of the neighbourhood was cleared and a new community of high apartments were constructed in the 1960’s and 1970’s to attract post-war young and middle-income families and singles, the YWCA of 698 Ontario Street was the first residence to be torn down and rebuilt into a high-rise apartment under a new management company.
Who were these women? Where did they go? Start your trail of research here at:
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| Railroad History - Black Porters |
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Did you know that there is another equally important railroad history that is central to Black and Canadian History? The history of the growth of the railroad and the emergence of prominent Black communities in Canada.
In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Canada experienced an influx of African American railroad workers. Author Dorothy Williams, details that these men were mainly recruited out of Winnipeg, Toronto, and Montreal for jobs on Canada’s expanding railroads. For the first half of the 20th century, Black community development was deeply connected to the railroad districts.
For this reason, Black communities emerged around train stations in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Black neighbourhoods with businesses and churches thrived to meet the spiritual, social, cultural and economic needs of porters and their families, as well as Black Canadians in general.
In the 1930s, Canadian railroad companies reclassified work categories to limit Blacks to being porters only. Porters and the Black communities at large fought for union and civil rights and financed challenges in the courts, the legislatures and their communities against discriminations. On 18 May 1945, Black porters won a collective agreement that, for the first time, protected Black labourers from arbitrary dismissal. As a result of increased salaries and paid vacations, many porters became financially secure for the first time.
To learn more about Black contributions to the Canadian railroad system, as well as gain more insight into Black communities in the period between 1900-1960, please visit Williams, Dorothy - “Black History in Canada: 1900–1960.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. May 3, 2021.
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| Coloured Hockey League in the Maritimes |
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Did you know that there was a Coloured Hockey League in the Maritimes?
More than 400 black hockey players, including 4 from P.E.I. - were part of the league between 1895 and 1930. The documentary, Soul on Ice: Past, Present & Future tells the story of a hockey league that many are still unaware existed. The league was comprised of ten teams and the men played with passion and were paid as players.
Eddie Martin is credited as the inventor of the ‘slapshot’ technique. Yes, the slapshot technique that is one of the distinguishing hallmarks of ice hockey was invented by a Black player in the Coloured Hockey League. Henry “Braces” Franklyn of the Dartmouth, a small, framed goalie in the Coloured Hockey League was also the inventor of the butterfly goaltending style and a wandering, offense-creating netminder approach.
The talented group of players and their unique styles of playing did not go unnoticed by players, coaching staff, and management in the National Hockey League. Unfortunately, as has been the case with many Black achievements, proper citation was not made of these contributions to the sport. Rather, players in the National Hockey League were seen as the inventors or the ‘masters’ of the technique because of their proficiency and further development of the techniques such as Glen Hall, Terry Sawchuck, Jacques Plante, Roger Crozier and most notably Phil Esposito.
Broadcaster and filmmaker, Damon Kwame Mason, details in Soul on Ice that the league's ending came with the destruction of Africvillle, a historic Black community in Nova Scotia, after the community refused to allow a railway to be built through the area where they lived. As part of the government's response, rinks were shut down, or teams would be given late ice time. The Coloured Hockey League struggled to exist, and the league came to an eventual end.
You can learn more through the following resources:
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| No. 2 Construction Battalion |
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Did you know that on 5 July 1916, the Department of Defence and Militia authorized the formation of No. 2 Construction Battalion, which was the largest Black battalion unit in Canadian history?
In August 1914, men across Canada rushed to their local recruiting centre to enlist for service in the First World War. Black men attempted to enlist, but their requests were denied due to systemic racism. Black communities wrote to request that Black Canadians be allowed to enlist. An all-Black battalion was not possible as there were not enough Black men in Canada to man such a battalion and provide reinforcements in the face of heavy casualty rates at the front. In 1916, the chief of the general staff at Militia Headquarters proposed that a Black labour battalion be formed, and this proposal was approved by the British the next month. Recruitment started across Canada, and by the end of 1916, 575 Black soldiers has enlisted. Unfortunately, this was not enough soldiers to form a battalion. The solution was to reform the battalion as a labour company of 500 officers and men, renamed No. 2 Canadian Construction Company. The rest of the battalion remained in England to serve as reinforcements. No. 2 Canadian Construction Company went to assist the Canadian Forestry Corps with forestry operations. With the Armistice on November 11, 1918, the Forestry Corps was no longer required. The first men from the No. 2 Construction Company began their return to Canada in December 1918. While waiting for transport to Canada, a large group of soldiers from No. 2 Construction Battalion were attacked by white soldiers after the battalion’s sergeant tried to arrest a white soldier for insolence. The white soldiers refused to accept the rank and authority of the Black sergeant. No. 2 Construction Battalion was the largest Black unit in the history of Canada and played an essential role in the lumber operations of the Canadian Forestry Corps. The battalion faced racism and rejection, and as it was not a combat unit, the battalion was soon forgotten. In 2022, Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister, apologized to the descendants of No. 2 Construction Battalion for the systemic racism experienced by members of the battalion. A commemorative coin for Black History Month to honour the battalion was released in February 2023.
You can learn more through the following resources:
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