Where it comes from and where it is today
A brief historical timeline
According to the Government of Canada’s website, as early as the 1600s, people of African descent were fleeing to the country to escape slavery, or being brought over as slaves.
1700s
In 1793, the Government of Upper Canada passed an act that stated that any slave who arrived in the province would officially be declared free. Over the years, Black Canadians slowly gained rights to own land, work, and be legal members of society, though prejudice and racism continued to perpetuate amongst their white neighbours as black people were denied jobs and remained segregated from society.
1900s
In 1910, the Canadian government banned the immigration of “undesirable” races, which included blacks. This policy lasted until 1962, at which point there was a complete reform of the Canadian immigration system.
Over the course of the Second World War, Black Canadians were officially being accepted into the Canadian Armed Forces, despite initially being rejected as volunteers. However, they continued to be both physically and verbally harassed, and did not receive the same training as their white comrades.
The Globe and Mail states that although Canada didn’t have any express laws against interracial relationships, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was burning crosses to protest interracial marriage.*
1950s
In the 1950s, according to Black History Canada, Black Canadians were still being refused service at certain restaurants across the country.
1960s
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In 1963, Leonard Braithwaite became the first African-Canadian elected to Parliament.
2000s
In August 2005, Michaëlle Jean became the first black Governor General of Canada.
Emergence of Black History Month
Though Black Canadians were an integral part of many events in Canadian history, including the War of 1812, the creation of the railroad system, and the First and Second World War, their contributions were not recognized until many years later.
In 1915, Carter G. Woodson and Jesse E. Moorland created the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) in the United States.
In 1926, in the second week of February, the ASNLH then sponsored a national Negro History Week.
It wasn’t until 1976, however, that U.S. President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month.
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In Canada, it took until December 1995 for February to be recognized as Black History Month, after a motion was proposed by Jean Augustine, the first black female member of Parliament. Augustine also has an honorary degree from the University of Guelph.
In 2008, according to a senate report, the Canadian government put forward another motion to further “take note of the important contribution of Black Canadians to the settlement, growth, and development of Canada, the diversity of the black community in Canada and its importance to the history of this country, and to recognize February as Black History Month.” This motion would aim to further recognize Black Canadian contributions to the country, instead of simply recognizing the month.
Black History in Guelph
According to the Guelph Black Heritage Society (GBHS), Guelph was once a stopping place for many fugitive slaves on their way to the Queen’s Bush Settlement. When Queen’s Bush was disbanded, many families moved to surrounding communities, including Guelph. At the time, most people of African American descent lived in the Essex-Nottingham neighbourhood in Guelph.
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Lincoln Alexander was an influential leader at the University of Guelph and across the country. Alexander served as the University of Guelph’s chancellor from 1991 to 2007. Before becoming chancellor, Alexander was the first black member of Parliament, the first black lieutenant governor, and the first black chair of the Workers Compensation Board. Alexander’s career in politics allowed him to greatly impact youth, education, and racial equality.
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Norma Bowen was a founding member of the University of Guelph’s psychology department. She made many contributions to the university community and actively encouraged others to get involved. Bowen was regularly elected to the university senate, chaired a number of committees, and was involved in the faculty association at the university and provincial levels. Bowen’s research focused on education issues, specifically for racial minorities, and sexual harassment. She also consulted on national education goals in Guyana and the racial and ethnic implications involved in police hiring.
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Addie Aylestock was a deaconess with the British Methodist Episcopal Church (BME), which was the highest position for a woman at the time. When the BME’s regulations changed, Aylestock became the first ordained female minister of the BME. This also made her the first African American female minister in Canada. During her work with the BME she further organized congregations in Ontario, including in Guelph.
Donald Oliver was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Guelph in 2006. He started his career as a lawyer and legal educator. Oliver served on the Senate of Canada from 1990 to 2013 and has worked throughout his career to promote equality for racial minorities in Canada. He has also lectured on an array of topics, including human rights.
Black Presence in Guelph Today
In 2012, the GBHS became the owner of the British Methodist Episcopal Church on Essex Street. The church was built in 1880 by slaves who had escaped from the United States using the Underground Railroad. The church was a haven of worship and freedom, and according to chairperson Marva Wisdom, “a refuge for those who had left enslavement.” The church remains both a cultural and spiritual centre for the GBHS.
According to Student Life on campus, in November 2015, a #BlackOnCampus rally was organized where black students and allies presented a list of demands. The Provost met these demands with a letter that outlined a timeline and steps to move forward, stating that a review of the needs of black students would occur.
According to a Student Life study, whose findings were released in May 2016, black students stated that they were disappointed with the amount of representation on campus, and that there are insufficient counsellors, therapists, and faculty members who are racially diverse and can identify with the students. Some of the students surveyed mentioned moments on campus where they had felt “objectified, ridiculed, harassed, and the subject of unwanted attention.”Gabriel Broderick, a Guelph alumni who took part in the 2015 protest, told The Ontarion in August 2017 that a lot of the racism he encountered “was subtle and passive.”
In April 2017, the University of Guelph released a document entitled “Fostering a Culture of Inclusion at the University of Guelph,” which outlined their inclusion framework. According to Angelique Robinson, a member of the Guelph Black Students Association (GBSA), the university has begun to put this into practice by hiring some diverse members of their Student Life team, and students of colour have noticed the influx in the diversity of new students on campus.
However, Robinson reminded us that “racism is still alive and well on campus and in Guelph in general… [There’s] still a lot of work to be done.
Relevant resources
The Office of Intercultural Affairs at University of Guelph “aims to foster a supportive, affirming, and inclusive campus for racially and ethnically diverse students.” They are in charge of organizing U of G’s Black History Month, as well as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21.
In addition, the GBSA, formerly known as the CJ Munford Centre, was established on campus as a support for black students.
For students looking to connect, the Cultural Diversity Office, the Office of Intercultural Affairs, and the GBSA are a great place to start.
Special thanks to the members of the GBSA for providing insight during the creation of this article.
*Update March 1: This fact was incorrectly listed under the 1700s in the print version of this issue.
Illustrations by Barbara Salsberg Mathews