Black Canadians in Literature
This Canadian poet, playwright and literary critic served as the Poet Laureate of Toronto from 2012 to 2015 and the Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate in 2016-17.
Who is George Elliott Clarke?
This Hall of Fame track & field legend, currently a world record holder, is considered one of the greatest sprinters in Canadian history?
Who is Donavan Bailey?
Which county was Michaëlle Jean, the first black person to serve as Governor General, born in?
What is Haiti?
This Scarborough-based choral group is Canada’s first professional choral group dedicated to Afrocentric music of all styles, including classical, spiritual, gospel, jazz, folk and blues. The group performed at the Canadian Embassy during the Inauguration Week ceremonies for U.S. President Barack Obama.
Who is The Nathaniel Dett Chorale?
The experiences of fugitive slave Reverend Josiah Henson, who escaped to Canada in 1830, were the subject of what famous novel?
What is Uncle Tom's Cabin?
This late novelist, short-story writer and journalist was born in 1934 in Barbados and moved to Canada in 1955 and published his most notable work "The Polished Hoe".
Who is Austin Clarke?
Before breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier in 1947, this famous baseball player played second base for the Montreal Royals, a Brooklyn Dodgers farm team in Québec, Canada.
When the Royals won the Little World Series that year, defeating Louisville from the American Deep South, crowds serenaded him in French with the cry, "Il a gagné ses épaulettes." ("He has earned his stripes.")
Who is Jackie Robinson?
She was the first Black Canadian woman to be elected to Canada’s House of Commons, as the Member of Parliament from the Greater Toronto Area constituency of Etobicoke-Lakeshore.
Who is Jean Augustine?
Maroons is the name given to approximately 550 to 600 individuals who lived in Nova Scotia after being deported from this Country, only to be later sent to Sierra Leone in 1800?
What is Jamaica?
Born in 1953 in Trinidad and Tobago, this Canadian poet, novelist, essayist and documentarian was Toronto's third Poet Laureate from 2009 to 2012 and was the first Black Poet Laureate. She was admitted to the Order of Canada in 2017.
Who is Dionne Brand?
This hockey player and philanthropist was born in Toronto in 1919 and is regularly considered the "best Black hockey player to never play in the NHL". He was a member of the Black Aces, the first all-Black line in semi-pro hockey. This man was also a recipient of the Order of Canada and was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Who is Herbert H. Carnegie?
Elected to the Ontario Legislature in 1990, this woman was appointed to cabinet as Minister of Community and Social Services, thus becoming the first Black woman to serve as a cabinet minister in Canada.
Who is Zanana Akande?
This famous Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur, initially gained recognition as an actor on the Canadian teen drama television series Degrassi: The Next Generation, in the early 2000s.
Who is Drake?
This first black person on Toronto's city council was a key player in the establishment of Toronto Hydro. He was a successful baker who patented the design of his own oven and was instrumental in convincing the city to purchase the Toronto Islands. A plaque near 660 Broadview marks the spot where the house of this man once lived.
Who is William Peyton Hubbard?
This Canadian novelist, journalist, educator and documentary writer was born in 1957 in Newmarket, Ontario. His internationally acclaimed novel "The Book of Negroes", was turned into a television series in 2015. He was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2015.
Who is Lawrence Hill?
This two-time Olympian and a world champion track & field hurdler was the first Canadian woman to win an individual medal in track at the IAAF World Championships.
Who is Perdita Felicien?
In 1984 Dr. Daurene Elaine Lewis became the First Black Mayor in which Canadian Provence? She was also the First Black Female Mayor in North America.
What is Nova Scotia?
This contralto and teacher, who was born in Truro, Nova Scotia, broke through the colour barrier in 1944, to become the first Black Canadian concert singer to win international acclaim. She is known for this famous quote "first you dream, then you put on your walking shoes"
Who is Portia May White?
Who became Canada's "Rosa Parks" for sitting in seats that were set aside for whites in a move theatre?
Who is Viola Desmond?
This Jamaican-born Canadian historian, author and dub poet. As a historian, she has taught Caribbean cultural studies, history, women's studies and Black studies at Ryerson and York universities, at the University of Toronto and at Dalhousie University. Her book, "The Hanging of Angelique" was published in 2006.
Who is Afua Cooper?
This Canadian-born former professional ice hockey player is best known for being the first black hockey player to play in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played as a winger for the Boston Bruins making his NHL debut on January 18, 1958.
Who is Willie O'Ree?
In 2005, this woman became Canada's First Black Governal General
Who is Michaëlle Jean?
This Toronto born platinum selling recording artist, songwriter, actor and TV personality, is known as "Canada's Queen of R&B" and was named one of the "25 Greatest Canadian Singers Ever" (CBC Music)
Who is Jully Black?
This former black slave who escaped to Canada and started a farm co-op for runaway enslaved peoples, inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Who is Josiah Henson.