Summary/Overview of the History of African Heritage in Canada
Did slavery ever exist in Canada, and if so, when?  Who was the first person of African heritage to set foot in Canada?   When was the Abolition Act passed in Upper Canada?  Were Black Canadians allowed to fight in WWI?  The answers, and other information, can be found in this overview on Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration web site.

Black History – Canada - Historica
Black history in Canada didn’t start here, but in long-ago Africa .  Today, the African-Canadian population consists of people whose ancestors came to Canada via Africa, the United States, the Caribbean, South America and even Europe. Read about some of the events, people and stories of African-Canadian history on this Historica resource.

Under a Northern Star
This Collections Canada resource covers Rev. William King and the Elgin Settlement, Black Loyalists, Africville (a historic Nova Scotia black community) and the history of black porters on Canadian railways.  The touching story of Green Thurman, a runaway slave who escaped to Canada, is told.  Read about Sir James Douglas, the Governor of the Colony of British Columbia, who enabled black people from San Francisco to migrate to Canada when the United States passed the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850.

The Underground Railroad in Canada – Parks Canada
This Parks Canada web site offers information on the famous Underground Railroad and on Canadian sites where it is commemorated today.  It also offers many links to further sources of relevant information eg. the Buxton Settlement, Uncle Tom’s Historic Cabin, the Ontario Black History Society, Mary Ann Shadd, and Upper Canada legislation which limited slavery.

The Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia
The web site for the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia offers such information as a historical overview of slavery and the migration of former slaves to Canada, “Profiles of Achievement” of people such as Mary Anne Shadd, Elijah McCoy, Josiah Henson and  others, and stories of various Black Canadians through the years.

Black Settlement in Nova Scotia
Meet some of the courageous men and women who founded Birchtown and Tracadie – two Nova Scotia Black Loyalist settlements established for the more than 3000 black people arriving in the province from 1783-5 as a direct result of the American Revolution.  Next, take an archaeological tour of Birchtown, via this online resource prepared by the Nova Scotia Museum.

Nova Scotia Archives - Africville
In 1970, the historic, vibrant black community of Africville, established in the 1840’s on the edge of Halifax, was demolished, and its unfortunate citizens were forced to relocate. Some Canadians considered this “urban renewal program” to be a serious human rights violation. In 2002, Africville was declared a national historic site.  You can find an overview of its history on the above web site.

Africville – A Short Documentary
Watch a brief documentary on the history and the community of Africville here.
Further information about Africville can be found here.
HINT: Investigate one of the library’s newest books, Razing Africville: A Geography of Racism, by Jennifer Nelson (University of Toronto Press, 2008) for further information.  SPL also offs a children’s novel, Last Days in Africville, by Dorothy Perkyns.

Oscar Peterson – Library and Archives Canada
Meet Canada ’s long-time “jazz sensation”, Oscar Peterson, who was also an advocate for Black Canadians and for racial equality until his death in Dec. 2007. Click on “Audio Tour” (RealAudio required) to hear various selections recorded by this world-renowned musician, who was named an Order of Canada Companion. Browse his albums, by decade, and read about his life and career.

Author Christopher Paul Curtis
Christopher Paul Curtis, now living in Windsor, writes award-winning children’s fiction about African Americans and African Canadians, modeling some of his characters after his own two grandfathers. One of his novels, Bud, not Buddy, won both the Coretta Scott King Medal and the Newbery Medal. A later book, Elijah of Buxton, set in Upper Canada near Chatham, also won the Coretta Scott King Medal and was named a Newbery Honor book in 2008.