Resources with connections to Concordia.
Black Canadian History
This guide was conceptualized through an assessment of various resources regarding the history of Black communities in Canada and more specifically, in Quebec. It is, by no means, an exhaustive list. The field of Black history in Canada is constantly being renewed and this list offers a small glimpse into the discipline. Rather, this guide covers various aspects of Black identities and histories in Canada, from the slave trade to our current period. It encompasses a broad array of themes, such as labour, demography, geography, activism, feminism, archival and community resources.
Highly recommended by Samia Dumais, Concordia PhD candidate.
Books
Montreal’s oldest Black congregation, Union Church, 3007 Delisle Street
Leo Bertley, 1977
Brief history about the Union United Church in Montreal.
Paul Dejean, 1978
Quantitative and qualitative study about the Haitians in Quebec.
Makeda Silvera, 1984
Foundational oral histories of West Indian women working as domestics in Canada.
Blacks in Montreal, 1628–1986: An urban demography
Version française : Les Noirs à Montréal, 1628–1986 : essai de démographie urbaine
Dorothy W. Williams, 1989
The first demographical study about Blacks in Montreal.
Dr. Dorothy Williams taught the Black Montreal course at Concordia University from 2019 to 2025.
"Dorothy Williams’s scholarship is tremendous. She is the first Black woman historian to study the establishment of Blacks in Montreal. Her first monograph about Blacks in Montreal, provides important demographic data about the establishment of Black communities in the metropole." —Samia Dumais
Africville: A spirit that lives on
Africville Genealogy Society, Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, 1989
About Africville’s legacy.
No burden to carry: Narratives of Black working women in Ontario, 1920's–1950's
Dionne Brand, 1991
Oral histories of Black working women in Ontario, including domestic service.
We’re rooted here and they can’t pull us up
Peggy Bristow (Editor), 1994
First monograph about Black women’s history in Canada.
Dorothy W. Williams, 1997
The first comprehensive book about the history of Blacks in Montreal.
Dr. Dorothy Williams taught the Black Montreal course at Concordia University from 2019 to 2025.
The Blacks in Canada, a history (second edition)
Robin W. Winks, 1997
First comprehensive study about Blacks in Canada and a foundational academic synthesis of Black communities in Canada from the seventeenth century to the twentieth century. (BPO)
Colour-coded: A legal history of racism in Canada, 1900–1950
Constance Backhouse, 1999
Exploring white supremacy and its impact on the Canadian legal system.
Black then: Blacks and Montreal, 1780s–1880s
Frank Mackey, 2004
Various perspectives about Blacks in Montreal during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Hanging of Angélique: The untold story of Canadian slavery and the burning of Old Montreal
Afua Cooper, 2006
Exploring the trial of Marie-Joseph Angélique, condemned for burning a neighborhood in the Montreal Old Port. A cornerstone of Canadian slavery studies.
Done with Slavery: The Black fact in Montreal, 1760–1880
Frank Mackey, 2010
Uncovering the Black transition from slavery to freedom in Montreal.
Emancipation Day: Celebrating freedom in Canada
Natasha L. Henry-Dixon, 2010
Exploring the creation, development and evolution of Emancipation Day festivities in Canada.
North of the color line: Migration and Black resistance in Canada, 1870–1955
Saje Mathieu, 2010
Examining the life of Black railway workers and their union through the migration of African-Americans and West Indians in Canada.
Moving beyond borders: A history of Black Canadian and Caribbean women in the diaspora
Karen Flynn, 2011
First book-length history of Black healthcare workers in Canada.
A place in the sun: Haiti, Haitians and the remaking of Quebec
Version française: Une place au soleil : Haïti, les Haïtiens et le Québec
Sean Mills, 2016
Exploring the intersection between migration, politics and religion between Quebecers and Haitians.
David Austin, 2018
Speeches and debates surrounding the 1968 Montreal Congress of Black Writers.
Beauty in a box: Detangling the roots of Canada’s Black beauty culture
Cheryl Thompson, 2019
Tracing the roots of Black beauty culture in Canada through history, race and cultural theory.
They call me George: The untold story of Black train porters and the birth of modern Canada
Cecil Foster, 2019
Socio-historical study of Black railway porters and their role in labour rights and citizenship.
Savoirs Créoles : Leçons du Sida pour l’histoire de Montréal
Viviane Namaste, 2019
Perspectives et contributions de la communauté haïtienne lors de la crise du sida à Montréal dans les années 1980.
Dr. Viviane Namaste is a professor at Concordia's Simone de Beauvoir Institute.
The Black prairie archives: An anthology
Karina Vernon (Editor), 2020
Scholarly anthology reframing prairie literary history by assembling Black writing from the 19th to 21st centuries.
Amal Madibbo, 2021
Convergences and divergences surrounding Blackness, Canadian-ness and Francophonie.
Schooling the system: A history of Black women teachers
Funké Aladejebi, 2021
Oral history of Black access and education in Ontario between the 1940s and the 1980s.
Deindustrializing Montreal: Entangled histories of race, residence and class
Steven High, 2022
Exploring the history of the Pointe Saint-Charles neighborhood through a class and race analysis.
Dr. Steven High is a Concordia history professor.
Unsettling the Great White North: Black Canadian history
Michele A. Johnson and Funké Aladejebi (Editors), 2022
Chronological, regional and thematic compilation about Black Canadian history.
Cross-border cosmopolitans: The making of a Pan-African North America
Wendell Nii Laryea Adjetey, 2023
Exploring the revolutionary legacies of Black liberation movements within the Canadian-US border.
Fear of a Black nation: Race, sex and security in sixties Montreal (second edition)
David Austin, 2023
Transnational study about Black activism, Black Power, and anti-colonial thought, in Montreal in the 1960s.
Out to defend ourselves: A history of Montreal's first Haitian street gang
Version française : Il fallait se défendre: l’histoire du premier gang de rue Haïtien à Montréal
Maxime Aurélien and Ted Rutland, 2023
The history of Bélanger, the first Haitian street gang, told by the leader.
Dr. Ted Rutland is a professor in Geography, Planning and Environment at Concordia University.
Statesman of the piano: Jazz, race and history in the life of Lou Hooper
Sean Mills, Désirée Rochat, and Eric Fillion (Editors), 2023
Autobiographical portrait of jazz musician Lou Hooper and various essays discussing his legacy.
Canada and the blackface Atlantic: Performing slavery, conflict and freedom, 1812–1897
Cheryl Thompson, 2025
Tracing the history of Blackface in Canada.
Policing Black lives: State violence in Canada from slavery to present (revised & expanded version)
Version française (2018) : NoirEs sous surveillance. Esclavage, répression et violence d'État au Canada: Esclavage, répression et violence d'État au Canada
Robyn Maynard, 2025
Comprehensive historical study about state-sanctioned surveillance and criminalization against Blacks in Canada. Links slavery’s afterlives to present-day policing, immigration control, and education policy.
Peer-reviewed articles
The influence of the Civil Rights and Black Power Movement in Canada
Race, Gender & Class, Agnes Calliste, 1995
Exploring the influence of American Civil Rights and Black Power in Canada from a social movement perspective.
Antiracism organizing and resistance in nursing: African-Canadian women
Canadian Review of Sociology, Agnes Calliste, 1996
About the organizing of African-Canadian nurses in Quebec and Ontario.
Black Canadian historical writing (1970–2006): An assessment
Journal of Black Studies, David Este, 2008
Assessing the work of historians and social scientists on Black Canadian history.
HARAMBEC! Quebec Black women pulling together
Journal of Black Studies, Shirley Small and Esmeralda Thornhill, 2008
Documenting the story of Black women challenging the Canadian system through the National Congress of Black Women.
The National Black Coalition of Canada, ‘’race’’, and social equality in the age of multiculturalism
The CLR James Journal, Barrington Walker, 2014
About the National Black Coalition of Canada.
The International Journal of the History of Sport, Ornella Nzindukiyimana and Kevin B. Wamsley, 2019
Oral sporting account of a group of Black women in Southern Ontario.
Archivaria, Désirée Rochat, Alexandra Mills, and Steven High, 2020
About working in the classroom with archives from the Negro Community Centre Fonds.
Dr. Désirée Rochat and Dr. Steven High are both history professors at Concordia. Alexandra Mills is the Head of Special Collections and Archives at the Concordia University Library. This article engages with the Negro Community Centre Fonds / Charles H. Este cultural fonds, archived at the Special Collections of Concordia Library.
Histoire sociale/Social History, Claudine Bonner, 2022
A history of the Whitney Pier’s Black community in Nova Scotia.
Vivre et écrire l’histoire des Noir.e.s à Montréal
Journal of the Canadian Historical Society, Special Edition, vol. 35, no.2
Contributions from Dorothy W. Williams, Kelann-Currie Williams, Désirée Rochat, Virginie Belony, Kessie Theliar-Charles, and Samia Dumais, 2026
Exploring multiple perspectives around the history of Blacks in Montreal.
Kelann Currie-Williams is a PhD candidate in the Individualized Program. Samia Dumais is a PhD candidate in the History department.
Films
Dionne Brand and Ginny Stikeman, 1991
Online, National Film Board of Canada
About Canadian Black women who are active in community organizing, electoral politics, labour and feminist organizing.
"This documentary highlights the joys and hardships of Black women’s solidarities in Canada. It demonstrates the array of their realizations within their respective communities, a unique look into Black feminism during times where Black women’s realizations were somewhat marginalized by the rest of the society." —Samia Dumais
Shelagh Mackenzie, 1991
Online, National Film Board of Canada.
Documentary account supporting analyses of urban planning, displacement, and Black memory in Atlantic Canada. (BPO)
Meilan Lam, 1998
Online, National Film Board of Canada
Celebrating Montreal’s swinging Black jazz scene from the 1920s to the 1960s.
Meilan Lam donated documents to the Special Collections in 1998 and 2000, mostly about the Black jazz scene: Meilan Lam Fonds
Seeking salvation: A history of Black church in Canada
Philip Daniels, 2004
DVD Video
A documentary about the Black church in Canada, from Nova Scotia to British Columbia.
Selwyn Jacob, 2008
Online, National Film Board of Canada
Documenting the experiences of Blacks who worked as Sleeping car porters.
"This documentary sheds light on the struggles of Sleeping car porters, showcasing their lives and activism. From the Prairies to Halifax, this documentary also focuses on the lives after working on the rails, as numerous porters became important figures for their communities." —Samia Dumais
Roger McTair, 2013
Online, National Film Board of Canada
Documentary paying tribute to the Canadians who “took racism to court”. Featuring the case of Montrealer Fred Christie.
Version française : Neuvième étage
Mina Shum, 2015
Online, National Film Board of Canada
Documentary about the Sir George Williams Affair.
The skin we're in: Pulling back the curtain on racism in Canada
CBC Docs POV, 2017
Online, CBC Docs YouTube
Investigative feature on modern anti-Black racism and public policy. (BPO)
Sandamini Rankaduwa, 2019
Online, National Film Board of Canada
About the Black hockey league in Atlantic Canada.
Cheryl Foggo, 2020.
Online, National Film Board
Re-examines the life of Black cowboy John Ware and myth-making in Western Canadian history. (BPO)
Henri Pardo, 2021
Online, Docuseek/Cinema Politica Concordia
Documentary about Jackie Robinson, first African American player in a Major League Baseball who spent time in Montreal while in the minor-league Montreal Royals.
Version française: Kenbe la, jusqu'à la victoire
Will Prosper, 2021
Online, National Film Board of Canada
About the inspiring journey of Alain Philoctète, from Haiti to Quebec.
History Channel, 2022
Online, Global TV Freeplay
Docu-series dramatizing the formation of major Black communities in Canada. (BPO)
Primary sources
Concordia Library's Special Collections
The Special Collections holds many archival fonds related to Black history and English-speaking Black communities in Montreal.
Rella Braithwaite and Tessa Benn-Ireland, 1993
Biographical notices of Black women in Canada.
Enid F. D’Oyley and Rella Braithwaite, 1973
Biographical notices of Black women in Canada.
"Written in the aftermath of the First National Congress of Black Women, the biographical sketches are highlighting Black women from all over the country for their realizations as politicians, foster mothers, activists, and more. It is an incredible primary source, shedding light on the plurality of experiences and identities of Black women in Canada." —Samia Dumais
Library and Archives Canada: Black Canadians
National portal to primary sources on immigration, slavery, military service, and citizenship. Strong entry point for archival research.
The Canadian Encyclopedia: Black History in Canada Timeline
Timeline and essays covering people, places, and events across the country.
Museums, archives, cultural & research centres
Archives of Ontario: Black Canadians
Guide to manuscripts, petitions, and legal records that illuminate early Black settlement and abolitionist networks in Ontario.
Harriet Tubman Institute at York University
Research centre focused on the transatlantic slave trade and African diasporas. Offers datasets, bibliographies, and community projects.
Amherstburg Freedom Museum
Ontario museum telling the story of African Canadians’ journey and contributions through artifacts and education.
Africville Heritage Trust and Virtual Museum
Nova Scotia museum dedicated to Africville history with resources on dispossession, restitution, and civic policy.
Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia
Heritage institution with archival collections and exhibitions documenting African Nova Scotian history.
Labour, migration, and domestic work
Canadian Encyclopedia: The West Indian Domestic Scheme (1955–1967)
Overview of the federal recruitment program that brought Caribbean women to Canada for domestic work.
Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21: Recruiting domestic workers and live-in caregivers in Canada
Historical survey of domestic worker recruitment from the 1950s scheme through later caregiver programs.
Ingenium – It Is All Up to You: The West Indian Domestic Scheme in Canada
Online feature exhibit summarizing origins, numbers, and sending countries of the West Indian domestic scheme in Canada 1955-1967.
Historica Canada – West Indian Domestic Scheme: Nurturing a Nation
Short primer and audio story foregrounding migrant women’s voices in Canada.
University of Ottawa Library Blog – The 1980s Struggle for Domestic Workers’ Rights
Documents Toronto activism and the 'Seven Jamaican Mothers' campaign.
McGill Flux – Conditional Love and Canada’s Care Regime
Academic discussion of how immigration and labour policies affected migrant workers.
Migrant Workers Alliance – 66 Years of Organizing and Winning
Movement timeline highlighting Caribbean women’s role in securing permanent residence pathways.
Canada’s History – Black Women Lead the Way
Short article on Black women’s work and activism.
Capital Heritage – Ottawa’s Caribbean Domestic Pioneers
Virtual exhibit on women who came through the West Indian Domestic scheme and settled in Ottawa.
Community resources in Montreal
Black Healing Centre
Organization dedicated to creating intergenerational programming around healing through an artistic and community-based lens.
Quebec Board of Black Educators
Non-profit dedicated to raising awareness on educational bias for communities of colour since 1968.
Harambec
Organization dedicated to the well-being of Black women and non-binary folks in Montreal through activities, programs and historical projects since 2023.
Black Community Resource Centre
Organization dedicated to the well-being of English-speaking Black youth.
La Maison d’Haïti
Cultural and community organization for the integration and amelioration of the life conditions of Haitian, afrodescendant and immigrant communities since 1972.
United Negro Improvment Association - Montreal Chapter
Community organization providing a place to express pride in racial heritage, history and culture, since 1919.
Union United Church Montreal
Founded in 1907, the Union United Church is a spiritual and cultural space for Black communities.
Desta Black Youth Network
Empowering Montreal Black Community through justice and cultural programs. They have a scholarship program.
Association de la communauté noire de Côtes-des-Neiges
Serving Montreal’s Black English Speaking Community since the 1970s. Programs and activities for English-speaking youth, families and seniors.
TableRonde du mois de l'histoire des Noir.e.s
Coordinating body offering programming archives and community documentation of Black communities in Quebec.
Black community newspapers and media
Montreal Community Contact
Founded in 1992, Montreal Community Contact is community-based newspaper rooted in the Black and Caribbean experience in Quebec.
The Caribbean Camera
Founded in 1990, this community newspaper covers Caribbean diaspora issues in Canada.
ByBlacks Online Magazine
Founded in 2013, this diigital publication provides cultural criticism and policy commentary relevant to Black Canadian studies.