Wikipedia:Meetup/Toronto/Black History Edit-A-Thon (February 2024)/Resources

Online resources

Below are some free, open-access resources on Black histories in Canada. (Feel free to add resources by editing this section!)

Searching on Google Books is another good strategy to find info on a particular subject.

If you have a university library card or public library card, you can access academic journals (e.g. JSTOR at U of T) or archival newspapers (e.g. Toronto Star Historical Archive at TPL) and other useful databases to find info on a subject. (You sign up for a Digital Access Card from Toronto Public Library online).

Alberta

Black Settlers Come to Alberta - Virtual exhibit with section on Amber Valley and other communities from Heritage Community Foundation.

British Columbia

British Columbia's Black Pioneers: Influencing the Vision of Canada - Virtual exhibit from BC Black History Awareness Society and Digital Museums Canada.
BC Black History Awareness Society - Includes biographical articles ("The Pioneers"), plus covers various topics in its "Learning Centre".
Black Strathcona - Virtual exhibit of videos about Vancouver from Creative Cultural Collaborations Society in partnership with Vancouver Moving Theatre.

New Brunswick

New Brunswick Black History Society - Multiple articles available by category (e.g. Sports, Historical Sites).
Black Woman Ann Otherwise Called Nancy - Virtual exhibit from Virtual Museum Canada.

Nova Scotia

African Nova Scotians in the Age of Slavery and Abolition - Virtual exhibit from Nova Scotia Archives.
Shaping a Community: Black Refugees in Nova Scotia - Article from Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.
Remembering Black Loyalists, Black Communities in Nova Scotia - Virtual exhibit from Nova Scotia Museum.
Black Loyalists: Our History, Our People - Virtual exhibit made as part of by Canada's Digital Collections Program, Industry Canada.
The Story of Africville - Article from Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Africville Story Map - Virtual exhibit from Africville Museum about the Africville community in Nova Scotia.
Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia - Includes articles on immigration, Loyalists, Refugees of War of 1812 and the Jamaican Maroons.

Ontario

African Canadian Online provides information on African Canadian artists and their work
Resources Relating to Black History at the Archives of Ontario - Multiple virtual exhibits covering wide range of history — plus resources for educators.
Black History images from the Archives of Ontario's Alvin D. McCurdy fonds - More than 80 photographs in the Wiki Commons collected by Alvin D. McCurdy dating mostly from the late 19th and early 20th centuries that document the social history of the Black community of Amherstburg, Ontario.
Freedom City: Uncovering Toronto's Black History - A virtual exhibit from Toronto Public Library. Includes timeline.
Black History in Toronto - Sampling of documents with historical overviews from City of Toronto Archives.
We Stand on Guard for Thee: Teaching and Learning the African Canadian Experience in the War of 1812 - From the Harriet Tubman Institute at York University.
Slavery to Freedom - Virtual exhibit focusing on Ontario from Ontario Heritage Trust.
OBHS Online - Virtual learning portal from Ontario Black History Society Archives featuring people, burial places, places worships and settlements.
The Underground Railroad: Finding Freedom in the Niagara Region - Virtual exhibit with biographies and summaries of places from Library and Archives Canada.
Black History in Grey County - Virtual exhibit about this Ontario county from Grey Roots Museum and Archives.
Ontarians Should Know More About the Black History of Oakville - Article from TVO.
Slavery and its Gradual Abolition in Upper Canada - Lesson plan with useful background information that may be of use from Canada's History.
First Baptist Church Chatham - Overview from Ontario Heritage Trust, about a church that currently does not have Wikipedia article.
Sandwich First Baptist Church - Overview from Ontario Heritage Trust, about a church that currently does not have Wikipedia article.
Stewart Memorial Church - Overview from Ontario Heritage Trust, about a church that currently does not have Wikipedia article.
Buxton National Historic Site & Museum - Contains three virtual exhibits related to North Buxton community.
The Black Community in St. John’s Ward - Essay from City of Toronto Archives.
For the Record: An Idea of the North - A exhibit digest from Toronto Public Library on emergence of hip hop in Toronto.

Prince Edward Island

Slave Life and Slave Law in Colonial Prince Edward Island, 1769-1825 - Article from Journal of the History of the Atlantic Region.

Québec

Show Girls - Documentary film about the Black jazz clubs in Montreal from 1920s to 1960s from National Film Board of Canada.

Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan African Canadian Heritage Museum Inc. - Info on early pioneers, military and more.
Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery - Article from University of Calgary about a church and associated community.

Yukon

Hidden History: Black History of the Yukon - From Yukon Archives.

Canada

Black History in Canada - The Canadian Encyclopedia's hub for many articles on Black Canadians and Black histories. Includes timeline.
African Canadian Online - Project by York University with sections on music, dance, film/theatre, literature and visual art.
On the Road North: Black Canada and Journey to Freedom - Virtual exhibit by Parks Canada, published on Digital Museums Canada.
Significant Dates in Black History - From City of Toronto.
Noteworthy historical figures - Over 60 profiles of individuals, from Government of Canada.
Blacks in Canada: A Long History - PDF from Stats Canada providing some numbers about populations of Black individuals in Canada.
Dictionary of Canadian Biography - Search results of dozens of biographies of Black individuals.
Akua Benjamin Project - Includes biographies of six notable persons, from Ryerson University.
23 Historical Black Canadians You Should Know - From CBC.
Black Sleeping Car Porters - Article about labour rights for workers on Canadian railways from Canadian Museum of Human Rights.
Under a Northern Star - Seven essays on Black individuals and communities in Canada from Library and Archives Canada.
Portraits of Black Canadians - Audio clips about historical topics and individuals from Radio International Canada.
Black Canadians in Uniform: A Proud Tradition - Overview of different military conflicts and biographies ("Profiles of Courage") from Veterans Affairs Canada.
Reconsidering the Underground Railroad: Slavery and Racialization in the Making of the Canadian State - Article from Journal of the Society of Social Studies.
The Underground Railroad: Canada in an International Arena - Virtual exhibit from Library and Archives Canada.
The Story of Slavery in Canadian History - Short article from Canadian Museum of Human Rights.
Legacies and institutions - Profiles of Black groups and professional organizations in Canada's history from Government of Canada.
Black History Month: These Trailblazing Black Athletes Transformed Canadian Sports - Short article from The Conversation.
Many Rivers to Cross: The African-Canadian Experience - Virtual Exhibit about migration, culture, justice and more from Multicultural History Society of Ontario.
Inspirational Black Canadians to Know - Brief biographies of many contemporary (and some historical) figures from Elle.
Slavery Movement in Canada - Virtual exhibit from Library and Archives Canada.
Historic Black Canadian communities - From Government of Canada.
What's the Point of Black History Month in Canada? - From Canadian Geographic.
Journey to Justice - Documentary by National Film Board of Canada.
The Black Church in Canada - Articled from academic in McMaster Divinity College.
Early Black Canadian History - Article outlining impact of American events on Canadian history from the Emancipation Festival.
Black History in Canada: Education Guide - Short PDF summarizing elements of Black history in Canada from Historica Canada.
About Black History Month - From Government of Canada.
BlackPast.org - an online reference center that makes available a wealth of materials in one central location on the Internet.
Who's who in Black Canada 2: Black Success and Black Excellence in Canada : a Contemporary Directory by Dawn P. Williams (2002)