Afro Canadian Contributions to Canadian History
Afro Canadian people have made several important contributions to Canadian History. They have shaped Canada’s culture and devoting their lives to fight for freedom and equality. Josiah Henson, Delos Davis, and Rosemary Brown were three of many Afro Canadians who exhibited perseverance in the face of discrimination. Josiah Henson was an escaped Afro Canadian who led slaves to freedom; in addition to developing his own Afro-Canadian community. Henson was born on June 15, 1789, in Port Tobacco, Maryland and died on May 5, 1883 in Dresden, Ontario. In 1829, he arranged a buy out for his slavery but was betrayed by his master, and so he fled to Canada with his wife and children. Henson arrived a
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Davis was the second Afro Canadian lawyer in Canada and the first Afro Canadian to be appointed to the King’s Counsel. He was born into slavery on August 4, 1846 in Maryland and died on April 13, 1915 in Amherstburg, Ontario, fleeing to Canada with his family through the Underground Railroad. It was a requirement of Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) that a studet must study under a lawyer prior to writing their examination, however despite proving his knowledge of the Law by serving as different law officers, “Davis faced significant obstacles in becoming a member of the [BAR- British Accreditation Regency], as prevailing racist attitudes prevented him from finding a lawyer [he could work alongside]” (Block, 2014). Consequently, Davis convinced W.D. Balfour, M.P.P. to allow him to take his final law examination without working with a lawyer. Balfour was able to introduce the act, and the decade long hindrance on his career as a lawyer ended when Davis passed the exam in 1885. He became a successful counselor, winning all six of his murder cases, and in 1910 received the honour of being the first Afro Canadian to be appointed to King’s Counsel. Davis’ contribution to Law in Canadian History extends from his sons who both sought careers in Law, all the way to Violet Henry- the first Afro Canadian woman to graduate from Law and be admitted to the …show more content…
Brown was born on June 17, 1930 in Kingston, Jamaica and died on April 26, 2003, immigrating to Canada in 1951 to pursue studies in social work. As a student, she encountered both sexism and racism regarding matters, such as housing and employment. During the 1960s- a time where both race and gender were in Canadian politics, Brown found purpose in her role as a political advocate against both racism and sexism- as she applied to both groups, and as a result, she created the Vancouver Status of Women Council (VSW). Brown entered provincial politics as a New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate in 1972, and won her seat in the riding, officially becoming the first Afro Canadian woman to sit in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. During her years as MLA, Brown created “a committee to eliminate sexism in textbooks and educational curricula… [and] introduced legislation that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex or marital status” (Kome, 2000), providing protecting against Afro Canadian women. Brown also ran for leadership of the federal NDP in 1975, receiving the distinction of being the first Afro Canadian to do so. In summary, Rosemary Brown was a significant Afro Canadian
David Walker was born in Wilmington, North Carolina on September 28, 1785. His father was a slave and his mother a free woman. In North Carolina the law during slavery was if a newborn African mother was free, that child would also be free. This law made it so that every newborn African would be free, no matter the status of their fathers. This was very fortunate for David Walker and his life. His mother passed on to him her free status and she also raised him to have a great opposition towards slavery. It is said that his father had a passed away before he was born, or while he was a young boy. Walker witnessed the brutality and horrors of slavery directly during his travels all over the South. Experiencing this contributed to him wanting to fight against the institution of slavery and its inhumane ways. At the age of thirty years old he moved aw...
In the year 1957, Canada elected its first Prime minister without English or French root, John Diefenbaker. While growing up in the city of Toronto, because of his German name, he was often teased. [1] He grew up as an outcast, and so he was able to relate to the discrimination and inequality many of the minorities in Canada felt. This essay will attempt to answer the question: To what extent did Prime Minister John Diefenbaker help promote equality to the minority communities. . The minorities in this time period were the women, aboriginals, and immigrants. During his time as the Prime Minister, he was able to help protect the rights of this group because many of their rights were being abused by the society. Diefenbaker also helped the minorities to stand up for themselves and other groups. Diefenbaker was able to bring positive change to the minority communities by making an official Bill of Rights and appointing people of discriminated groups to the parliament while other members did not.
By using repetition throughout the beginning of her editorial, Cary hopes she is able to identify and unify her audience. The rights she has been bestowed in Canada is undoubtedly the greatest freedom an African American will get in North America. With this freedom,
African American Contributions in Science Throughout American history, many African Americans have been overlooked in the field of science. Some powerful minds and great inventors haven’t been re-introduced to new generations. African Americans have contributed a great deal to the advancements of our country and one of the major fields they have made contributions to is in the field of science. Many successful African Americans have been overshadowed by their Caucasian counterparts.
One of the most contentious issues in Canada’s history is that of the Metis. Some people feel this unique group of people does not deserve any sort of recognition, whereas others believe their unique history and culture is something to be recognized and cherished. The history of the Metis people is filled with struggle; not only struggles against other powers, but also a struggle for self-identification. Despite strong opposition, the Metis people of Canada have matured as a political force and have taken great strides towards being recognized as a unique people.
I chose to do this research paper on Angela Davis because of her numerous contributions to the advancements of civil rights as well as to the women’s rights movement. I have passionate beliefs regarding the oppression of women and people of racial minorities. I sought to learn from Davis’ ideology and proposed solutions to these conflicts that pervade our society. As well, I hoped to gain historical insight into her life and the civil rights movement of the 1960’s and 70’s. I believe this research paper to be a way to honor Davis for her efforts toward furthering justice for all people, no matter their sex or race.
Women had proven their significance in Canadian history through their struggles in gaining rights that provided equality. In order to improve the rights of women, the following were established: Royal Commission on the Status of Women, Pay Equity, and Employment Equity Act. The Royal Commission on the Status of Women (RCSW) was called by Prime Minister Lester Bowles Pearson on February 3rd, 1967, to investigate and report on the condition of women which was initiated immediately after an organization, which was led by a coalition of thirty-two women, who protested for equal rights. Together, the thirty two women’s groups gathered to form an alliance against the government. They threatened to “lead a women’s march on Parliament Hill” if nothing were to be done for this matter. Therefore, Prime Minister Pearson did not have any other option except to establish the RCSW in response to this campaign. The C...
One of Henson’s most admirable traits was his perseverance and determination. Before his job with Peary (the man Henson later assisted), he worked aboard a different ship (“Encyclopedia.com”). There, he experienced harsh prejudice with one crew member. Beaten and humiliated, he quit the job. He didn’t stop there, though. He persevered even after the embarrassment. (“Encyclopedia.com”). Additionally, he didn’t have the most pleasant childhood. Henson’s mother died when he was young, so his uncle took care of him (“Encyclopedia.com”). Not only this, but later in life when he carried out his life’s dreams of meaningful exploration, Matthew Henson didn’t receive all that he deserved. According to Encyclopedia.com, “because of racial prejudice, [he] was not credited as the co-discoverer of the [north pole] region until the late 1980s.” After all of this hardship, Henson chose to not give up just yet.
Next is John Henrik Clark, who refers to African America Studies as Africana Studies because he believes that Black tells you how you look, not who you are. He goes on to state that he calls African American Studies “a dilemma at the crossroads of history” (Clark 32). This is because European people knew history well enough to distort it and use it, as well as political weapons such as the gun and bible, to control the world. This is the reason why a look at African culture will show what Africana Studies are about or should be about. Africana Studies should embrace the Africans all around the world, in places like Africa, North and South America, the Caribbean Islands even those in Asia and the Pacific Islands. Clarke states that Africa is
Toronto is a city that is simultaneously rich in its ethnic diversity, yet paradoxically finds itself constrained by its colonial heritage. This is important, as colonial representations of race pervade history across...
Do you know that despite Canada being called multicultural and accepting, Canada’s history reveals many secrets that contradicts this statement? Such an example are Canadian aboriginals, who have faced many struggles by Canadian society; losing their rights, freedoms and almost, their culture. However, Native people still made many contributions to Canadian society. Despite the efforts being made to recognize aboriginals in the present day; the attitudes of European Canadians, acts of discrimination from the government, and the effects caused by the past still seen today have proven that Canadians should not be proud of Canada’s history with respect to human rights since 1914.
people of different ethnicities. Such harm is observed in the history of North America when the Europeans were establishing settlements on the North American continent. Because of European expansion on the North American continent, the first nations already established on the continent were forced to leave their homes by the Europeans, violating the rights and freedoms of the first nations and targeting them with discrimination; furthermore, in the history of the United States of America, dark skinned individuals were used as slaves for manual labour and were stripped of their rights and freedoms by the Americans because of the racist attitudes that were present in America. Although racist and prejudice attitudes have weakened over the decades, they persist in modern societies. To examine a modern perspective of prejudice and racism, Wayson Choy’s “I’m a Banana and Proud of it” and Drew Hayden Taylor’s “Pretty Like a White Boy: The Adventures of a Blue-Eye Ojibway” both address the issues of prejudice and racism; however, the authors extend each others thoughts about the issues because of their different definitions, perspectives, experiences and realities.
He was raised in Carrol County. At an early age, Henson’s mother died, leaving him
In From Slavery to Freedom (2007), it was said that “the transition from slavery to freedom represents one of the major themes in the history of African Diaspora in the Americas” (para. 1). African American history plays an important role in American history not only because the Civil Rights Movement, but because of the strength and courage of Afro-Americans struggling to live a good life in America. Afro-Americans have been present in this country since the early 1600’s, and have been making history since. We as Americans have studied American history all throughout school, and took one Month out of the year to studied African American history. Of course we learn some things about the important people and events in African American history, but some of the most important things remain untold which will take more than a month to learn about.
The aspect of African-American Studies is key to the lives of African-Americans and those involved with the welfare of the race. African-American Studies is the systematic and critical study of the multidimensional aspects of Black thought and practice in their current and historical unfolding (Karenga, 21). African-American Studies exposes students to the experiences of African-American people and others of African descent. It allows the promotion and sharing of the African-American culture. However, the concept of African-American Studies, like many other studies that focus on a specific group, gender, and/or creed, poses problems. Therefore, African-American Studies must overcome the obstacles in order to improve the state of being for African-Americans.