Browse "Black Canadians"

Article

No. 8 Company – Canadian Forestry Corps

No. 8 Company, Canadian Forestry Corps (CFC) was the second Black unit formed in the First World War, after No. 2 Construction Battalion. From November 1918 to March 1919, No. 8 Company improved and repaired airfields and roads in northern Belgium and Germany, providing valuable support to the Royal Air Force (RAF).

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Stanley G. Grizzle

Stanley George Sinclair Grizzle, CM, OOnt, citizenship judge, politician, civil servant, labour union activist (born 18 November 1918 in Toronto, ON; died 12 November 2016 in Toronto, ON). Stanley Grizzle had an illustrious career as a railway porter, soldier, civil servant, citizenship judge and activist for the rights of Black Canadians.

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Ten Black Canadians in the Armed Forces

Black Canadians have a proud tradition of military service dating to the American Revolution. Many volunteered for service during the 19th and 20th centuries, despite opposition from both civilian and military authorities. Until the Second World War, most Black Canadians served in segregated units like the Coloured Corps in the War of 1812 and No. 2 Construction Battalion in the First World War. Since then, Black soldiers, sailors and airmen and women have served in the regular and reserve forces at home and overseas. Here are some of their stories.

Article

The Coloured Corps: Black Canadians and the War of 1812

The Coloured Corps (also known as Runchey's Company of Coloured Men, or Black Corps) was a militia company of Black men raised during the War of 1812.

Article

Victoria Rifles of Halifax

The Victoria Rifles of Halifax was a Black volunteer militia unit of about 70 men in Nova Scotia in the 1860s. The unit participated in anniversary celebrations of the founding of Halifax and in a parade honouring the Prince of Wales, who visited Nova Scotia in 1860. Despite their dedication and skill — and the support of some white Haligonians — the “Victorias” were subjected to anti-Black racism both within and outside the militia. The unit disbanded after approximately four years.

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William Andrew White

William Andrew White, Baptist minister and army chaplain (born 16 June 1874 in King and Queen Court House, VA; died 9 September 1936 in Halifax, NS). White was a leading member of the African Nova Scotian community. He was chaplain for the No. 2 Construction Battalion, making him one of the few Black officers in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War.

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William Neilson Hall

William Neilson Hall, seaman (born 25 April 1829 in Horton Bluff [now Lockhartville], NS; died 25 August 1904 near Hantsport, NS). William Hall was the first Black person, the first Nova Scotian and the first Canadian naval recipient of the Victoria Cross. He was the son of parents who had been enslaved in the United States but fled to Halifax at the end of the War of 1812. Hall spent much of his life at sea, joining the merchant navy at the age of 16. As a member of the Royal Navy (1852–76), Hall served in the Crimean War and Indian Mutiny of 1857, among other engagements. One of the Canadian navy’s new Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships was named in his honour.

Editorial

William Neilson Hall: Victoria Cross Recipient

The following article is an editorial written by The Canadian Encyclopedia staff. Editorials are not usually updated.

Article

William Pearly Oliver

William Pearly Oliver, CM, minister, army chaplain and community organizer (born 11 February 1912 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia; died 26 May 1989 in Lucasville). Oliver was a social activist, educator and minister. He cofounded the Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NSAACP) and the Black United Front (BUF). He was also instrumental in the creation of the Black Cultural Society and the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia.

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