Since my time as a graduate student to my present appointment as professor at Dalhousie University, I have been involved with championing and developing Black studies in universities and beyond.
Previously, within Canadian universities, not many scholars who work in creating knowledge about Black people called it Black studies. For many, “Black studies” was something that happened in the United States. In the 1990s, as a doctoral student conducting research in Black Canadian history, I developed and taught courses that consciously used the terms “Black” or “African Canadian.” Such courses included “African Canadian History,” “Black Ontario” and “Black Feminist history.”
My wife attended the same high school as Harry Jerome in North Vancouver.
Harry was also a grandson of John Howard, the first black Canadian to compete for Canada.
As a sprinter Howard in his day was considered the best hope for a Canadian gold medal at the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. But he was unable to deliver on the expectation as his coach Walter Knox accused him of insubordination.
The coach Knox was uncomfortable with a black athlete on Canada’s team in 1912 and threatened to expel him. John Howard was eliminated in the 100- and 200-metre events hindered by a stomach ailment caused by stress stemming from Knox’s essentially racist attitude.
Racialized Canadians who could bring diversity to the country’s Order of Canada in the future include, top row, from left, Murray Sinclair, Afua Cooper, Winnie Ng, Adelle Blackett, Lynn Jones, Vivek Shraya, Debbie Douglas; middle row, from left, Akua Benjamin, Maryka Omatsu, Baldev Mutta, Avvy Go, Paul Taylor, OmiSoore Dryden, Amy Go; bottom row, from left, Alan Tai-Wai Li, Susan Eng, M. NourbeSe Philip, Grace-Edward Galabuzi, Angela Marie Macdougall, Gary Yee and Ingrid Waldron.
Toronto Star Composite Earlier this week, the BlackNorth Initiative made a point that seemingly too few people had realized: the 114 people named to the Order of Canada this year were overwhelmingly white and men.