Join a digital access specialist at BC Archives, for a peek inside the scrapbook of Selena Smith, a Black Canadian 19th-century musician and teacher. We will explore the calling cards, musical programs, and letters that document Selena’s many accomplishments and use these primary sources to pull together the details of her life. Hone your detective skills to gain insights through primary sources into the life of someone who lived and died over 100 years ago! At the end we’ll also be joined by a special guest from the BC Black History Awareness Society.
RBCM@Home: BC's Black Pioneers
Learn more about the hundreds of individuals and families invited by BC governor Sir James Douglas to settle in British Columbia in 1858 and the circumstances that prompted their migration. Fran Morrison, a board member of the BC Black History Awareness Society, shares a detailed presentation about this period and its events. You will learn more about many individuals and families discussed in this pathway and many more. (February 9, 2021)
Credit: RBCM
Live at Lunch: Black Histories of British Columbia: Explore-Discover-Learn-Share
Join guest speaker Fran Morrison to learn about resources in the BC Black History Awareness Society’s online Learning Centre. The presentation starts with an overview of the first Black settlers to BC in 1858. (February 21, 2024)
Go West Young Man
Listen to Professor Kirsten Pai Buick as she talks about the life and work of Grafton Tyler Brown (1841-1918). Brown was born Black and free in Pennsylvania and distinguished himself as a landscape artist, which was an unusual medium for African American artists. This talk explores a cross-section of Brown’s work in key locations such as the Bay Area, Nevada territory, British Columbia, the national parks of Yosemite and Yellowstone, and finally in Minnesota.
Credit: RBCM
