Hope Meets Action
From the Royal BC Museum
This exhibition (August 2021 to March 2022) is co-created by the Royal BC Museum and the BC Black History Awareness Society. The text was written and curated by Joshua Robertson and designed by Rodney Hazard.
Where to Begin Your Own Research
This guide is intended to help researchers locate material related to the Black community in British Columbia at the BC Archives. It is not meant to be a general research guide on the subject.
If you are looking for information specific to British Columbia, check the online catalogue from the BC Archives. New material is always being added.
Watch these helpful instructional videos on how to search the BC Archives:
How-to: BC Archives Genealogy Search. Learn how to find records on births, deaths, marriages or baptisms in BC.
How-to: BC Archives Collections Search. Learn how to find any documents aside from those used in the genealogy search, including maps, photographs, textual records, moving images or audio recordings.
Outside Links
These links will take you away from the Learning Portal. Come back soon!
The British Columbia Black History Awareness Society (BCBHAS) celebrates the achievements of Black people in British Columbia by creating an awareness of the history of Black folks in BC, stimulating interest in the contributions of persons of African ancestry to BC and Canada today, and celebrating historical and current achievements in the arts, education, government, sports, science and more.
This timeline starts when the British Empire’s “Slavery Abolition Act” took effect in August 1834. The first large influx of Black people to British Columbia started arriving 24 years later at the invitation of Governor James Douglas. Each entry is a story of community, politics, human rights, military service, discrimination, education, or employment placed in its historical and contemporary context. Created by BC Black History Awareness Society.
This illustrated booklet dives into the long history of racist policies that have impacted Indigenous, Black and racialized communities in the province over the 150 years since BC joined Canada. This resource ties the histories of racism and resistance to present day anti-racist movements. Co-authored by activists and scholars from diverse communities, this resource will assist anti-racist educators, teachers, scholars and policymakers in “piercing the silences that too often have let racism fester in communities, corporations, and governments.”
An interactive timeline of Black History in Canada, from the 1600s to present day.