Why Canada Is Hiding the Story of These 5 Black Women
- Editor
- Feb 23
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 10
The history conveyed in school textbooks reflects only part of reality. Behind the official narratives lies a long-marginalized memory, shaped by struggles, resistance, and essential contributions. By revisiting archives, testimonies, and individual journeys, another reading of the past emerges: that of Black women who, despite racism, sexism, and imposed invisibility, have profoundly shaped the construction of modern Canada.
“The history we are taught […] is a sanitized, incomplete version,” the account reminds us, highlighting the importance of giving a voice back to these forgotten trajectories.
Now a recognized figure, Viola Desmond embodies a quiet resistance that became a national symbol. In November 1946, this successful entrepreneur refused to leave the section reserved for Whites in a cinema in New Glasgow. This refusal, seemingly simple, led to a brutal arrest and a conviction for alleged tax fraud.
“It’s not a matter of money, it’s a matter of skin color,” the testimony emphasizes.
Her legal battle, although lost on a technicality, exposed the indirect mechanisms of segregation in Canada. Her act preceded that of Rosa Parks by nine years and contributed to the official abolition of segregation in Nova Scotia in 1954. Long ignored, she only received official recognition posthumously, decades later.
Before street mobilizations, the struggle also took place through writing. Mary Ann Shadd Cary, born free in 1823, became a central figure in the abolitionist movement. In 1853, she founded The Provincial Freeman, a newspaper dedicated to the emancipation of Black people.
“Devoted to anti-slavery, temperance, and general literature,” her newspaper proclaimed.
Through her editorials, she informed, mobilized, and highlighted the achievements of the Black community. The first Black woman publisher in North America, she challenged both racism and sexism, including within her own allies. Her commitment continued during the Civil War and in the defense of civil rights and women’s suffrage.
A few years before the Desmond case, Carrie Best had a similar experience in the same cinema. Refusing segregation, she filed a lawsuit, which she lost. But far from stopping there, she founded The Clarion in 1946, an activist newspaper.
“It was not a timid newspaper, it was a weapon,” the account notes.
Through her writings, she brought attention to Viola Desmond’s case, turning a local incident into a national cause. Her commitment extended to radio with The Quiet Corner, making her an influential voice in the fight against discrimination.
The official recognition of these stories owes much to Jean Augustine. The first Black woman elected to the House of Commons in 1993, she played a decisive role in institutionalizing Black History Month in Canada.
In 1995, her motion was adopted unanimously. “Yes, these stories deserve to be told,” the account affirms, recalling this decisive moment.
Her journey, from domestic worker to minister, illustrates the ability to transform power structures to permanently embed a collective memory within them.
The story continues with Dominique Anglade, a contemporary figure of this legacy. An engineer by training and former executive, she entered politics after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, which claimed the lives of her parents.
“Transforming grief into action,” summarizes her journey.
The first Black woman to lead a major political party in Quebec, she embodies the continuity of the struggles initiated by her predecessors, in a context still marked by challenges of equality and representation.
These five trajectories, though distinct, share a common thread: the refusal of injustice and the determination to transform society. Long relegated to the margins, these women nevertheless made decisive contributions to national history.
“These women are our founding mothers,” the account states.
Their late recognition raises questions about how history is written and transmitted. Beyond symbols, the challenge remains to fully integrate these narratives into education and collective memory.
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