Interview of Velma Iris Coward King by Stanley Grizzle
Dublin Core
Title
Interview of Velma Iris Coward King by Stanley Grizzle
Subject
The Ladies' Auxiliary of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
Description
The pull toward opportunity grew even stronger through the work described by Velma Iris Coward King, whose efforts within the Ladies’ Auxiliary, (organizing plays, coordinating fundraisers, and raising money for scholarships), made Montreal increasingly attractive to Black families seeking educational advancement for their children. These community-driven resources gave young people access to learning and mobility that contrasted sharply with the limited prospects that had pushed their families to leave places like the United States and the Caribbean. As these scholarship programs expanded, they helped transform the St. Antoine district into a center of possibility that continued drawing newcomers hoping for a better future.
Creator
Stanley Grizzle
Source
Clarence Nathaniel Este, Joseph Morris Sealy, Evelyn Braxton, and Velma Iris Coward King, interview by Stanley Grizzle, 1987, Stanley G. Grizzle fonds, 417386, Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Publisher
Library and Archives Canada
Date
1987
Contributor
Library and Archives Canada
Rights
Library and Archives Canada
Format
MP3
Type
Video and Sound
Sound Item Type Metadata
Transcription
Stanley: And how did that come about, uh, you-you becoming a member of the
International Executive Board?
Velma: Before that.
Stanley: Was there agitation for, uh, uh-
Velma: No, they, well, I had been, uh, I don't know. I'd always been active, you know, active
because I had done all the- all this. I kept working for them all, working all the time. I'd been
down. I had, uh, uh, a scholarship. We had scholarships. Um, the Ladies’ Auxiliary, we gave,
uh, scholarships. We did different things. We had plays. Um, we had a Mother's Day Tea, we
started a Mother's Day Tea, we had Mother's Day Tea to raise money. We did different
things to, uh, and then we, um, to raise money because we wanted to have scholarships.
And we had, the first scholarship was given in 1944. We sent someone to Hutchins
[unintelligible 00:45:29] school. And when we came back, we were supposed to go to their
convention in '44.
International Executive Board?
Velma: Before that.
Stanley: Was there agitation for, uh, uh-
Velma: No, they, well, I had been, uh, I don't know. I'd always been active, you know, active
because I had done all the- all this. I kept working for them all, working all the time. I'd been
down. I had, uh, uh, a scholarship. We had scholarships. Um, the Ladies’ Auxiliary, we gave,
uh, scholarships. We did different things. We had plays. Um, we had a Mother's Day Tea, we
started a Mother's Day Tea, we had Mother's Day Tea to raise money. We did different
things to, uh, and then we, um, to raise money because we wanted to have scholarships.
And we had, the first scholarship was given in 1944. We sent someone to Hutchins
[unintelligible 00:45:29] school. And when we came back, we were supposed to go to their
convention in '44.
Duration
2:03
Files
Citation
Stanley Grizzle, “Interview of Velma Iris Coward King by Stanley Grizzle,” Black Canadian History Exhibit, accessed December 5, 2025, http://omeka.uottawa.ca/mathieu-black-canadian-history-exhibit/items/show/38.