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In 1987, Stanley Grizzle interviewed several former sleeping car porters, one of whom was Frank Collins. Frank Collins worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in Vancouver. He was born in Vancouver on August 11, 1915, and became a sleeping car…

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…

As Black families arrived in Montreal seeking stability they had been denied elsewhere, the city’s developing community networks became an additional pull factor. Evelyn Braxton’s memories of the Ladies’ Auxiliary hosting cultural gatherings,…

Many Black families were pushed from their homes because of discrimination, limited schooling, and unstable jobs, creating a need to move somewhere with real economic security. Montreal became that destination because the railroad industry offered…

Photograph taken in 1956 of the Labour Day Parade in Toronto. It was highly important for the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters to make an appearance at community advocacy events like the Labour Day Parade. It showed not only their dedication to…

In his memoir, 'My Name’s Not George,' former porter and activist Stanley G. Grizzle gives his account of his time as a sleeping car porter and of the history of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP). For years, Black employees couldn’t…

Jean Rix, Pearl Clunes, Aldith Farrar-Karram, Joan Cooke, and Catherine Dean are all nurses from the West Indies that studied at the St. Michael's Hospital in the 1950s. Jean Rix became the second Black nursing student to graduate St. Michael's…

This is a picture of a few nurses working at the St. Michael’s Hospital. Judy Allen(in the middle), a Jamaican born nurse who came to the hospital in 1972 as a qualified Registered Nurse with hopes of new opportunities in Canada. She recalls her…

There were no documented Black owned jazz clubs in Toronto from 1920 to 1980 and musicians had limited places to play due to segregated clubs. The Rex was one of those non-segregated clubs but as mentioned, maintained a mainly white audience. Today,…

The Pocket Squares performing at Function Bar + Kitchen In Toronto 2024. They host smaller artists and even have open mic nights every week for newer musicians to take to the stage and gain experience performing. These small yet inclusive and safe…