Library Learning Commons: Black History Month: Home

February is Black History Month! While Black histories continue to be important to remember and recognize year-round, Black History Month is a time dedicated to learning more about the various stories of Black people and celebrating their achievements and impacts on society. Take some time this month to explore the resources on Black history or learn more about how you can support anti-racism.

Notable Black Canadians

Learn more about these prominent Black Canadians

Abraham Beverley Walker
Abraham Beverley Walker, lawyer and journalist; b. 23 Aug. 1851 in Belleisle (Belleisle Creek), N.B., son of William Walker and Patience Taylor; m. 30 July 1876 Eliza Ruth Marsh in Saint John, N.B., and they had five children; d. there 21 April 1909.
Lincoln Alexander
Lincoln MacCauley Alexander, CC, OOnt, QC, lieutenant-governor of Ontario 1985–91, member of Parliament 1968–80, lawyer, public servant (born 21 January 1922 in Toronto, ON; died 19 October 2012 in Hamilton, ON). Alexander was the first Black Canadian member of Parliament (1968), Cabinet minister (1979) and lieutenant-governor (Ontario, 1985).
Mary Ann Shadd
Mary Ann Camberton Shadd Cary, educator, publisher, lawyer, abolitionist (born 9 October 1823 in Wilmington, Delaware; died 5 June 1893 in Washington, D.C.). Mary Ann Shadd became the first Black woman in North America to publish and edit a newspaper, The Provincial Freeman.
Measha Brueggergosman
Measha Brueggergosman is a Canadian soprano who performs both as an opera singer and concert artist. She has performed internationally and won numerous awards. Her recordings of both classical and popular music have also received awards.
Viola Desmond
Viola Irene Desmond (née Davis), businesswoman, civil rights activist (born 6 July 1914 in Halifax, NS; died 7 February 1965 in New York, NY). Viola Desmond built a career and business as a beautician and was a mentor to young Black women in Nova Scotia through her Desmond School of Beauty Culture.
Willie O'Ree
Willie O’Ree, CM, ONB, hockey player (born 15 October 1935 in Fredericton, NB). On 18 January 1958, Willie O’Ree became the first Black hockey player to play in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played professional hockey for more than 20 years, including 45 games with the Boston Bruins.

eBooks available through the Library's Collection

Black Fatigue by Mary-Frances Winters
Publication Date: 2020
This book defines and explores Black fatigue, the intergenerational impact of systemic racism on the physical and psychological health of Black people--and explain why and how society needs to collectively do more to combat its pernicious effects.
Black History: More Than Just a Month by Mike Henry
Publication Date: 2012
Some of the most interesting people and events of the past often get bypassed in a classroom. This includes a large number of African-Americans who helped build this country.
Fleeing for Freedom by Willene Hendrick, George Hendrick
Publication Date: 2003
Published to coincide with Black History Month and the opening of the new Underground Railroad Museum in Cincinnati, Fleeing for Freedom includes selected narratives from the two most important contemporary chroniclers of the Underground Railroad, Levi Coffin and William Still.
An Introduction to Black Studies by Eric R. Jackson
Publication Date: 2023
For years, the American public education system has neglected to fully examine and discuss the rich history of people of African descent, who have played a pivotal role in the transformation of the United States.
Summary of Ibram X. Kendi's How to Be an Antiracist by IRB Media
Publication Date: 2021
Antiracism is a transformative concept that reorients and reenergizes the conversation about racism - and, even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other.
Teaching for Justice and Belonging by Tehia Starker Glass, Lucretia Carter Berry
Publication Date: 2022
Create a classroom with a culture of true belonging, liberation, and justice for all. The book is designed to cultivate an educational experience that inspires a culture of true belonging, liberation, and justice for all.

Organizations in New Brunswick

Listen to Black Artists

Spend some time this month listening to NBCC's Black History Month Spotify Playlist.
Visit the CBC's page featuring the accomplishments and stories of Black Canadians.

Canadian Heritage Minutes

The Heritage Minutes collection is a bilingual series of history-focused public service announcements. Each 60-second short film depicts a significant person, event or story in Canadian history.

Jackie Shane
As a Black transgender performer, she faced many adversities but found her calling on stage where she felt more free to share her true self.
Chloe Cooley
Her acts of resistance in the face of violence led to Canada’s first legislation limiting slavery.
Oscar Peterson
Canada’s most honoured jazz musician, from his humble beginnings to his rise to fame.
Viola Desmond
The story of Viola Desmond, an entrepreneur who challenged segregation in Nova Scotia in the 1940s.
Richard Pierpoint
At 68, a formerly enslaved Black Loyalist enlists men for the Coloured Corps, an instrumental company in the War of 1812.
Jackie Robinson
Montréal Royals welcome the first African American player, marking the beginning of the end of baseball's colour barrier (1946).
Maurice Ruddick
An Afro-Canadian coal miner describes surviving eight days trapped underground during the 1958 mining disaster in Springhill, Nova Scotia.
Underground Railroad
Enslaved African Americans escaped to freedom in Canada.