Viola Davis Desmond1914 - 1965

On November 8, 1946, while waiting for her car to be repaired, Viola Davis Desmund decided to go see a movie at a theatre in Nova Scotia. She refused to sit in the balcony, which was designated exclusively for blacks, and instead sat on the ‘whites only” ground floor. She was forcibly removed and arrested. The government of Nova Scotia apologized years later, and she was granted a posthumous pardon.

Patricia Bath

Patricia Bath is dedicated to the treatment and prevention of blindness and is a co-founder of the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness. Bath is the first African American woman doctor to receive a patent for a medical invention. She is best known for her invention of the Laserphaco Probe for the treatment of cataracts.

1942 -

Lewis Latimer

Lewis Latimer was the original draftsman for Thomas Edison and as such was the star witness in Edison’s infringement suits. Lewis Latimer was the only African American member of the twenty-four “Edison Principles”, Thomas Edison’s engineering division of the Edison Company.

1848 - 1928

Lana Ogilive

Lana Ogilvie is one of Canada’s most internationally known models. In 1992, she became the first Black model to sign a multi-year contract with Cover Girl cosmetics company.

Otis Boykin

Otis Boykin is best known for inventing an improved electrical resistor used in computers, radios, television sets and a variety of electronic devices. Otis Boykin also invented a variable resistor used in guided missile parts, a control unit for heart stimulators, a burglar-proof cash register and a chemical air filter. In total, Otis Boykin patented twenty-eight electronic devices.

1920 - 1982

John Cayonne

In 1969, after coming to Canada from New York City, Johnny Cayonne was hired as the first Executive Director of Caribana. He travelled the Caribbean islands in search of entertainers and vendors negotiating with the artists to came to Canada. Johnny later taught elementary school in York Region. He will always be membered as as a Caribbean theatre trailblazer, inventor, and performer.

1934 - 1998

Madam CJ Walker

After changing her name to “Madam” C. J. Walker, she founded her own business and began selling Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower, a scalp conditioning and healing formula, which she claimed had been revealed to her in a dream.

Madam C.J. Walker

After changing her name to “Madam” C. J. Walker, she founded her own business and began selling Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower, a scalp conditioning and healing formula, which she claimed had been revealed to her in a dream.

1867 - 1919

Jan Ernst Matezeliger

Jan Matzeliger immigrated to the United States at age 18 and went to work in a shoe factory in Philadelphia. Shoes then were handmade, a slow tedious process. Jan Matzeliger helped revolutionize the shoe industry by developing a shoe lasting machine that would attach the sole to the shoe in one minute.

1852 - 1889

The Honarable

Lincoln M. Alexander1922 - 2012

In 1985, Lincoln Alexander was appointed Ontario’s 24th Lieutenant Governor, the first member of a visible minority to serve as the Queen’s representative in Canada. During his term in office, which ended in 1991, youth and education were hallmarks of his mandate. He then accepted a position as Chancellor of the University of Guelph. In 1996, he became chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation.

Jackie Robinson

In 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers President Branch Rickey approached Jackie Robinson about joining the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Major Leagues had not had an African-American player since 1889, when baseball became segregated. When Jackie first donned a Brooklyn Dodger uniform, he pioneered the integration of professional athletics in America.

1919 - 1972

Mary Ann Shadd Cary

Mary Ann Shadd Cary arrived in Canada at the time of the Underground Railroad to educate the children of arriving refugees and distribute anti-slavery materials. She was a woman of many talents. Mary Ann Shadd Cary earned her law degree at the end of the American Civil War and worked as a lawyer, teacher, lecturer, suffragist and publisher.

1823 - 1893

George Washington Carver

As an agricultural chemist, Carver discovered many uses for peanuts and hundreds more uses for soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes. Among the items that he helped to develop were his recipes and improvements for: buttermilk, chili sauce, instant coffee, mayonnaise, meat tenderizer, paper, plastic, pavement, shaving cream, shoe polish, and wood stain.

1864 - 1943

Carrie Best

In 1946, Carrie Best founded the first black-owned and published Nova Scotia newspaper, The Clarion. She then started a radio show in 1952 called The Quiet Corner, that aired for 12 years and was broadcast on four radio stations throughout Canada’s Maritime Provinces. In 1968, she was hired as a newspaper columnist for the Pictou Advocate in Nova Scotia. Her column ran until 1975 under the heading of “Human Rights.”

1903 - 2001

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman, a runaway slave from Maryland, became known as the “Moses” of her people and the “conductor” who led hundreds of slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad. In 1850, when the far-reaching United States Fugitive Law was passed, she guided fugitive slaves further north into Canada. When angry slave owners posted rewards for her capture, she continued her work despite great personal risk.

1820 - 1913

George Edward Alcorn

Alcorn invented an imaging x-ray spectrometer using thermo migration of aluminum, for which he earned a patent in 1984, and two years later he devised an improved method of fabrication using laser drilling. His work on imaging x-ray spectrometers earned him the 1984 NASA/GSFC Inventor of the Year Award.

1940 -

Bessie Blount

Bessie Blount, was a physical therapist who worked with soldiers injured in W.W.II. Bessie Blount’s war service inspired her to patent a device, in 1951, which allowed amputees to feed themselves.

1914 - 2009

Garrett Morgan

Garrett Morgan was an inventor and businessman from Cleveland who is best known for inventing a device in 1914 called the Morgan safety hood and smoke protector.

1887 - 1963

Frederick McKinley Jones

Frederick Jones patented more than sixty inventions, however, he is best known for inventing an automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks in 1935. Jones was the first person to invent a practical, mechanical refrigeration system for trucks and railroad cars.

1898 - 1961

Anderson Ruffin Abbott

Abbott applied for a commission as an assistant surgeon in the Union Army in February 1863 but his offer was not accepted. The following April, he applied to be a “medical cadet” in the US Colored Troops, and he was finally accepted as a civilian surgeon under contract. Abbott was one of only thirteen black surgeons to serve in the Civil War, fostering a friendly relationship between him and the president.

1837 - 1913

Alton C. Parker1907 - 1989

In 1942, Alton C. Parker joined the Windsor Police Service at a time when it was rare for black Canadians to be in positions of authority. Parker gained the admiration of his colleagues and in 1951 was promoted to the rank of Detective – making him not only the first black police officer in Windsor but also the first black police detective in Canada.

Carter G. Woodson

Carter G. Woodson was the second African American to earn a Harvard doctorate. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. In 1926, he began promoting Negro History Week during the second week of February to celebrate the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. In the 1960s it became known as Black History Month.

1875 - 1950

Senator Anne Clare Cools

1943 -

Senator Cools is the first black person summoned to the Senate of Canada. Originally from Ontario, she was recommended by Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau in 1984, and is also the first black female senator in North America.

Carter G. Woodson was the second African American to earn a Harvard doctorate. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. He began to promote Negro History Week the second week of February 1926, to celebrate the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. In the 1960s it became Black History Month.

Frederick Jones patented more than sixty inventions, however, he is best known for inventing an automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks in 1935. Jones was the first person to invent a practical, mechanical refrigeration system for trucks and railroad cars.

Garrett Morgan was an inventor and businessman from Cleveland who is best known for inventing a device called the Morgan Safety Hood and the Smoke Protector in 1914.

In 1947, Brooklyn Dodgers president Branch Rickey approached Jackie Robinson about joining the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Major Leagues had not had an African-American player since 1889, when baseball became segregated. When Jackie first donned a Brooklyn Dodger uniform, he pioneered the integration of professional athletics in America.

Jan Matzeliger immigrated to the United States at age 18 and went to work in a shoe factory in Philadelphia. Shoes then were handmade, a slow tedious process. Jan Matzeliger helped revolutionize the shoe industry by developing a shoe lasting machine that would attach the sole to the shoe in one minute.

After changing her name to “Madam” C.J. Walker, she founded her own business and began selling Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower, a scalp conditioning and healing formula, which she claimed had been revealed to her in a dream.

Mary Ann Shadd Cary arrived in Canada at the time of the Underground Railroad to teach the children of arriving refugees and distribute anti-slavery materials. She was a woman of many talents. Mary Ann Shadd Cary earned her law degree at the end of the American Civil War and worked as a lawyer, teacher, lecturer, suffragist and publisher.

Otis Boykin is best known for inventing an improved electrical resistor used in computers, radios, television sets and other electronic devices. Otis Boykin also invented a variable resistor used in guided missile parts, a control unit for heart stimulators, a burglar-proof cash register and a chemical air filter. In total, Otis Boykin patented 28 electronic devices.

Alton C. Parker joined the Windsor Police Service in 1942, at a time when it was rare for black Canadians to be in positions of authority. Parker gained the admiration of his colleagues and in 1951 was promoted to the rank of Detective – making him not only the first black police officer in Windsor but also the first black police detective in Canada.

In April 1863, Abbott applied to be a “medical cadet” in the US Colored Troops, and then was accepted as a civilian surgeon. Abbott was one of only 13 black surgeons to serve in the Civil War, fostering a friendly relationship with the president.

Senator Cools is the first black person summoned to the Senate of Canada. Originally from Ontario, she was recommended by Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau in 1984, and is also the first black female senator in North America.

Alcorn invented an imaging x-ray spectrometer using thermo migration of aluminum, for which he earned a patent in 1984, and two years later he devised an improved method of fabri-cation using laser drilling. His work on imaging x-ray spec-trometers earned him the 1984 NASA/GSFC Inventor of the Year Award.

As an agricultural chemist, Carver discovered hundreds of uses for peanuts, soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes. Among the items he suggested would help economically were recipes and improvements for buttermilk, chili sauce, instant coffee, mayonnaise, meat tenderizer, paper, plastic, pavement, shaving cream, shoe polish, and wood stain.

Harriet Tubman, a runaway slave from Maryland, was known as the “Moses” of her people who led hundreds of slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad. In 1850, when the far-reaching United States Fugitive Law was passed, she guided fugitive slaves further north into Canada, despite great personal risk and rewards for her capture.

In 1985, Lincoln Alexander was appointed Ontario’s 24th Lieutenant Governor, the first member of a visible minority to serve as the Queen’s representative in Canada. During his term in office, youth and education were hallmarks of his mandate. He later became Chancellor of the University of Guelph, and chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation.

Lewis Latimer was the original draftsman for Thomas Edison and as such was the star witness in Edison’s infringement suits. Lewis Latimer was the only African American member of the twenty-four “Edison Principles”, Thomas Edison’s engineering division of the Edison Company.

In November 1946, Viola Davis Desmond decided to see a movie at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Refusing to sit in the “blacks only” designated balcony area, she instead sat on the ground floor, which was for whites only. She was forcibly removed and arrested. Viola was later granted a posthumous pardon, the first to be granted in Canada.

Patricia Bath is dedicated to the treatment and prevention of blindness and is a co-founder of the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness. Bath is the first African American woman doctor to receive a patent for a medical invention. She is best known for her invention of the Laserphaco Probe for the treatment of cataracts.

Lana Ogilvie is one of Canada’s most internationally known models. In 1992, she became the first Black model to sign a multi-year contract with Cover Girl cosmetics company.

Bessie Blount, was a physical therapist who worked with soldiers injured in W.W.II. Bessie Blount’s war service inspired her to patent a device, in 1951, which allowed amputees to feed themselves.

In 1946, Carrie Best founded The Clarion, the first Black-owned and published Nova Scotia newspaper. In 1952, her radio show, The Quiet Corner, went on the air. It aired for 12 years and was broadcast on four radio stations throughout Canada’s Maritime Provinces. Best was also a respected “Human Rights” columnist for the Pictou Advocate until 1975.

In 1969, after coming to Canada from New York City, Johnny Cayonne was hired as the first Executive Director of Caribana. He travelled the Caribbean Islands in search of entertainers, negotiating with the artists and vendors. Johnny later taught elementary school in York Region. He will always be remembered as a Caribbean theatre trailblazer, inventor, and performer.

1907 - 1989 1837 - 1913 1943 - 1903 - 2001

1914 - 2009

1864 - 1943

1940 -

1820 - 1913

1922 - 20121848 - 1928

1920 - 19821942 -

1914 - 19651867 - 1919

1823 - 1893

1934 - 1998

1919 - 1972

1875 - 1950 1898 - 1961 1887 - 1963

The Honourable

1852 - 1889Matzeliger