Black History Month 2023

Ours to tell

February is Black History Month, which honours the legacy of Black people and their communities across North America. Parks Canada and the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada are pleased to highlight a sample of national historic designations related to Black history in Canada. 

Are you aware of a subject related to Black history in Canada, or a person, place or event that may have national historical significance? Learn more about how to submit a nomination.

 

Viola Desmond National Historic Person (1914-1965)
Illustration of a portait of a woman
Viola Desmond, early 1940s
© Wanda and Joe Robson Collection. 16-80-30220. Beaton Institute, Cape Breton University.

Viola Desmond was designated as a national historic person in 2017.

Desmond was an African-Canadian business woman and civil rights activist.

Commemorative plaque: Former Roseland Theatre, 188 Provost Street, and Viola’s Way, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia

John Ware National Historic Person (v. 1850-1905)
Portrait of a man with a hat
John Ware, rancher. Prior to coming to Duchess. 
© University of Calgary/na-101-37

John Ware was designated a national historic person in 2022.

John Ware was a black cowboy who forged a successful ranching career despite racism, rough frontier conditions, and having been enslaved.

Commemorative plaque: Bar U Ranch National Historic Site, Longview, Alberta

Ernest Melville DuPorte National Historic Person (1891-1981)
Black and white portrait of a man
Dr. Ernest Melville DuPorte, Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, circa 1971
© McGill University Archives/PR044397

Ernest Melville DuPorte was designated a national historic person in 2010.

One of Canada's foremost insect morphologists, Melville DuPorte' significant contributions in entomology in the area of Orthoptera (crickets/grasshoppers) were recognized worldwide.

Griffin House National Historic Site
A little wooden house
View of Griffin House
© Parks Canada, M D'Abramo, 2006

Griffin House was designated a national historic site in 2007.

Built in 1827, this home is associated with Black settlement in British North America during the first half of the 19th century.

Commemorative plaque: 733 Mineral Springs Road, Hamilton, Ontario

Breaking Racial Barriers in the National Hockey League National Historic Event
A hockey jersey
A hockey jersey
© Hockey Hall of Fame / Library and Archives Canada / PA-050743

Breaking racial barriers in the National Hockey League was designated a national historic event in 2022.

This designation commemorates hockey players overcoming racial barriers in professional hockey.

Nº 2 Construction Battalion, C. E. F. National Historic Event
Historical photo of a group of men
No. 2 Construction Battalion
© Museum Windsor, P6110

The Nº 2 Construction Battalion, C. E. F. was designated a national historic event in 1992.

This designation reflects the strong determination of Black men to overcome racism and contribute to Canada’s First World War effort.

Commemorative plaque: On Caladh Avenue by Market Street, Pictou, Nova Scotia

Portia May White National Historic Person (1911-1968)
Portrait of a woman
Portia May White, 1946
© Library and Archives Canada, Yousuf Karsh, PA-192783

Portia May White was designated a national historic person in 1995.

The first African-Canadian woman to win international acclaim, contralto Portia White had a remarkable career on the concert stage.

Commemorative plaque: 454 Prince Street, Truro, Nova Scotia

Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church National Historic Site
A church
Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church, date unknown
© Public Domain

The Salem Chapel British Methodist Episcopal Church was designated a national historic site in 2000.

Salem Chapel, built in 1855, was an important center of 19th-century abolitionist and civil rights activity in Canada.

Commemorative plaque: 92 Geneva Street, St. Catharines, Ontario

R. Nathaniel Dett British Methodist Episcopal Church National Historic Site
A church
R. Nathaniel Dett British Methodist Episcopal Church
© Parks Canada, S. Ricketts, 1998

The R. Nathaniel Dett British Methodist Episcopal Church was designated a national historic site in 2000.

An important community icon, this chapel bears witness to the early black settlement of the Niagara region and marks the role of the church in assisting newly arrived Underground Railroad refugees.

Amherstburg First Baptist Church National Historic Site
A church
Amherstburg First Baptist Church, Ontario
© Parks Canada, Jennifer Cousineau, 2011

Amherstburg First Baptist Church was designated as a national historic site in 2012.

Constructed by 1848–1849 at a terminus of the Underground Railroad near the United States border, this church offered sanctuary to African Americans fleeing slavery and helped foster a distinctive Black Baptist tradition in Ontario.

Commemorative plaque: 232 George Street, Amherstburg, Ontario

Sandwich First Baptist Church National Historic Site
A church
Sandwich First Baptist Church National Historic Site
© Public Domain from Flickr / jodelli / 2008

Sandwich First Baptist Church was designated a national historic site in 2000.

Erected in 1851 on land donated by the Crown, the Sandwich First Baptist Church represents the once numerous Black border-town churches which were built to serve the rapidly increasing numbers of Underground Railroad settlers.

Commemorative plaque: 3652 Peter Street, Windsor, Ontario

Want to see more heritage designations?

Search through over 3,600 designations listed in the Directory of Federal Heritage Designations (DFHD)


The Directory of Federal Heritage Designations offers a complete list of federal designations stemming from various programs managed by Parks Canada. It includes information on designated persons, places, and events of national historic significance under the National Program of Historical Commemoration, as well as railway stations, lighthouses, and federal buildings that are of national historic value or interest.

Date modified :