Black Archival

WELCOME TO

Collage of three black and white photos. First photo has a large group of people sitting outside in a park setting. Second photo has a male and female speaker standing front of a podium. Third photo is a poster of "Black Peoples Conference".

&

Routes

Risings

DID YOU KNOW?

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There is no definitive national Black archive in Canada.

DID YOU KNOW?

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About

We are Preserving Black Knowledge and History for Black Communities

The Black Archival Routes and Risings project aims to collect, preserve and steward archival materials important to the history of Black people in Canada and globally. The genesis of the project is rooted in the unacknowledged richness of archival materials encapsulating Black histories dispersed among various Black communities and organizations nationwide. The lack of recognition, standardized cataloging, and preservation methods reflect the ongoing marginalization of Black Canadian history, exacerbating the misrepresentation and undervaluation of Black experiences across Canada.

The goal is to preserve Black knowledge and for materials to be used by Black students, faculty and community members to further educate and advocate for community needs.

Explore the Project

HISTORY

Four man musicians wearing formal clothes are smiling while playing music on a trumpet, guitar and a drum.
Five women around a table with formal dresses on and tea cups in their hand.

MISSION

VISION

A man and women dancing on a stage while smiling.

Archives

FEATURED

Cover of "Sway" magazine with women smiling dressed in Caribbean carnival outfit.
Cover of book called "Little Black Sambo".

Community & Personal Archives

We collaborate with various organizations and individuals/elders to collect, digitize archival documents and showcase Black experience and history. Our goal is to create a vibrant and interactive archive for our community.

Our Database

Explore our extensive and ever-growing collection of archival documents. We have digitized a vast array of historical documents, including influential books, important cultural and political magazines, maps, art pieces, hours of recordings with Black workers and community newsletters.

·Our collection also features dozens of significant documents on policing and Black communities in the GTA, as well as documents from the United Nations World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance ended in Durban, South Africa (2001), offering invaluable insights into global history and diplomacy. We continually expand our archives, ensuring that new materials are preserved and made accessible for community members and future generations.

Number 100+ on top of an image of a wall of bookshelf full of books.

INFLUENTIAL BOOKS NO LONGER IN PRODUCTION

Number 30+ on top of an image of person recording a podcast.

HOURS OF RECORDINGS WITH FOUNDRY WORKERS,NURSES AND ELDERS

Number 20+ on top of an image of old newspapers.

BLACK CANADIAN MAGAZINES

Number 500+ on top of an image of stacks of paper.

PAGES OF COMMUNITY NEWSLETTERS

Women wearing a black coat and hat with a large bag front of a brick building.

Get in Touch

 Wish to donate materials, make a financial donation, have a grant you wish to collaborate on, or wish to write something with the materials we have on hand. Reach out!

All images except the featured archives are care of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario.