List of black Canadians
This is a list of black Canadians, inclusive of multiracial people who are of partially black heritage.
A
- Anderson Ruffin Abbott, became, in 1861, the first black Canadian physician and among a select few at the death bed of Abraham Lincoln.
- Wilson Ruffin Abbott, successful businessman and landowner in Toronto
- Wayne Adams, Nova Scotia's first black MLA, Liberal
- Zanana Akande, former Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament and cabinet minister
- Philip Akin, director
- Lincoln Alexander, first black Member of Parliament in Canada and former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
- Toya Alexis, R&B/pop singer and Canadian Idol season 1 finalist
- Jean Alfred, first Black Canadian member of the National Assembly of Quebec
- Lillian Allen, dub poet
- Osborne Perry Anderson, was a resident of the Chatham-Kent area and was involved in the raid at Harper's Ferry
- Marie-Joseph Angélique, executed for setting fire to Montreal
- Joel Anthony, NBA basketball player with the Miami Heat
- Trey Anthony, playwright (Da Kink in my Hair)
- Gary Archibald, weathercaster for NBC Weather Plus and MSNBC
- Bromley Armstrong, community activist
- Yvonne Atwell, Nova Scotia's first black woman MLA, NDP
- Jean Augustine, former Member of Parliament, first black Canadian Cabinet Minister, former deputy Speaker of the House of Commons.
- Edem Awumey, writer
- Malcolm Azania, writer and activist
B
- Matte Babel, MuchMusic VJ
- Cameron Bailey, film critic and artistic director of the Toronto International Film Festival
- Donovan Bailey, first Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal in the 100m sprint (1996 Atlanta)
- Vivian Barbot, Bloc Québécois member of parliament for the riding of Papineau
- Emery Barnes, first black Speaker of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly and CFL defensive end
- Angèle Bassolé-Ouédraogo, poet
- Gary Beals, pop singer and Canadian Idol season 1 first runner-up
- Shawn Belle, NHL prospect
- Frantz Benjamin, Montreal city councillor
- Anthony Bennett, NBA player (first overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft)
- Cle Bennett, actor
- Tyrone Benskin, actor and director, and also member of parliament and national vice-president of ACTRA
- Ardon Bess, actor (Heritage Minute commercial, Trailer Park Boys, King of Kensington)
- Carrie Best, activist and humanitarian
- James Calbert Best, diplomat and public servant
- Margarett Best, Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament and Cabinet Minister
- Salome Bey, jazz, blues and gospel singer (U.S. citizen, Canadian permanent resident)
- Tim Biakabutuka, former NFL player
- Henry Bibb, an author and abolitionist
- Charlie Biddle (Sr.), one of Canada's greatest bassists
- Jully Black, R&B/pop singer
- Lindsay Blackett, Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, and the province's first black cabinet minister
- Walter Borden, actor and playwright
- Cory Bowles, actor (Trailer Park Boys)
- George Boyd, playwright
- Lawrence Ytzhak Braithwaite, dub poet and novelist
- Dionne Brand, author
- Fred Brathwaite, NHL goalie
- Measha Brueggergosman, opera singer
- Shelton Brooks, popular music and jazz singer, songwriter, and pianist and vaudeville and musical theatre performer who wrote some of the biggest hits of the first third of the 20th century
- Divine Brown, R&B/soul singer and musical theatre performer
- Denham Brown, professional basketball player in Europe
- Rosemary Brown, British Columbia legislator, and the first black woman to run for the leadership of a political party in Canada (the federal New Democratic Party)
- Matthew Bullock, fugitive from the U.S. who became a cause celebre in the 1920s
- Nate Burleson, NFL player
C
- Cadence Weapon, rapper
- Herb Carnegie, star of Quebec professional hockey league
- Anson Carter, NHL star
- Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, African-American boxer controversially convicted of murder, now a Canadian activist and speaker
- Dayana Cadeau, IFBB professional bodybuilder
- Mary Anne Chambers, former Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament and cabinet minister
- Keshia Chante, singer
- David Chariandy, writer
- Gregory Charles, pop and gospel singer
- Ulrick Chérubin, mayor of Amos, Quebec and one of the first black mayors of any city in Quebec
- Sean Cheesman, dancer and choreographer
- Jojo Chintoh, longtime Citytv reporter
- Choclair, rapper
- Rae Dawn Chong, actress (The Color Purple)
- Jarvis Church, singer (The Philosopher Kings and solo) and music producer (Nelly Furtado)
- Austin Clarke, novelist (The Polished Hoe, Growing Up Stupid Under the Union Jack)
- George Elliott Clarke, poet and playwright (Whylah Falls, George and Rue)
- Caroline Cole, Vice President, Business Development Bank of Canada
- Wayde Compton, poet
- Anne Cools, Canada's first black senator
- Afua Cooper, poet and historian
- Michael Coteau, Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament
- Deborah Cox, R&B singer
- Archie Crail, writer
- Laura Creavalle, IFBB professional bodybuilder
- Roger Cross, actor (24)
- Alvin Curling, Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament and Speaker of the Legislature of Ontario
D
- Samuel Dalembert, NBA player with the Dallas Mavericks
- Trevor Daley, NHL player with the Dallas Stars
- Delos Davis, first black lawyer in Canada
- Hubert Davis, Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker
- Rob Davis, former York and Toronto city councillor
- Nigel Dawes, NHL player with the New York Rangers
- Buddy Daye, former boxer and activist in Nova Scotia
- David Defiagbon, boxer
- Jonathan De Guzman, soccer player
- Julian De Guzman, soccer player
- Simone Denny, house music vocalist
- Robert Nathaniel Dett, composer
- Rita Deverell, broadcaster and journalist, founder of Vision TV
- Devon, hip-hop musician ("Mr. Metro")
- Alpha Yaya Diallo, musician
- George Dixon, first black world boxing champion in any weight class
- Fefe Dobson, pop punk singer
- James Douglas, early governor of Vancouver Island and British Columbia
- James W. Douglas, British Columbia MLA
- Orville Lloyd Douglas, poet, writer, and journalist
- Stan Douglas, installation artist
- Ray Downey, former boxer who medalled in the 1988 Olympics
- Dream Warriors, hip hop duo
- Dwight Drummond, television journalist
- Dubmatique, Québecois rap group
- Emmanuel Dubourg, Quebec Liberal Party MNA for Viau
- Rob Ducey, former Major League Baseball player
- Arlene Duncan, actress/singer (Little Mosque on the Prairie)
- Roger Dundas, Publicist and Publisher/Founder of ByBlacks.com
- Drake: singer/rapper
E
- Gordon Earle, former NDP Member of Parliament for Halifax West
- Rosey Edeh, ET Canada reporter and former MSNBC meteorologist
- Esi Edugyan, novelist
- Phil Edwards, track athlete
- Nneka Elliott, television weathercaster for The Weather Network
- Natasha Eloi, Space science reporter
- Ray Emery, NHL goaltender
- Jonathan Emile, poet, composer & entrepreneur
- Tyler Ennis, NBA player with the Phoenix Suns
- Robert Esmie, Olympic gold medalist 4x100 relay (Atlanta 1996)
F
- Lennox Farrell, community activist
- Perdita Felicien, track athlete
- Melanie Fiona, R&B singer
- Farley Flex, music promoter and Canadian Idol judge
- Melyssa Ford, professional model and actress
- Keith Forde, the first visible minority Deputy Chief of Police in the history of the Toronto Police Service
- Rose Fortune, first female police officer in Canada
- Cecil Foster, novelist and sociologist
- Rick Fox, NBA player
- Mayann E. Francis, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia (2006- ), former director & CEO of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission
- Grant Fuhr, ex-NHL goalie elected to Hockey Hall of Fame
G
- Matt Galloway, CBC Radio host
- Ghetto Concept, hip hop group
- Mifflin Gibbs, merchant and member of Victoria City Council in the 1860s
- Glenroy Gilbert, Olympic gold medalist 4x100 relay (Atlanta 1996)
- Malcolm Gladwell, journalist
- George Godfrey, former boxer originally from Prince Edward Island
- Gary Goodridge, former mixed martial artist and kickboxer
- Kamala-Jean Gopie, activist and political candidate
- Aubrey Graham, actor (Degrassi: The Next Generation) and rapper; artistically known as Drake
- Dirk Graham, first NHL captain of African descent
- Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, former NHL defenseman, currently playing in Europe
- Anais Granofsky, actor (Degrassi)
- Stanley G. Grizzle, judge, community activist
H
- William Hall, first Nova Scotian, and third Canadian and first black person to be awarded the Victoria Cross
- Kevin Hanchard, actor
- Adrian Harewood, CBC Radio journalist and host
- Josiah Henson, former slave, believed to be the inspiration for the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- Daniel G. Hill, sociologist and first head of the Ontario Human Rights Commission
- Dan Hill, pop singer/songwriter
- Lawrence Hill, novelist and memoirist
- Jennifer Holness, film and television writer and producer
- Charmaine Hooper, soccer player; retired as leader in appearances and goals for the women's national team
- Nalo Hopkinson, science fiction author
- Jennifer Hosten, Canadian High Commissioner to Grenada and diplomat
- William Peyton Hubbard, former Toronto alderman, controller and acting mayor
I
J
- Ovid Jackson, former Member of Parliament and former mayor of Owen Sound
- Angela James, hockey player and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee
- Royson James, Toronto Star columnist
- Yolande James, Quebec Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities
- Olivier Jarda, singer-songwriter
- Sterling Jarvis, actor and musician
- Michaëlle Jean, former broadcaster and former Governor General of Canada, the first black person in Canadian history appointed to that position
- Jelleestone, rapper Jenkins, Fergie
- Marlene Jennings, first black woman from Quebec to be elected to Parliament
- Harry Jerome, sprinter and first Canadian to hold an official world track and field record
- Ferguson Jenkins, baseball star and first Canadian elected to the (U.S.) Baseball Hall of Fame
- Ben Johnson, Olympic sprinter disqualified in 1988 drug scandal
- Chris Johnson, boxer
- Clark Johnson, actor (Homicide: Life on the Street)
- Kirk Johnson, boxer
- Molly Johnson, rock and jazz vocalist
- Rocky Johnson, professional wrestler
- Dwayne Johnson, professional wrestler and actor
- Taborah Johnson, singer, actor and radio broadcaster
- Denham Jolly, broadcast executive
- Danko Jones, rock singer and guitarist
- Mark Jones, sportscaster for ESPN and ABC
- Oliver Jones, jazz pianist
- Paul Jones, sportscaster and Toronto Raptors radio play-by-play voice
- Spider Jones, journalist and former boxer
- Cory Joseph, NBA player
K
L
- Sonnet L'Abbé, poet and critic
- Dany Laferrière, novelist
- Artis Lane, sculptor and artist
- Sam Langford, former boxer
- Georges Laraque, NHL hockey player
- Tobi Lark, jazz, blues and gospel singer
- Scott Laurie, CTV News Channel anchor and reporter
- Olivier Le Jeune, believed to have been the first slave purchased in what later became Quebec
- Karen LeBlanc, actress
- Ranee Lee, jazz singer
- Michael Lee-Chin, business leader
- Sandra Levy, Olympic field hockey player
- Andrea Lewis, actress (Degrassi: The Next Generation)
- Lennox Lewis, Olympic Gold medalist boxer
- Daurene Lewis, first black woman mayor in North America
- Glenn Lewis, R&B singer
- Ray Lewis, first Canadian born black to win a medal in the Olympics
- Murray Lightburn, rock singer/songwriter (The Dears)
- Little X, director
- Rich London, rapper
- Nicole Lyn, actress
M
- Trent McClellan, comedian
- Kandyse McClure, actress (Battlestar Galactica)
- Elijah McCoy, origin of "the real McCoy", inventor
- Howard McCurdy, Member of Parliament and the first black male to run for the leadership of a political party (the federal New Democratic Party)
- Yanna McIntosh, actress
- Tony McKegney, NHL player
- Mark McKoy, Olympic gold medalist 110 m hurdles (Barcelona 1992)
- Brandon Jay McLaren, actor (Power Rangers S.P.D.)
- Tessa McWatt, novelist
- Maestro, hip-hop musician, first Canadian rapper to have a Top 40 hit
- Jamaal Magloire, NBA player
- Atlee Mahorn, sprinter
- Ahdri Zhina Mandiela, director
- Egerton Marcus, boxer
- Amanda Marshall, pop singer/songwriter
- Mike Marson, second black player in NHL history
- Lesra Martin, crown attorney and speaker, involved in his youth in freeing Rubin Carter
- Russell Martin, MLB player
- Beverly Mascoll, entrepreneur and community leader
- Denise Matthews, former model, actress and lead singer of Vanity 6 turned evangelist
- Rueben Mayes, former NFL player
- Suzette Mayr, writer
- Alexis Mazurin, CBC Radio host
- Rollie Miles, CFL player
- Shadrach Minkins, American-born fugitive slave rescued from federal custody in Boston in 1851 who settled in Montreal.
- Moka Only, rapper of the Swollen Members
- Firmin Monestime, mayor of Mattawa, Ontario and the first black mayor in Canada
- Dwayne Morgan, spoken word artist
- Vanessa Morgan, actress and singer (from Ottawa)
- Paul S. Morton, pastor of St. Stephen Baptist Church in New Orleans, a church with over 20,000 members
- Aaron Albert Mossell, first black person to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School
- Nathan Francis Mossell, first black person to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School
- Jane Musoke-Nteyafas, poet
N
O
P
- John Paris Jr., hockey coach
- Stuart Parker, leader of the Green Party of British Columbia 1993 to 2000, the first (and only) black leader of a political party in Canada
- Stephnie Payne, community activist
- Oscar Peterson, jazz pianist
- M. NourbeSe Philip, poet, novelist and essayist
- Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips, Islamic Scholar and founder of the Islamic Online University
- Joseph Jomo Pierre, actor and playwright
- Burr Plato, town councillor for Niagara Falls (1886-1901)
- Juliette Powell, television host and the first black Miss Canada (1989)
- Rev. Richard Preston, anti-slavery activist and founder of African Baptist Association of Nova Scotia
- Prevail, rapper of the Swollen Members
Q
R
- RT!, director
- Rascalz, hip hop group
- Pokey Reddick, Stanley Cup Champion, Edmonton Oilers goalie
- Gloria Reuben, actress (ER)
- Jackie Richardson, jazz, blues and gospel singer
- Kim Richardson, pop, jazz, blues and gospel singer
- Bill Riley, third black player in NHL history Jackie Robinson played for Montreal Royals[1]
- Charles Roach, Canadian civil rights lawyer and an activist in the Black community in Toronto, he had many contributions to the wider community in Toronto including being one of the founders was then known as Caribana in 1967.
- Kenny Robinson - stand-up comedian, TV host Rodriguez, Percy
- George Rogers, former mayor of Leduc, Alberta, current MLA for the riding of Leduc-Beaumont-Devon
- Calvin Ruck, senator
S
- Shakura S'Aida, jazz and blues singer
- Mairuth Sarsfield, novelist (No Crystal Stair)
- John Saunders, sports journalist for ESPN and ABC
- Alison Sealy-Smith, actress (This is Wonderland)
- Djanet Sears, playwright (Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God)
- Olive Senior, poet and short story writer
- Mary Ann Shadd, first female newspaper publisher
- Tony Sharpe, sprinter
- Liberty Silver, R&B and jazz singer
- Makeda Silvera, novelist
- Denis Simpson, actor and children's television host (Polka Dot Door)
- Eon Sinclair, bassist (Bedouin Soundclash)
- Wayne Simmonds, NHL player
- Shawn Singleton, actor/musician
- Slakah the Beatchild, soul/R&B singer and record producer
- Makyla Smith, actress (Queer as Folk)
- Frances-Anne Solomon, director
- Chris Spence, Director of Education of the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and then the Toronto District School Board, previously a CFL running back
- Tony "Wild T" Springer, blues rock guitarist
- Ordena Stephens, actress (Da Kink in My Hair)
- Anthony Stewart, NHL player with the Florida Panthers
- Malcolm Subban, professional ice hockey goaltender
- P. K. Subban, NHL ice hockey defenseman
- Cree Summer, actress
- Sylvia Sweeney, television broadcaster (W-FIVE) and former basketball player
- Bruny Surin, Olympic gold medalist 4x100 relay (1996 Atlanta)
- David (Sudz) Sutherland, director (Love, Sex and Eating the Bones)
T
- Tamia, R&B singer and actress
- Bobby Taylor and his band, The Vancouvers, a popular Motown act who were instrumental in getting The Jackson 5 signed to the label and produced the earliest Jackson 5 records.
- Dione Taylor, jazz singer
- Julian Taylor, rock musician (Staggered Crossing)
- Tamara Taylor, actress (Bones)
- Angella Taylor-Issajenko, sprinter
- Tebey, country and pop songwriter and singer
- Michael Thompson, current Toronto city councillor
- Tristan Thompson, NBA player
- Thrust, rapper
- Yanic Truesdale, actor (Gilmore Girls)Harriet Tubman
- Kreesha Turner, R&B singer
V
W
- Rinaldo Walcott, professor and Canada Research Chair at OISE/The University of Toronto
- Carol Wall, social activist and labour leader
- Dwight Walton, former Team Canada Basketball player
- Joel Ward, professional Ice Hockey player
- John Ware, former slave, Alberta cowboy
- Jackie Washington, blues musician
- Kevin Weekes, NHL goalie
- Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré, first appointed black judge in the history of Quebec
- Bill White, musician and political candidate
- Jack White, union activist
- Portia White, gospel singer
- Sheila White, political strategist
- William A. White, only black officer of the No. 2 Construction Battalion
- Andrew Wiggins, NBA player with the Minnesota Timberwolves
- Desai Williams, sprinter
- Nigel Shawn Williams, actor
- Stephen Williams, director
- Tonya Lee Williams, longtime actress on The Young and the Restless
- Trevor C. Williams, former Team Canada Basketball player
- Tyrone Williams, former CFL and NFL wide receiver
- Nigel Wilson, baseball player (First draft pick by the Florida Marlins (2nd overall) in the 1992 Expansion Draft)
- Paul Winn, human rights activist, director of Canadian Race Relations Foundation, former television personality
- Mary Matilda Winslow, first black female graduate of the University of New Brunswick
- Maurice Dean Wint, actor
- Ken Wiwa, journalist and author, and son of executed Nigerian political prisoner Ken Saro-Wiwa
- Peter Worrell, NHL hockey player
Y
See also
Further reading
References
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