Putting Black history in Canada on the map

CBC Quebec is highlighting people from the province's Black communities who are giving back, inspiring others and helping to shape our future. These are the Black Changemakers.

When she was in Grade 10, Dorothy Williams asked her history teacher why he didn't talk about the history of slavery in Canada.

Her teacher's answer, she said, served as a turning point in her life and career.

"The teacher said to me and this is in front of the class he said I didn't have a history," Williams said.

"I knew where I was from; I knew what I was about; I knew about my relationship to the African diaspora, and here was this old teacher telling me that I didn't have a history. And I think that as young as my mind was, there was still a point of, 'I'm going to do something about it.'"

Williams, who grew up in Montreal's historic Black neighbourhood of Little Burgundy, says she began to incorporate elements of Black history into many of her school assignments.

Today a professor of history at Concordia University, Williams has gone on to publish three books.

The first was the groundbreaking Blacks in Montreal: 1628 1986, an Urban Demography, published in 1989. The French translation followed, nine years later.

Her 1997 book, The Road to Now: A History of Blacks in Montreal, remains the only chronological study of Black people on the island of Montreal. It's a book Williams may yet update.

The historian's work has made her a go-to resource for filmmakers seeking to depict accurately what life was like for Black people in Quebec and Canada.

In recent years, Williams also helped create The ABC's of Canadian Black History, a resource kit to help both teachers and students learn more about the contributions of Black Canadians.

"I want those that come after me to have something in which to ground themselves and to build on," she said.

"We didn't show up in 1960. We've been here for hundreds of years."

There's still a lot of work to do before that history is widely acknowledged, she said.

She points out that few universities offer courses in African Canadian studies an absence made more noticeable when compared to the prevalence of African American studies.

"We have always been part of the Canadian narrative," said Williams. "We've just been cras, as we say, or erased and that needs to change. If my work does nothing but reinforce that particular point, then I think it will be worth it."

She says the worst thing "is being ignored being invisible."

The Black Changemakers is a special series recognizing individuals who, regardless of background or industry, are driven to create a positive impact in their community. From tackling problems to showing small gestures of kindness on a daily basis, these changemakers are making a difference and inspiring others. Meet all the changemakers here.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of.You can read more stories here.