This week, Cupe 2195’s Racialized Workers Caucus is featuring a few Black Canadians who made a big difference in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields.

Elijah McCoy

Elijah McCoy was a Canadian-American inventor who transformed the locomotive industry. He was born in 1844 in Colchester, Ontario to former American slaves who escaped to Upper Canada via the Underground Railroad. Later living in the US, McCoy had difficulty gaining employment as an engineer due to racial discrimination. Yet, McCoy continued to engineer and invent mechanical devices- patenting over 50 inventions by the end of his lifetime. His most noteworthy invention, the “graphite lubricator,” allowed trains to run faster on less fuel. In 2001, McCoy was inducted in the National Inventors Hall of Fame (US) for his numerous contributions to the transportation sector.

Source: Smithsonian Magazine; The Canadian Encyclopedia

Alan Emtage

Before Google, there was Archie– the internet’s first search engine, developed by Canadian computer scientist Alan Emtage in 1989. A native of the Barbados, Emtage studied computer science at McGill University. Hoping to automate some work tasks as a systems’ administrator at the university, the then-student developed Archie. Emtage later co-founded the first company to aggregate information gathered from the internet. In recognition of his technological advancements, Emtage was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2017.

Source: HuffPost Canada;  Internet Hall of Fame

Dr. Eugenia Duodu Addy

Dr. Eugenia Duodu Addy is a prominent Canadian chemist and community worker. Growing up in a low-income region in the GTA, Addy loved science and math but faced obstacles during her studies as a result of systemic racism and implicit biases from grade school teachers. Despite these challenges, Addy pursued her post-secondary degrees in chemistry and biology at the University of Toronto, earning her PhD in chemistry in 2015. Addy is currently the CEO of Visions of Science Network for Learning, a non-profit organization that “empowers youth from low-income communities through meaningful engagement in STEM.”

Source: Toronto Life; Eugenia Duodo

Quiz

1. Who was the first registered Black Canadian doctor? 
2. Who invented the Hubbard Portable- a portable baker’s oven?

***First two to respond correctly will get a gift card. The gift cards will be mailed out/dropped off at the end of the month. Send your answers to EMAIL LINK

Black History Month 2021- Profile

Week 2 Profile- Wednesday Feb 10-Notable Black Canadian Athletes

Black Canadians have made numerous contributions in the world of sports. This week, CUPE2195’s Racialized Workers Caucus is highlighting some of these ground-breaking athletes who paved the way for those who came after them.

George Dixon

George Dixon, aka “Little Chocolate” is credited with inventing shadow-boxing and the first to train with the suspended punching bag. Though self-taught, Dixon became the first Black Canadian to win a world boxing title in both the bantamweight and featherweight classes (1891). He retired without losing his World Championship title in bantamweight. Dixon is in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, the American Ring Hall of Fame, the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Throughout his career, Dixon championed Black civil rights. For instance, the famed boxer reserved game day seats for Black fans-an unprecedented act during his time. Dixon remained one of the most notable boxers and an inspiration to future boxers. 

 Source: George Dixon | The Canadian Encyclopedia; George Dixon | Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame (nsshf.com) 

 John Armstrong Howard 

John Armstrong Howard is a medal-winning and hall of fame track and field athlete who broke colour barriers. He was the first Black Canadian Olympian, competing in the 100 and 200 m races (1912) in the Olympic Summer Games, in Stockholm, Sweden. Howard also served in the Canadian Army Medical Corps and the Canadian Expeditionary Force during WWI. Despite his athletic accolades and army contributions, Howard’s experience with racism was no different from the average Black Canadian’s. Howard’s grandchildren Valerie and Harry Jerome followed in his legacy, representing Canada in track and field Olympic events, winning medals, and breaking world records. Sixty years after his death (2004), Howard was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame.

Source: John Armstrong Howard, Canada’s first Black Olympian | Library and Archives Canada Blog (thediscoverblog.com); John Armstrong Howard | The Canadian Encyclopedia

 Dr. Herbert H Carnegie 

Born to Jamaican immigrants in Toronto (1919), Dr. Herb Carnegie played in the semi-pro Quebec Provincial League and joined the first pro-hockey Black line. Dr. Carnegie won the MVP award in Quebec’s senior hockey league, three years in a row. Dr. Carnegie later became a social justice advocate, a successful philanthropist and businessman, and started the Future Aces hockey school. His success and contributions led to the Order of Canada (2003) and induction in Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame (2001). Dr. Carnegie’s career paved the way for future NHL hockey stars like Willie O’Ree and P.K.Subban. Despite being considered “the greatest Black hockey player of all time,” racism in the NHL prevented Carnegie from playing in the league. His autobiography details his experience in an industry that is still predominantly White and requires racialized athletes to work twice as hard to receive the same recognition.

Source: Herb Carnegie | The Canadian Encyclopedia; Herbert Carnegie | Black In Canada

Angela James

Angela James grew up playing hockey in the boys house league in Toronto. Despite facing racism, gender discrimination and poverty, she rose to become a pioneering superstar in women’s hockey. James led Canada’s women’s hockey team to three gold medals (1992, 1994, 1997) at the Women’s World Hockey Championships. She is considered the “Wayne Gretzky of women’s hockey,” with her high-ranking scoring abilities. James is the second Black athlete, second female athlete and first openly gay hockey player inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. She continues to coach and referee women’s hockey games, remaining an inspiration for the next generation of hockey players.

 Source: Angela James | The Canadian Encyclopedia; Why isn’t the ‘Wayne Gretzky of Women’s Hockey’ better known? – Sportsnet.ca 

Quiz

1. Who won Canada’s first gold medal in the men’s 100-metre race at the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta? 
2. Who is the first Black Canadian to win the Norris Trophy? 

***The gift cards will be mailed out/dropped off at the end of the month. Send your answers to EMAIL HERE