List of Black Canadians
This is a list of Black Canadians.
It incorporates, in a separate section below where known, multiracial Canadians whose background includes Black and African descent. These individuals may variously identify or be identified as being Black Canadian without qualification, as being multiracial, or both.
Actors and directors
- Philip Akin, director
- Barbara Alexandre, actress
- Sarah Barrable-Tishauer, actress (Degrassi: The Next Generation)
- Cory Bowles, actor (Trailer Park Boys)
- Roger Cross, actor (24)
- Hubert Davis, Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker
- Raven Duada, actress (Da Kink in My Hair)
- Melyssa Ford, professional model and actress
- Clark Johnson, actor (Homicide: Life on the Street)
- Djennie Laguerre, actress
- Andrea Lewis, actress (Degrassi: The Next Generation)
- Little X, director
- Kandyse McClure, actress (Battlestar Galactica)
- Yanna McIntosh, actress
- Brandon Jay McLaren, actor (Power Rangers S.P.D.)
- ahdri zhina mandiela, director
- Weyni Mengesha, director (Da Kink in My Hair)
- Tyrone Parsons, actor (Trailer Park Boys)
- Gloria Reuben, actress (ER)
- RT!, director
- Alison Sealy-Smith, actress (This is Wonderland)
- Denis Simpson, actor and children's television host (Polka Dot Door)
- Frances-Anne Solomon, director
- Ordena Stephens, actress (Da Kink in My Hair)
- David (Sudz) Sutherland, director (Love, Sex and Eating the Bones)
- Yanic Truesdale, actor (Gilmore Girls)
- Clement Virgo, director
- Stephen Williams, director
- Tonya Lee Williams, longtime actress on The Young and the Restless
- Maurice Dean Wint, actor
Athletes
- Donovan Bailey, first Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal in the 100m sprint (1996 Atlanta)
- Emery Barnes (see under Politicians)
- Shawn Belle, NHL prospect
- Tim Biakabutuka, former NFL player
- Fred Brathwaite, NHL goalie
- Denham Brown, NCAA basketball player with UConn
- Nate Burleson, NFL player
- Herb Carnegie star of Quebec professional hockey league
- Anson Carter, NHL star
- Samuel Dalembert, NBA player
- Trevor Daley, NHL player with the Dallas Stars
- Buddy Daye, former Boxer and activist in Nova Scotia
- Nigel Dawes, NHL player with the New York Rangers
- George Dixon, first black world boxing champion in any weight class
- Ray Downey, former boxer that medalled in the 1988 Olympics
- Rob Ducey, former Major League Baseball player
- Ray Emery, NHL goaltender
- Robert Esmie, Olympic gold medalist 4x100 relay (Atlanta 1996)
- Perdita Felicien, Olympic athlete
- Rick Fox, NBA player
- Grant Fuhr, ex-NHL goalie elected to Hockey Hall of Fame
- George Godfrey, former boxer originally from Prince Edward Island
- Glenroy Gilbert, Olympic gold medalist 4x100 relay (Atlanta 1996)
- Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre, former NHL defenseman, currently playing in Europe
- Charmaine Hooper, soccer player; current all-time leader in appearances and goals for women's national team
- Daniel Igali, Olympic gold medalist in wrestling (Sydney 2000)
- Jarome Iginla, NHL All-Star and Olympic gold medalist (Salt Lake 2002)
- Harry Jerome, runner and first Canadian to hold an official world track and field record
- Ferguson Jenkins, baseball star and first Canadian elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Ben Johnson, Olympic sprinter disqualified in 1988 drug scandal
- Kirk Johnson, boxer
- Rocky Johnson, professional wrestler (also father of actor/wrestler The Rock)
- Tommy Kane, former NFL wide receiver
- Sam Langford, former boxer
- Georges Laraque, NHL hockey player
- Sandra Levy, Olympic field hockey player
- Ray Lewis, first Canadian born Black to win a medal in the Olympics
- Jamaal Magloire, NBA player
- Mike Marson, second Black player in NHL history
- Russell Martin, MLB player
- Rueben Mayes, former NFL player
- Mark McKoy, Olympic gold medalist 110 m hurdles (Barcelona 1992)
- Pavan Mehat, 3 time college basketball league MVP
- Ray Neufeld, former NHL player
- Willie O'Ree, first black hockey player in the National Hockey League
- Milt Ottey, world champion high jumper
- John Paris Jr., hockey coach
- Eldon "Pokey" Reddick, former NHL goalie
- Bill Riley, third Black player in NHL history
- Tony Sharpe, sprinter
- Anthony Stewart, NHL player with the Florida Panthers
- Bruny Surin, Olympic gold medalist 4x100 relay (1996 Atlanta)
- Angella Taylor-Issajenko, sprinter
- Dwight Walton, former Team Canada Basketball player
- Peter Worrell, NHL hockey player
- Kevin Weekes, NHL goalie
- Desai Williams, sprinter
- 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)
- Wayne Yearwood, former Team Canada Basketball player
- Sylvia Sweeney, former Olympic backetball star
Musicians
- Toya Alexis, R&B/pop singer and Canadian Idol season 1 finalist
- Lillian Allen, dub poet
- A-Train and Fatbone, rappers with Social Deviantz
- Gary Beals, pop singer and Canadian Idol season 1 first runner-up
- Salome Bey, jazz, blues and gospel singer (American Citizen - Canadian permanent resident)
- Charlie Biddle (Sr.), one of Canada's greatest bassists
- Jully Black, R&B/pop singer
- Lawrence Ytzhak Braithwaite wordcore, dub poet
- Kheaven Brereton, known professionally as k-os, hip-hop musician
- Measha Brueggergosman, opera singer
- Divine Brown, R&B/soul singer and musical theatre performer
- Bruce B rapper, founder of RAW Records
- Cadence Weapon, rapper
- Gregory Charles, pop and gospel singer
- Choclair, rapper
- Jarvis Church, singer (The Philosopher Kings and solo) and music producer (Nelly Furtado)
- Deborah Cox, pop/R&B singer, holds the record for the longest-running #1 single ("Nobody's Supposed to be Here") in the history of Billboard magazine's R&B charts
- Simone Denny, house music vocalist
- Robert Nathaniel Dett, composer
- Devon, hip-hop musician ("Mr. Metro")
- Alpha Yaya Diallo, musician
- Dream Warriors, rap duo
- Ghetto Concept, group from Rexdale, Ontario
- Orin Isaacs, bandleader (Open Mike with Mike Bullard, The Mike Bullard Show), musician and music producer
- Jacksoul, singer
- Molly Johnson, rock and jazz vocalist
- Danko Jones, rock singer and guitarist
- Oliver Jones, one of Canada's greatest Jazz pianists
- Kardinal Offishall, rapper
- K'naan, rapper
- Tobi Lark, jazz, blues and gospel singer
- Ranee Lee, jazz singer
- Murray Lightburn, rock singer/songwriter (The Dears)
- Rich London, rapper
- Garry Lowe, bassist (Big Sugar)
- Mojah, guitarist (Big Sugar)
- Moka Only, rapper of the Swollen Members
- Maestro, hip-hop musician, first Canadian rapper to have a Top 40 hit
- Oscar Peterson, the greatest Canadian jazz pianist
- Prevail, rapper of the Swollen Members
- Rascalz, rap group
- Jackie Richardson, jazz, blues and gospel singer
- Sharon Riley and Faith Chorale, gospel group
- Shakura S'Aida, jazz and blues singer
- Eon Sinclair, bassist (Bedouin Soundclash)
- Liberty Silver, R&B and jazz singer
- Sean Simmonds, gospel artist
- Tony "Wild T" Springer, blues rock guitarist
- 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)
- Tebey, country and pop songwriter and singer
- Thrust, rapper
- Jackie Washington, blues musician
- Portia White, gospel singer
- d'bi young, dub poet
Politicians, public servants, and soldiers
- Wayne Adams, Nova Scotia's first black MLA, Liberal
- 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.
- Zanana Akande, former Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament and cabinet minister
- Lincoln Alexander, first black Member of Parliament in Canada and former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
- Bromley Armstrong, community activist
- Addie Aylestock, First ordained Black woman minister in Canada
- George Bancroft, educator, civil servant and Ontario Human Rights Commissioner
- 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
- James Calbert Best, diplomat and public servant
- 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)
- Mary Anne Chambers, Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament and cabinet minister
- Ulrick Chérubin, mayor of Amos, Quebec and one of the first black mayors of any city in Quebec
- Caroline Cole, Vice President, Business Development Bank of Canada
- Anne Cools, Canada's first black senator
- Alvin Curling, Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament and Speaker of the Legislature of Ontario
- Delos Davis, first Black lawyer in Canada
- Rob Davis, former York and Toronto city councillor
- Gordon Earle, former NDP Member of Parliament for Halifax West
- Lennox Farrell, community activist
- Keith Forde, the first visible minority Deputy Chief of Police in the history of the Toronto Police Service
- Mayann E. Francis, director & CEO of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission
- Harry Gairey Sr, community activist
- Mifflin Gibbs, merchant and member of Victoria City Council in the 1860s
- Stanley G. Grizzle, judge, community activist
- Daniel G. Hill, sociologist and first head of the Ontario Human Rights Commission
- Jay Hope, senior officer in the Ontario Provincial Police
- Jennifer Hosten, Canadian High Commissioner to Grenada and diplomat
- William Peyton Hubbard, former Toronto alderman, controller and acting mayor
- Wayne Hurst, mayor of Amherstburg, Ontario
- Ovid Jackson, former Member of Parliament and former mayor of Owen Sound
- Michaëlle Jean, former broadcaster and current Governor General of Canada, the first black person in Canadian history appointed to that position
- Marlene Jennings, first black woman from Quebec to be elected to Parliament
- Ron Jones, Methodist minister, fire chief, Windsor, Ontario school board trustee and city councillor, New Democratic Party activist
- Maka Kotto, black author and actor from Quebec elected to Canadian Parliament in 2004 (Bloc Québécois, independentist party)
- Daurene Lewis, first black woman mayor in North America
- Howard McCurdy, Member of Parliament and the first black male to run for the leadership of a political party (the federal New Democratic Party)
- Donald Willard Moore, community activist
- Paul S. Morton, pastor of St. Stephen Baptist Church in New Orleans, a church with over 20,000 members
- Donald Oliver, first black senator from Nova Scotia
- 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
- Burr Plato, town councillor for Niagara Falls (1886-1901)
- George Rogers, former mayor of Leduc, Alberta, current MLA for the riding of Leduc-Beaumont-Devon
- Calvin Ruck, senator
- Bev Salmon, former North York city councillor
- Paulette Senior, community activist, CEO of YWCA of Canada
- Michael Thompson, current Toronto city councillor
- Carol Wall, social activist and labour leader
- Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré, first appointed black judge in the history of Quebec
- Bill White, musician and political candidate
- Jack White, union activist
- William A. White, only black officer of the No. 2 Construction Battalion
- Paul Winn, human rights activist, director of Canadian Race Relations Foundation, former television personality
Writers, journalists, and broadcasters
- Trey Anthony, playwright (Da Kink in my Hair)
- Gary Archibald, weathercaster for NBC Weather Plus and MSNBC
- Arnold Auguste, Share newspaper publisher
- Matte Babel, MuchMusic VJ
- George Boyd, playwright
- Lawrence Ytzhak Braithwaite, author, dub poet, novelist (Wigger, Ratz are Nice and More at 7:30)
- Dionne Brand, author
- Ron Charles, television reporter for the CBC
- Jojo Chintoh, longtime Citytv reporter
- Austin Clarke, novelist (The Polished Hoe, Growing Up Stupid Under the Union Jack)
- George Elliott Clarke, poet and playwright (Whylah Falls, George and Rue)
- Afua Cooper, poet and historian
- Wayde Compton, poet
- Rita Deverell, broadcaster and journalist, founder of Vision TV
- Orville Lloyd Douglas, poet, writer, and journalist
- Rosey Edeh, ET Canada reporter and former MSNBC meteorologist
- Esi Eduygan, novelist
- Nneka Elliott, television weathercaster for The Weather Network
- Natasha Eloi, Space science reporter
- Cecil Foster, novelist and sociologist
- Hamlin Grange, newspaper editor (Contrast), television reporter and news anchor and consultant
- Adrian Harewood, CBC Radio journalist and host
- Nalo Hopkinson, science fiction author
- Marci Ien, Canada AM and CTV Newsnet anchor
- Royson James, Toronto Star columnist
- Namugenyi Kiwanuka, Rogers Sportsnet basketball commentator and former MuchMusic VJ
- Dany Laferrière, novelist
- Scott Laurie, CTV Newsnet anchor and reporter
- Alexis Mazurin, CBC Radio host
- Jane Musoke-Nteyafas, poet
- Darren Osborne, radio personality
- M. NourbeSe Philip, poet, novelist and essayist
- Joseph Jomo Pierre, playwright (Born Ready)
- Quddus, MTV VJ
- Mairuth Sarsfield, novelist (No Crystal Stair)
- John Saunders, sports journalist for ESPN and ABC
- Djanet Sears, playwright (Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God)
- Terese Sears, Journalist
- Olive Senior, poet and short story writer
- Mary Ann Shadd, first female newspaper publisher
- Makeda Silvera, novelist
- Sylvia Sweeney, television broadcaster (W-FIVE)
- Nerene Virgin, actor (Today's Special) and Newsworld International anchor
- Marcia Williams, CBC Radio broadcaster and host of The World This Hour
- Ken Wiwa, journalist and author, and son of executed Nigerian political prisoner Ken Saro-Wiwa
Scholars and scientists
- George Dei, educational scholar
- Lorne Foster, public policy scholar
- Larry W. Gaiters, theologian, international lecturer, human rights activist and a bishop.
- Carl E. James, educational scholar
Joachim Kapalanga, Physician-Scientist, Pediatrician, Geneticist
Artists
Other historical figures
- Anderson Ruffin Abbott, became, in 1861, the first Black Canadian physician and among a select few at the death bed of Abraham Lincoln.
- Marie-Joseph Angélique, executed for setting fire to Montreal
- Carrie Best, Activist and Humanitarian
- Henry Bibb
- Matthew Bullock, fugitive from the U.S. who became a cause celebre in the 1920s
- Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, African-American boxer controversially convicted of murder, now a Canadian activist and speaker
- Rose Fortune, First female police officer in Canada
- Rev. William H. Golar, former president of historically Black Livingstone College
- William Hall, first Canadian and first black person to be awarded the Victoria Cross (Actually a Newfoundlander - died before Newfoundland entered Canadian Confederation)
- Josiah Henson, former slave, believed to be the inspiration for the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- Denham Jolly, entrepreneur and founder of Milestone Radio and Flow 93.5 Toronto
- Olivier Le Jeune, believed to have been the first slave purchased in what later became Quebec
- Lesra Martin, crown attorney and speaker, involved in his youth in freeing Rubin Carter
- Beverly Mascoll, entrepreneur and community leader
- Elijah McCoy, origin of "the real McCoy", inventor
- Shadrach Minkins, American-born fugitive slave rescued from federal custody in Boston in 1851 who settled in Montreal.
- Rev. Dr. William P. Oliver, community leader and a long time pastor at Cornwallis Baptist Church in Halifax
- Rev. Richard Preston, anti-slavery activist and founder of African Baptist Association of Nova Scotia
- John Ware, former slave, Alberta cowboy
- Mary Matilda Winslow, first Black female graduate of the University of New Brunswick
- 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
Multiracial Black Canadians
The people listed here are of mixed Black/Caucasian or Black/Asian backgrounds.
Author Lawrence Hill published a bestselling memoir of his experiences as a multiracial Canadian, Black Berry, Sweet Juice: On Being Black and White in Canada, in 2001.
- Malcolm Azania, writer and activist
- Keshia Chante, singer
- Rae Dawn Chong, actor
- Jonathan De Guzman, soccer player
- Julian De Guzman, soccer player
- Fefe Dobson, rock singer
- James Douglas, early governor of Vancouver Island
- Grant Fuhr, former NHL hockey star and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame
- Aubrey Graham, actor (Degrassi: The Next Generation)
- Dirk Graham, first NHL captain of African descent
- Malcolm Gladwell, journalist[1]
- Anais Granofsky, actor (Degrassi)
- Dan Hill, pop singer/songwriter
- Lawrence Hill, novelist and memoirist
- Jarome Iginla, NHL hockey star
- Peter-John Kerr, TV host and independent film maker
- Michael Lee-Chin, business leader
- Nicole Lyn, actress
- Amanda Marshall, pop singer/songwriter
- Denise Matthews, former model, actress and lead singer of Vanity 6 turned evangelist
- Tony McKegney
- Tessa McWatt, novelist
- Lauren A. Mills, writer/producer
- Lana Ogilvie, fashion model/TV hostess
- Juliette Powell, television host and the first black Miss Canada (1989)
- Kenny Robinson - stand-up comedian, TV host
- Makyla Smith, actress (Queer as Folk)
- Tamia Washington, R&B singer and wife of NBA player Grant Hill
- Sheila White, political strategist
- Tajja Isen, actress/singer(Atomic Betty)