Historically African-American (as opposed to Caribbean) community in Toronto -- where are they now?

[King of Kensington]

The area of Eglinton between Oakwood and Marlee at one point produced more reggae music than anywhere else outside of Kingston, Jamaica.

The Five Points neighbourhood (aka the intersection of Oakwood, Vaughan, and Belvidere) is mainly Caribbean now, but before, it was mainly Italian and Portuguese (with some Brazilian).

The Jewish and the African Canadian communities at Dundas and Spadina very much moved out and the Chinese replaced them.

Yup, the Jewish community was pretty much gone from that area by the 1960s. There is still a Black church however in the area and there's still a large Black community in Alexandra Park.

 

[King of Kensington]

From yesterday's Star:

http://www.thestar.com/news/insight...earthed-in-excavation-of-landmark-church.html

 

[Johnny Au]

From yesterday's Star:

http://www.thestar.com/news/insight...earthed-in-excavation-of-landmark-church.html

The BME Church moved twice from its original Chestnut Street location: once to Shaw Street, then at its current location at Eglinton and Dufferin.

The Chestnut Street location later became the Chinese United Church, and then it became a parking lot, which will later become a new courthouse.

 

[King of Kensington]

The BME Church moved twice from its original Chestnut Street location: once to Shaw Street, then at its current location at Eglinton and Dufferin.

The current location suggests that there's likely a concentration of their congregants in that area.

 

[King of Kensington]

On city councillor and acting mayor William Hubbard:

http://www.thestar.com/news/insight...ace_of_toronto_as_first_black_councillor.html

 

[wild goose chase]

One thing I noticed living in Chicago is that many locals in African American communities displayed the Pan-African flag with the tri-color on it. I haven't seen this as much in Toronto, though there definitely are other pan-African symbols of solidarity I've seen.

In many cities stateside, one thing I have noticed is that pan-ethnic/racial organizations seem more common. For example, not just dialogue between and uniting older African-American communities and newer African immigrants in those terms, but you also have similar organizations that represent broader Hispanic American or Asian-American communities and these for racial minorities range from advocacy groups for things like political issues to those related to work/school networking, seem to be more encompassing than their Canadian (well at least Torontonian) counterparts.

Is it just me, or do I feel like Torontonians tend to organize more along national origin lines for ethnic solidarity or community organization (eg. Jamaican Canadian, Chinese Canadian, Colombian Canadian) rather than larger racial/cultural umbrellas (Black, Asian, Hispanic) in terms of this?

 

[wild goose chase]

I would guess that in the 1920s that there was about a 50/50 split between those of Caribbean and the old African American origin population. From say the 1920s to the 1960s the Black population in Toronto was concentrated in the Spadina area, like most of the city's "ethnic" population.

It doesn't appear that African Americans moved to Canada in any large numbers after the Civil War was over or in the 20th century in general, so I'm assuming at the time the Great Migration is happening stateside (1920s to 1960s), very few African Americans are making their way here. I would imagine, an exception could be if AA's came to Canada alongside other Americans more generally during the Vietnam war era with the draft dodging going on.

Interesting that Caribbean immigrants arrived in both Toronto and NYC so early (even in the 20th century) -- if I recall correctly many West Indians came to NYC to help build the city, its subways etc. but I wonder if Toronto would have offered such similar economic opportunities at such an early point in the 20th century. Toronto's 20th century Black History seems like that of NYC without the Great Migration.

However, there'd be at least some connection, even if small, between Black Canadians and Americans through the 20th century. There is still shared culture and media. Drake's father was from Memphis, TN, though and also returned there to make a living -- I recall reading how Drake was exposed to Southern US culture from visiting him over the summers in his youth.

 

[King of Kensington]

It doesn't appear that African Americans moved to Canada in any large numbers after the Civil War was over or in the 20th century in general, so I'm assuming at the time the Great Migration is happening stateside (1920s to 1960s), very few African Americans are making their way here. I would imagine, an exception could be if AA's came to Canada alongside other Americans more generally during the Vietnam war era with the draft dodging going on.

Canadian immigration policy was explicitly racist until the 1960s and during the early 20th century immigration wave the Canadian government did all it could to discourage Black American immigration. There was a small trickle from the British West Indies though, which included the parents of Lincoln Alexander.

 

[King of Kensington]

According to the 2011 NHS, of the 47,310 US-born immigrants in the Toronto CMA, 3,165 (6.6%) are Black and 13,375 (28.3%) are classified as visible minorities.

The 3,165 US-born Blacks represent just 1.5% of foreign born Blacks in Toronto.