Black Canadian

The term Black Canadian refers to Canadian citizens who are of African descent. Black Canadians for the most part have recent origins in the Caribbean region, and to a lesser extent Africa and even Latin America. Some Black Canadians, like those in Nova Scotia, trace their ancestry to freed black American slaves who fled to Canada seeking refuge from American slavery and institutional racism.

Related Topics:
Canadian - Africa - Caribbean - Latin America - Nova Scotia - Slave

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Some people may also refer to black Canadians as Afro-Canadian or African-Canadian, although this term is not as prevalent as African-American in the United States. Caribbean-Canadian may also be used to refer to black Canadians of Caribbean birth or heritage, who form a much larger proportion of the black population in Canada than in the United States ? in fact, over a third of Canada's black population is of Jamaican origin alone. Many Caribbean-Canadians strongly object to "African-Canadian" as obscuring their own culture and history, which partially accounts for the term's less prevalent use in Canada. More specific national terms such as Jamaican-Canadian, Haitian-Canadian or Nigerian-Canadian may also be used.

Related Topics:
African-American - United States - Jamaica - Haiti - Nigeria

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To date, however, there is no widely-used alternative to "black Canadian" which is accepted by both the African-Canadian and Caribbean-Canadian communities as an umbrella term for the group as a whole. A black Canadian, however, should never be referred to as "African-American".

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According to the 2001 census, 662,215 Canadians identified themselves as black (of which 70 000 are mixed with other races), approximately two per cent of the entire Canadian population (Statistics Canada). The majority of black Canadians live in five major Canadian cities. As of 2001, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Halifax were home to approximately 78.4 percent of all black Canadians.

Related Topics:
Statistics Canada - Toronto - Montreal - Ottawa - Vancouver - Halifax

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Many black Canadians still face challenges. According to the Ethnic Diversity Survey that was released in September 2003, nearly one-third (32%) of blacks said that they had experienced some form of racial discrimination or unfair treatment sometimes or often in the five years prior to 2003.

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On September 27, 2005, former broadcaster Michaëlle Jean was installed as Canada's newest Governor General. Jean, a Canadian citizen of Haitian origin and birth, is the first black person in Canadian history appointed to the position.

Related Topics:
2005 - Michaëlle Jean - Governor General

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