Every February, Canadians recognize Black History Month to celebrate the many achievements of Black people and communities throughout history. For The Cascade’s first issue of this important time of reflection, we took a trip out to Vancouver to see how the contributions of local Black Canadians are being celebrated in everyday monuments.
Barbara Howard Plaza
A born and raised Vancouverite, Barbara Howard (1920-2017) was the first black athlete to represent Canada in an international competition. When she was 17, Howard competed in the Canadian British Empire Games trials, running 100 yards in just 11.2 seconds. In early 1938, Howard won both silver and bronze medals at the British Empire Games in Sydney, Australia as part of the Canadian team. Howard might have gone on to compete in the Olympic Games if not for World War II, which led to the cancellation of the 1940 and 1944 Olympics.
After graduating from what is known as a “normal school” to become a teacher, Howard began teaching in Port Alberni before becoming the first person of colour hired by the Vancouver School Board. In 1959, she received her Bachelor of Education from the University of British Columbia (UBC). In total, Howard taught for 43 years, 14 of which she spent as a physical education instructor.
Howard won a Remarkable Women Award from the Vancouver Park Board in 2010. Two years later, she was named to the BC Sports Hall of Fame, before also being inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
The Barbara Howard Plaza, formerly known as The Cambie Street Plaza, was renamed in 2018 as part of an initiative to recognize prominent Vancouverites.
Joe Fortes Memorial Drinking Fountain
Seraphim “Joe” Fortes (1863/65-1922) was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. After working as a sailor on a damaged ship, he found himself stranded in Vancouver in 1885 and decided to settle there. Eventually, he became unofficially known as the guardian of English Bay Beach due to his skill at swimming and frequent volunteer work there.
In the early 1900s, Fortes began earning a living from the city for his work as Vancouver’s first official lifeguard and for patrolling the beach as a special constable. Fortes taught three generations of children in Vancouver to swim and rescued at least 29 people from drowning. In 1986, Fortes was named the “Vancouver Citizen of the Century” by the Vancouver Historical Society.
After Fortes’ death from pneumonia, a civic funeral was held at Holy Rosary Cathedral which saw roughly ten thousand attendees filling a number of Vancouver streets including Granville and Main. His funeral remains the largest in Vancouver’s history.
The Joe Fortes Memorial Drinking Fountain was sculpted in 1927 by Charles Marega. The fountain remains standing today in Alexandra Park and currently faces the same beach Fortes spent much of his life serving.
Rosemary Brown Park
Rosemary Brown (1930-2003) was born in Kingston, Jamaica before immigrating to Canada in 1951 to study social work at McGill University. After graduating, she also went on to receive a Masters of Social Work from UBC.
In the 1960s, Brown worked as a co-founder and Ombudswoman of the Vancouver Status of Women Council. Then, after becoming a New Democratic Party candidate and winning the Vancouver-Burrard electoral district in 1972, Brown became the first black woman to sit on the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. In 1975, Brown also became the first black woman to be in the running to lead a federal party, campaigning with the slogan “Brown is Beautiful.”
After retiring in 1988, Brown began teaching women’s studies at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and fulfilled many roles in the MATCH International Women’s Fund (now the Equality Fund) including President. Then, in 1991, she helped launch the Canadian Women’s Foundation — a nonprofit promoting nationwide gender equality.
Throughout her life, Brown received the Order of Canada, the Order of British Columbia, a United Nations’ Human Rights Fellowship, and 15 honorary doctorates from a number of Canadian universities.
Located in Kitsilano, Rosemary Brown Park opened in 2005.
Harry Jerome Statue
Harry Jerome (1940-1982) was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, and in 1952, his family moved to North Vancouver. A skilled athlete, Jerome found immense success as a runner. When he was 18, Jerome broke the Canadian record for the 220-yard dash at 21.9 seconds, earning him a scholarship from the University of Oregon, where he later received both his Bachelors and Masters of Science in physical education. After running the 100 metre dash in 10 seconds at the 1960 Canadian Olympic trials, Jerome officially became the first Canadian to hold a world track record.
After a string of successes including setting seven world records and winning bronze at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Jerome retired from competing internationally in 1968. Throughout the mid to late ‘60s, Jerome also worked as a teacher for the Richmond School Board and the Vancouver School Board.
An avid advocate, Jerome pushed for better coaching, financial and medical support, and media representation for minority athletes. In 1971, Jerome received the Order of Canada and was named Athlete of the Century by the province of British Columbia. Shortly after, he founded the Premier’s Sports Awards Program and sat on the BC Human Rights Commission. To this day, the Harry Jerome International Track Classic is an annual event held in his honour.
The Harry Jerome Statue was erected in 1988 and is located in Stanley Park.
