Black Excellence

Born in Jamaica, Rosemary Brown studied at McGill University and UBC. In 1972 she was first Black woman to serve in a Canadian provincial legislature (B.C).

Brown advocated tirelessly for women's rights, racial equality, and social justice for the elderly, people with disabilities, among others.

Brown helped found the Vancouver Status of Women Council and the Canadian Women’s Foundation, was the CEO of MATCH International Women’s Fund and was the Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Credit: Royal BC Museum / BC Archives, I-32427

Michael Lee-Chin is a Jamaican-Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist. He rose from humble beginnings to become a successful investor, known for his strategic thinking and bold decisions.

Lee-Chin is the founder of Portland Holdings Inc., a diversified investment company. He is also a major benefactor, supporting educational and cultural initiatives in Jamaica and Canada.

Lee-Chin was appointed the Order of Ontario in 2017.

Credit: The Canadian Press

Born in Barbados, Senator Anne Clare Cools is a distinguished Canadian politician and in 1984 was appointed the first Black Canadian to serve in the Senate.

In 1974, Cools was the Executive Director of Women in Transition Inc., one of the first shelters in Canada for victims of domestic violence.

Cools' advocacy work has helped shape Canadian law and policy, particularly in areas such as family violence, children’s rights, and criminal justice reform.

Credit: Senator Anne Cools-exit-interview_2018-06-27_dsc_3829 (002)

The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean is a Canadian politician, journalist, and humanitarian. Born in Haiti, she immigrated to Canada.

She was the first Black person hired to work on French television news in Canada; the first Black person to serve as Governor General of Canada, the Queen's representative (2005 to 2010); and the first woman and Canadian to be appointed as secretary general of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie in 2014.

Credit: Photo by Agência Brasil. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Brazil License (CC BY 3.0 BR) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/br/deed.en

Violet King was a trailblazing Canadian lawyer and activist who broke barriers in the legal profession.

Born in Calgary, King became the first Black woman to graduate from law school in Canada in 1953. Her achievements paved the way for greater diversity and inclusion in the legal field.

Her dedication to justice and equality continues to inspire generations, reminding us of the importance of perseverance and breaking down barriers for future generations of marginalized individuals.

Credit: Photo by Jack De Lorme. Courtesy of Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary.