Happy Black History Month!
Each February in Canada we celebrate and honour the legacy of Black Canadians — from the past to the present. It is a time to learn more about the important contributions of people of African descent in Canada and around the world.
Here is a list of books for all ages to learn about the history of Black Canadians. We have non-fiction and fiction titles separated into different age categories. We hope everyone finds a book here that they can read to learn something about the diversity of experiences of Black people in Canada, and the ways they have shaped the country and world that we live in today.
All too often, the history of Black people in Canada is overshadowed by the stories of those in other countries, especially the United States. The boundaries of history do not look the same as modern national borders and many of these histories are connected to one another, especially the North Atlantic slave trade, Black loyalists, the underground railroad and more. This books list was created to try and keep our attention on Black Canadian history.
As you read through this list of recommendations, click on the cover image of any book to place a hold online, for pick up at any of our eight library branches in Brampton!
To learn more about Black Canadian history and Black History Month, you can also visit:
- The Ontario Black History Society
- Government of Canada: Black history Month
- Archives of Ontario: Resources Relating to Black History
Books for Children 0-5
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Oscar Lives Next Door by Bonnie Farmer
Meet Willie O’Ree by Elizabeth MacLeod
A Likkle Miss Lou by Nadia L. Hohn
Books for Children 6-8
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Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged by Jody Nyasha Warner
Books for Children 9-13
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The Kids Book of Black History by Rosemary Sadlier
Black Women Who Dared by Naomi M. Moyer
The Madman of Piney Woods by Christopher Paul Curtis
Talking about freedom: celebrating Emancipation Day in Canada by Natasha L. Henry
Books for Teens
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Africville: an African Nova Scotian community is demolished--and fights back by Gloria Ann Wesley
A Big Dose of Lucky by Marthe Jocelyn
Books for Adults - Fiction
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Africville by Jeffrey Colvin - Fiction
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
Books for Adults - Non-Fiction
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Policing Black Lives: state violence in Canada from slavery to the present by Robyn Maynard
North of the Color Line: Migration and Black Resistance in Canada, 1870-1955 by Sarah-Jane Mathieu
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