Black Power movement in Montreal
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The Black Power Movement in Montreal in the 1960s was a period of rediscovering black identity through a process of invoking cultural, economic, and political thought amongst blacks. The eruption of political activism during Montreal's Quiet Revolution as well as the reformation of immigration policies which discriminated against non-white immigrants allowed black communities to publicly express and bring awareness to their struggles with racism. The movement was an integral component of the emerging global challenges to imperialism during the 1960s, stemming from various movements including Garveyism, pan-Africanism, the Harlem Renaissance, Rastafari, and others. Montreal's Black Power movement culminated in the aftermath of the Sir George Williams Affair—a student occupation that resulted in an estimated $2 million worth of damages and 97 arrests—which raised concerns of racism worldwide.
Background
During the early 20th century, Montreal blacks primarily lived in the Saint Antoine district, where they were socially excluded and evicted to facilitate urban development, forcing them to disperse to other regions of Montreal.[2] Structural racism was prevalent during the turn of the century and prevented Montreal blacks from obtaining respectable work or adequate housing.[3]
Union United Church
Montreal's black community fought racial discrimination through the creation of various social groups such as the Union United Church (UUC) and the Negro Community Centre (NCC) in 1927.[4] The UUC was originally called the Union Congregational Church of Montreal (UCCM). Founded by American-born railway porters in 1907, the UCCM was a response to the racial discrimination the railway porters had faced at white churches. The UCCM provided the black community with a space to worship freely without discrimination, and in 1925 the name was changed to the UUC.
Led by Reverend Charles Este, the UUC sought to improve the social conditions for the black community through leadership and development. In 1927, clergy members of the UUC founded the NCC, a charitable organisation that also sought to improve the social conditions for the black community. The NCC became a staple in Montreal's black community and contributed to the fight against racial discrimination by promoting black employment, hosting educational programs, and looking after the youth in the black community.[5]
New immigration policies
After the Canadian government's removal of exclusionary immigration policies in the 1950s-1960s, which favoured non-white immigrants, Montreal's black population began to grow. This led to a large migration of West Indian and African blacks to Canada.[6] These immigrants often came with job skills that advanced the economic standards for Montreal's black population. Despite these advancements, issues of racism and resistance from the black community against these issues persisted.
International influence
The internationally broadening language of
Montreal's Black Power movement was inspired by third world liberation struggles. The liberation of India in 1947, Ghana and Malaya in 1957, and Algeria from French colonialism in 1962 inspired anti-colonial ideas in Montreal. The Cuban revolution inspired anti-colonial ideas in Montreal because Cuba's dissolution of trading ties with the United States demonstrated that a small nation could stand against a large imperial power. Black intellectuals linked institutional racism to imperial oppression and the Cuban revolution symbolized freedom from this oppression.[9]
Montreal in the 1960s
Negro Citizenship Association
The Negro Citizenship Association (NCA) was founded in 1951 by Donald William Moore.
Caribbean Conference Committee
The Caribbean Conference Committee (CCC) was formed in 1965 by a group of Caribbean immigrants who sought to provide a platform for intellectuals to discuss anti-colonial ideas and formulate political as well as social change.
Sir George Williams Affair
Montreal's Black Power Movement culminated with the
Aftermath
The inaction of the university committee and the outcome of the Sir George Williams occupation publicly displayed the racial tensions in Canada. In Montreal, the Sir George Williams affair revealed the
Criticisms
Similar to other social movements during the Quiet Revolution, Montreal's Black Power movement had its own contradictions. The Black Power movement drew on an idea of black masculinity, which was militant and exclusionary.[5] At The Congress of Black Writers, Stokely Carmichael advocated for political change through violence, which received mixed reactions from members of the black community. Also, the movement used gendered language which excluded women. Defined as a "struggle for manhood," the Black Power movement was a call to black men and ignored the role of women. Black women felt the movement was hypocritical and devalued them- some believing they were oppressed by black men just as black men were oppressed by Whites.[3]
References
- ^ David, Austin (Fall 2007). "All Roads Led to Montreal: Black Power, the Caribbean, and the Black Radical Tradition in Canada". The Journal of African American History. 92 – via Database.
- ^ "A bit about the history of Montreal Blacks | Mois histoire des Noirs". moishistoiredesnoirs.com. Retrieved 2018-02-20.[permanent dead link]
- ^ ISBN 9780773536951.
- ^ Jarold (2014-03-17). "The Negro Community Center". Urbex playground. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
- ^ a b c d Hebert, Paul (2015). "A Microcosm of the General Struggle": Black Thought and Activism in Montreal, 1960–1969. University of Michigan.
- ^ "Black History in Canada". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
- ^ "50 years in the fight for racial equality". www.concordia.ca. Retrieved 2018-02-20.
- ^ Appiah, Anthony (1999). The Encyclopedia of the African and the African American. New York: Basic Civitas Books. p. 262.
- ^ ISBN 9781771130110.
- ^ a b Toronto, City of (2017-11-23). "Caribbean Connection: One Man's Crusade". City of Toronto. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
- ^ .
- ^ a b Maude-Emmanuelle Lambert. "Sir George Williams Affair". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
- OCLC 144083837.
- ^ "Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination - Black History - HISTORY.com". HISTORY.com. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ^ "History of Conferences in the Black Community of Montreal". BLACK STUDIES CENTER PORTAL. 2015-08-30. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
- ^ David, Austin (Fall 2007). "ALL ROADS LED TO MONTREAL: BLACK POWER, THE CARIBBEAN, THE BLACK RADICAL TRADITION IN CANADA". Journal of African American History. 92.
- ^ Mills, Sean. The Empire Within: Postcolonial Thought and Political Activism in Sixties Montreal. p. 105.