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A historical legacy is heritage passed from one era to another.

Preserve the Past, Empower the Present, Inspire the Future

– Black Legacy Collective

Black Legacy Collective is an Ottawa-based organization dedicated to preserving Black heritage as a living legacy, shared by Elders, carried by communities, and passed on to youth and future generations. Our work responds to long-standing knowledge debts, [gaps in public knowledge] by documenting and sharing the contributions of Black peoples in Ottawa.

 

Through education, storytelling, and community partnerships, we help ensure Black histories are not lost, but remembered, taught, and carried forward, strengthening understanding today and shaping a more inclusive future.

Our initiatives are in public and institutional spaces and include developing curricula with Ottawa schools, organizing local events, interactive workshops in Ottawa museums, and offering scholarship programs for youths, all aimed at fostering a deeper connection with our shared history and encouraging a more inclusive future.

 

We work with researchers, scholars, curators, community, and local historians to ensure that archived materials are accessible online, to the public, and our histories are highlighted throughout Ottawa.

 

By supporting Black Legacy Collective, you contribute to raising awareness and appreciation of Black history in Canada for everyone, and in helping build a more diverse and inclusive and barrier-free society.

Photo Credits 1st set: [Top Left] Robert Jamerson and Columbus Bowen Members of the No. 2 Construction Battalion during the First World War. Photo circa 1916-1918, Amber Valley, Alberta.(courtesy City of Edmonton Archives/ea-223-92_141) [Top Right] Cecilia Butler working in the John Inglis Company munitions plant in Toronto during the Second World War, December 1943. [Bottom Centre] The Lewis Family circa 1900. Pictured: Alberta Lewis, Charlotte Lewis, Daniel Lewis Sr., Ethel Lewis, Ellie Lewis, Frances Lewis, Jessie Lewis, Mary Octavia Lewis, Spencer Lewis, Daniel Lewis Jr. (Photo location: Glenbow Archives, Archives and Special Collections, University of Calgary, NA-262-1). 

Photo Credits 2nd set: [Top Centre] 1955 Sergeant Eva May Roy, Canadian Women’s Army Corps (Photo credit: Shannon Roy). [Bottom Left] 1896 John & Mildred Ware (nee Lewis) and their children, Robert Ware (L) and Nettie Ware (R), Image courtesy of Glenbow Archives, Archives and Special Collections, University of Calgary. NWMP Col. James McLeod NA-263-1. [Bottom Right] 1917-1993 Bernice Redmon, 1st Black nurse to practice in public health, and the first Black woman appointed the Victorian Order of Nurses in Canada. (Photo credit www.bernicecarnegie.com/carnegie-family).

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Land Acknowledgement

Black Legacy Collective recognizes and acknowledges with gratitude the sacred land on which our main office is situated as the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeq Nation. We are cognizant that Canadian contemporary society, beneath a veil of “equality” and “reconciliation”, maintains the long-held colonial tactic to dispossess our Indigenous friends of their traditional lands and livelihoods. We stand in solidarity with these lands’ original peoples. We acknowledge the continued presence and vibrance of these Nations as well as the growing, thriving communities of urban Indigenous peoples. We remain committed to learning how to be better neighbours. A portion of our annual proceeds is donated to Indigenous led causes.

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