Black Women: Changemakers of the 19^th and 20^th Centuries

Creating and fostering a positive identity for Black women in Canada is vital to self-worth, as they have often faced both racial and gender discrimination. Two central components of Black identity are joy and resilience. Black joy encapsulates the ability to find strength and power within the human experience. It is noticing and celebrating small moments of ordinary magic that are a part of everyday interactions with family, friends, and other members of your community. It is also having the self-awareness that you have a sense of agency over your life, despite efforts of systemic racism to control and degrade your experience. Women like Mattie Mayes found joy in her daily life caring for her family, and Dionne Brand challenged traditional narratives and gave voice to Black experiences through her writing.

Resilience is the ability to overcome life’s difficulties and adapt to changes. For Black women, such difficulties often include an added layer of racism and discrimination. The Coloured Women’s Club and Adeline Chancey’s activism exemplify Black women creating safe spaces and promoting positive change through community building.