Alumni Digest / U of T / Ideas /
Afua Cooper brings overlooked histories into view
The historian's national education project pairs research with classroom resources and a map of nineteenth-century Black businesses in Toronto.
Afua Cooper, historian and leader of A Black People's History of Canada.Photo: O'shane Howard
The context
Where the work begins
Afua Cooper leads A Black People's History of Canada, a research and education project that brings Black Canadian history into classrooms and public discussion. A U of T history and women's studies professor, she earned all three of her degrees at the university and participated in student anti-apartheid activism.
The takeaway
What follows
Her examples include Clement Ligoure, a physician denied hospital privileges in Halifax who opened his own hospital and treated explosion victims in 1917. She also recounts Lulu Anderson's unsuccessful 1922 court challenge after racist treatment at an Edmonton cinema. The project works with teachers on lesson plans and is mapping Black-owned Toronto businesses from 1850 to 1900.
Source reporting
Afua Cooper brings overlooked histories into view
Original summary by Alumni Digest, based on public source reporting. This independent publication is not affiliated with or endorsed by the University of Toronto. Source image retained for editorial review; rights clearance is still required before any broader reuse.
