The Congress of Black Women of Canada (CBWC) / , which began in 1973, is a national non-profit organization that "is dedicated to improving the lives of all Black women and their families in their local and national communities." It arose to organize Canadian Black women and focus on their specific issues and concerns, separate from the general women's movement and Black nationalist organizations, which did not always represent the interests of Black women around issues of race, gender, and class oppression. The organizing and advocacy work of the CBWC has focused on "such issues as health, housing, racism, education, immigration, criminal law, police-community relations and child development."

History

The Congress of Black Women of Canada (CBWC) was formed in 1973 in Toronto with Kathleen "Kay" Livingstone as Chair. It developed out of the Canadian Negro Women's Association (CANEWA), which began in 1951, with Kay Livingstone as its first president. Its first meeting was held at the Westbury Hotel in Toronto, and gathered 200 Black women from across Canada. The organisation was open to many and its two distinctive rules were that membership was open to all Black women who were at least sixteen years of age, as well as any Black female led organisations whose aims were similar to those of the Congress.Augustine, Jean. "The Congress of Black Women of Canada, Correspondence Memos." 1987-1988. 2007-022/007,04, ''Jean Augustine Fonds'', Clara Thomas Archives, York University, Toronto. Some of these aims included providing educational programs for Black women, planning and implementing a program of services to fulfill the requirements of Black women and their families. It also was established as a "vehicle for Black women to openly examine issues which affect them." They are represented symbolically by a

cactus A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

. The Toronto Regional Chapter's second issue of publication, ''Speak Out,'' stated that: "the cactus is a plant symbolic of the strengths and resilience of Black women. No matter how arid the soil... The cactus survives, multiplies and bears fruit."Augustine, Jean. "Congress of Black Women of Canada, Agendas, Programs, Memos," 1985-7. 2007-022/006, 02, ''Jean Augustine Fonds,'' Clara Thomas Archives, York University, Toronto. The 10th anniversary publication by the Montreal Regional Committee in 1984 included the motto: "the cactus survives; she survives; and the race survives", showcasing the importance of the cactus symbolically to the organization and its resilience. The CBWC incorporated as a registered non-profit organisation in 1980 at their fifth conference in Winnipeg, and the constitution was ratified and a National Executive Council was elected. On January 17, 1987, former National President Dr. Glenda P. Simms addressed the Coalition of Visible Minority Women in order to "critically examine" the women's movement in Canada. Simms was quoted to say: "I want to get on record in saying that we are not an issue. We are people.""New group takes up arms for immigrant, minority women." ''Globe & Mail'' oronto, Canada 19 Jan. 1987, p. A12. ''Gale Academic OneFile'', link.gale.com/apps/doc/A165283363/AONE?u=yorku_main&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=e61d8a7e. Accessed 25 March 2023. The discussion surrounding a woman's movement, REAL Women, that opposed "equal pay and favouring to return to traditional family values." Dr. Simms advocated for movements such as the Congress, and stated: "That's the message we're going to tell mainstream Canadian women. We're going to get our act together, and we're going to show them what a real women's movement should be." The Congress stood behind Dr. Simms words and advocates as a movement that which calls for marginalised women to define themselves. In 1990 Dr. Simms was appointed as the first Black president of the

Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women The Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women (CACSW) emerged from the recommendation of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women (RCSW). The CACSW was established by the Canadian federal government in 1973 in order to educate and inform t ...

Jean Augustine Jean Augustine (born September 9, 1937) is a Grenada-born Canadian politician. She was the first Black Canadian woman to serve as a federal Minister of the Crown and Member of Parliament. Prior to entering politics in 1993, Jean Augustine h ...

, who founded the Toronto chapter of the CBWC in 1973, became president of the organization in 1987, and was awarded the first annual Kay Livingstone award that year.

Ontario Regional Chapters

Waterloo

The

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, 1815 battle where Napoleon's French army was defeated by Anglo-allied and Prussian forces * Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Australia * Waterloo, New South Wale ...

Regional Chapter was initially formed in 1988, at the home of Veronica Norris-Lue. The first local president was Chloe Callander.

Scarborough

The

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...

Regional Chapter was founded in 1985. Their purpose was to provide a network of solidarity for Black Women in the Scarborough region, with Scarborough's growing Black population in mind, and to act as a united voice in the defence and extension of human rights and liberties for Black Women of Canada.

Oshawa and Whitby

The

Oshawa Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the Greater Toronto Area and of the Golden Horseshoe. It ...

and

Whitby Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is on the Yorkshire Coast at the mouth of the River Esk, North Yorkshire, River Esk and has a maritime, mineral and tourist economy. From the Middle Ages, Whitby ...

Regional Chapter was founded by Ettie Rutherford in March of 2007.

Mississauga

The

Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

Regional Chapter was established in 1985.

Markham

The

Markham Markham may refer to: Biology * Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia * Markham's grass mouse (''Abrothrix olivaceus markhami''), a rodent subspecies found on Wellington Island and the ne ...

Regional Chapter was established in February of 2021, making it one of the most recent chapters of the Congress.

London

The

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Regional Chapter was established in 1989 by Gwen Jenkins. The objectives of the London, Ontario chapter were to address the "social, economic and cultural issues of all Black women."

Brampton

The

Brampton Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...

Regional Chapter was established in 1989 by Claudia Russell-Placenia, Silvilyn Holt, Jacqueline Maloney, and Veronica Lee Edwards.

Ajax and Pickering

The

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * Ajax (play), ''Ajax'' (play), by the an ...

and Pickering Regional Chapter was founded in March of 1996.

Former Ontario Regional Chapters

The Congress has evolved in numerous ways since its conception in 1973, and so with the establishment of new Chapters came the end to ones formerly known as the Durham, Oakville, Toronto and North York.

External links

Congress of Black Women of Canada Toronto Chapter archives
(F 4656) are preserved and accessible at the

Archives of Ontario The Archives of Ontario are the archives for the province of Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1903 as the Bureau of Archives, the archives are now under the responsibility of the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement. Th ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

References

{{authority control Women's organizations based in Canada 1973 establishments in Ontario African-Canadian women's organizations African-Canadian feminism * Organizations established in 1973