Education

The Ontario Black History Society (OBHS) is a non-profit organization in Toronto, established in 1978 to preserve and promote the contributions of Black peoples in Ontario, and Canada at large. The Society provides research materials for professional development, as well as exhibits and Black History Speaker presentations to schools, organizations and libraries to promote the understanding of  Black heritage in Ontario

The Society records and preserves Oral History through taped interviews and contemporary profiles of living members of the community as well as profiles of historical figures who had played instrumental roles in shaping the history of Ontario over the last 200 years.

See also Your Story and Contemporary Profiles

2017 Canada Post Black History Stamp

Interpreter Mathieu Da Costa is the first known person of African descent whose time in Canada can be found in the historical records

Photo courtesy of Canada Post

TIP – WRITING HISTORICAL PROFILES


During the research phase, organize your findings into different categories and subject headings intending to show who the profile was and what their accomplishments were.

After completing the research, give yourself time to absorb your materials. Arrange the facts in order to get a solid image of the person you want to profile. To help you in the writing phase, list in a chronological order the professional and personal details you want to include in your write up. Focus on the characteristics that made the person you are writing about unique.