There’s a sense of urgency and “desperation” amongst pro-Palestinian protesters as the brutal war between Israel and Hamas approaches the eight-month mark. More than 35,000 people have been killed in Gaza during Israel’s military campaign, and about 125 of the 252 people who were taken hostage after Hamas launched their surprise attack remain in captivity. Recently, the International Court of Justice called on Israel to withdraw its troops from Rafah and halt its ground invasion. Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli officials Prime Minister Benjamin ..read more

A Toronto business owner has issued a call on behalf of a group of members of the Black Business and Professional Association.  In a statement sent to ByBlacks.com on April 22nd Chandran Fernando said, “the current Board of Directors must be removed and replaced.” Chandran Fernando says he has been a “dedicated supporter and investor in Black-owned organizations and initiatives across Canada and the United States for more than 25 years.” He says that he is speaking on behalf of nearly a dozen concerned members of the BBPA who have chosen to remain anonymous at this time due to fear of r ..read more

For many Black business owners, identifying as such is a point of pride.    But even with the rise of #SupportBlackOwned and other initiatives, there are still many Black entrepreneurs who worry about identifying as Black.  Zechariah Thomas, the founder of Oshawa-based business Swift Hockey, recently broke his silence about the fear that had long consumed him: openly acknowledging that his business, a hockey stick manufacturing company, was Black-owned. Thomas was driven by a mission to make stick purchases more affordable, especially for Black people so they could take part i ..read more

One by one, customers are lined outside the doors of Old Nassau restaurant after Keith Lee touched down in Toronto. Kay Edgecombe, the owner of the authentic Bahamian cuisine spot on Weston Road, was waiting for days in anticipation for Lee to order—like many other Black-owned business owners, crossing their fingers with high hopes for a food review from the TikTok food blogging star. {https://www.tiktok.com/@oldnassau.food/video/7354793538493730054?lang=en} “It felt surreal. I had just served customers. We didn't expect it was him, but one of the people who ordered had an American accent. T ..read more

It’s been over six months since Israel declared war on Hamas, after militants launched a surprise attack, killing approximately 1,139 people and resulting in 250 people kidnapped.  Israel responded by imposing “a total siege on Gaza”, launching airstrikes and conducting a military ground offensive to destroy Hamas — which it claims has genocidal intent — and free the hostages.  Since Oct. 7, over 33,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than 75,000 injured, and most of the enclave's population of 2.3 million has been displaced, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The World Healt ..read more

For the third and final part of our series Black On The Hill, we brought together a group of politicians who really give us a glimpse of the diversity that exists within Canada’s Black community.    Geographically, they represent communities as close to home as the Scarborough ward that I grew up in, to as far away as Halifax and Coquitlam.  While Amber Morley and Jamie Moses have the rare honour of representing communities in the cities where they were raised, Emmanuel Dubourg, Trish Mandewo, Iona Stoddard and Michael Thompson became leaders in communities thousands of kilome ..read more

2023 was a historic year for Black politicians in Canada. Greg Fergus was elected as the country’s first-ever Black Speaker of the House of Commons, Uzoma Asagwara was chosen as the Deputy Premier of Manitoba, becoming the first Black person and the first non-binary person to hold that position, and after less than a year in office and becoming one of the Progressive Conservatives’ first Black MPPs, Patrice Barnes was chosen as Ontario’s Deputy Speaker of the House. Kristin Murray made history in 2022 when she was appointed the acting mayor of Timmins but she told Ron Fanfair she didn’t run ..read more

When Lincoln Alexander was elected as the first Black person in Canada to Parliament in 1968, he gave a speech addressing the House of Commons.  “I am not the spokesman for the Negro; that honour has not been given to me. Do not let me ever give anyone that impression. However, I want the record to show that I accept the responsibility of speaking for him and all others in this great nation who feel that they are the subjects of discrimination because of race, creed or colour,” he said. According to Black Vote Canada, only three Black people in Canada ever held office before Alexander ..read more

If you think prices are high now at your favourite Black-owned stores, turns out they're not high enough. That's according to the 2024 Intuit QuickBooks Black History Month Survey results. Intuit, an American multinational company that specializes in financial software, commissioned an online survey completed in January 2024 of 1,500 Black small business owners and 1,500 non-Black small business owners over the age of 18 throughout Canada.  The survey found that 79 per cent of Black business owners report undercharging for their products and services. Many business owners also reported ..read more

An accident in sport drastically changed Taylor Lindsay-Noel’s life forever at the age of 14 – but it didn’t stop her from finding her purpose as a disability and accessibility advocate in Toronto. Lindsay-Noel has built a platform online highlighting the realities of navigating life and the city in a wheelchair.  With over 150K followers on TikTok and Instagram, she rates Toronto venues, restaurants and spaces based on their accessibility. “I’ve spent the last 15 years hopefully succeeding in showing there’s life after tragedy. I went back to high school. I went to Toronto Metropo ..read more