'I felt like a unicorn': British Columbians reflect on being Black in the Lower Mainland

Growing up in Coquitlam in the late 80s, Adel Gamar didn't see many people who looked like him.

He says coming across another Black person was a rare experience.

"There would be that smile and that slight nod of recognition that, you know, I see you," said Gamar, who ran for mayor of Coquitlam in the last two municipal elections.

"In British Columbia and Metro Vancouver, it's a sense of looking out for one another and appreciating the fact that we are a minority."

According to the 2021 census, there are 61,760 black people in B.C., comprising a little more than 1.2 per cent of the population.

In celebration of Black History Month, CBC's The Early Edition spoke with three British Columbians about their experiences being Black in the Lower Mainland and their hopes for the future.

The impact of displacement

HandelKashope Wright says he was surprised there wasn't much of a concentration of Black people when he moved to Vancouver from the U.S. in 2005.

But he agrees with Gamarthat the "Black nod"became a silentbut crucial form of communication.

"The smaller the Black population, the more important the Black nod becomes," said Wright, a University of British Columbia professor and the director for the Centre for Culture, Identity and Education

Today, B.C.'s Black population is dispersed across the province. But it wasn't always that way.

For decades, Hogan's Alley was a vibrant hub of Vancouver's Black community, with restaurants, churches and homes.

But city planning efforts in the 1970s led to the community's displacement.

The rezoning of Strathcona made it difficult for residents to obtain mortgages or loans for home improvements. Newspaper articles portrayed Hogan's Alley as a centre of squalor, immorality and crime, according to the Vancouver Heritage Society.

Eventually, Hogan's Alley was destroyed to make way for the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts, and the Black community was dispersed.

"I don't think that we've really recovered from that," said Wright.

Though the Black community may be small, he says it's also strong both in person and online through communities like the Facebook group:Meanwhile, Black in Vancouver, which has more than five thousand members.

WATCH | Archival footage of Hogan's alley:

A look at the past and future of Hogan's Alley

2 years ago

Duration 1:07

Vancouver's Black neighbourhood was dismantled in the late 1960s to make room for the Georgia and Dunsmuir street viaducts.

A unicorn in Yaletown

When Denise Nana-yaa Obuobi first moved to Vancouver from Edmonton, she remembers a sense of alienation.

"I felt like a unicorn," she said. "I didn't see anybody like me."

And that isolation only grew stronger. She remembers how drug stores didn't carry products for Black hair, a situation she never encountered back home.

She also experienced racism in her personal and professional life.

When she moved into an apartment in Yaletown, a note was left on her door telling her to go back to social housing. An instructor at school once told her that Aunt Jemima head wraps wouldn't be allowed as clinical attire in the workplace.

"I'm a person who never gives up. So I just kept persevering, which was not easy as a single parent having no family or partner here."

In need of support and connection, Obuobi found herself seeking out the Black community and visiting Black-owned businesses where she found refuge and support.

Moving forward

While much has changed,the three say much remains to be done.

Throughout February, Gamar says Black History Month provides an opportunity to reflect.

"Black history is Canadian history."

"It is a celebration of community, of people coming together, of music and art and the contributions that Black people have made to Canada."

Looking to the future, Obuobi says B.C. still has aways to go.

She wants to see municipalities and businesses implement and enforce anti-racism policies.

Wright, the UBC professor, says although the university is making strides on inclusion,there is still a lot of room for improvement.He points to the university's small Black student and teacher population, the lack of comprehensive Black studies and dedicated space for the Black community on campus.

Ultimately, Obuobi says there's an opportunity for British Columbians to have "an open heart and open mind to listen to others that have been marginalized."

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.