Fighters, scientists, protectors: Meet 5 notable black Manitobans you may never have heard of

Keith Sandiford remembers being the only black person onthe bus in Winnipeg and among the faculty at the University of Manitoba.

Black peoplewere scarce in Winnipeg when the Barbadiantook a chance on the city, coming here in the 1960sas a history professor.

He tells the story of his friend, a new teacher, puzzling one household in a small hamlet in western Manitoba in the late 1960s.

One of the children "went home atlunch to tell the parents there was a chocolate [teacher] on staff,"saidSandiford, an accomplished author who has written many books onblack history and cricket.

"The parents could not believe what the kid was saying, so they went to the school."

That friend, John Albert Jack, would go on to teach for 35 years and becomea recipient of the Order of Manitoba.

As for those curiousparents?

"John and that family became firm friends, and I think they still are," Sandiford said.

Unwritten and unnoticed

The contributions of black people havebeen entwined into the beingof Manitoba from the province's formation, but few of those figures were elevated tomainstreamconsciousnessthe way Louis Riel or Duff Roblinwere. While remarkable, thelives of many black Manitobanswere shrouded in relative obscurity.

Sandifordhastried to change that, in part, by tracking the names and accomplishments ofmanyCaribbeans residing in Manitoba at the turn of the millennium.

A decade earlier, high school students from St. John's High School shonea light on some of those stories.Originally pitched as a pamphlet, their history project becamea 123-page book,The Black Experience in Manitoba: A Collection of Memories. Itdocuments the lives of 40 black people who helped shapethe province.

Their books remain one ofthefewauthoritativetexts on the contributions of blackManitobans.

In recognition of Black History Month, here's a lookata few of those celebrated figures.

Slavery to stage: George Brooks

Borna slave in Kentucky, George Brooks's life feels like it was ripped from a movie script.

His was a story of reinvention, which included slavery, singing and fighting in three wars over the span of more than 50 years.

"Catapulted from the lowly life of a slave on a southern plantation to the dizzy heights of an international celebrity by reason of his remarkable soprano voice that gave him an audience before royalty, he was plummeted to the depths when his voice 'cracked'on a high note and he came back to the level of a construction camp cook," wrote theWinnipeg Free Press.

"He fought in the Civil War, the Spanish-American war and enlisted in the Great War at the age of 73. In between, he sailed the seven seas for diversion."

He died in 1948 at the age of 103 at Deer Lodge Hospital.

A fightfor the right to work: Lee Williams

Lee Williams fought for the right to hold jobs he was previously barred fromata railway company.

Williams was among many black men inthe 1930sand 1940s whoworked as sleeping-car porters, cateringto railpassengers. It was the only work on the rail line afforded to black people, who were seen as racially inferior.

Williams fought CN Railand his union for fair treatment and better wages. His activism would forcean end to the discriminatory practice by 1964.

He becameone of the first black sleeping-car conductors and eventuallya supervisor, the Globe and Mail reported.

Doctor and community leader: June James

Black youths looking for a role model needlook no further thanJune James.

That was the praise ofWade "Kojo" Williams, the late president ofthe National Black Coalition of Canada, who marvelled at the life of James, anaccomplished doctorin the study of allergies whoremainsa celebrated community member to this day.

An expert inimmunology, James also served as president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba (2003-2004) and theManitoba Allergy Society, as well aschairperson of the Allergyand Immunology Section of the Manitoba Medical Association.

She was made a member of the Order of Manitoba in 2004.

She has been a vigorous supporter of community projects, from volunteering with numerous boards to helping build an affordable-housing complex in Winnipeg.

Fighting discrimination: Wade 'Kojo'Williams

Wade "Kojo" Williams is remembered as an outspokenvoice against injustice.

Born inSt. Vincentand the Grenadines, thehuman rights activist immigrated to Winnipeg in 1975, where heorganizedBlack History Month celebrations in Winnipeg and defendedmembers of the African and Caribbean community from discrimination.

For three decades, "he used to scare the daylightout of politicians," Sandifordsaid.

Williams, who died in 2012, founded various organizations in the city, including theManitoba Coalition of Organizations Against Apartheid and Racism, and Students Against Apartheid.

He worked as ateacher, police officer and later a youth worker.

A 1st for Winnipeg's police force: Monica Stothers

Monica Stothersmade historywhen she became the first black woman to join what was then called theWinnipeg Police Department.

As a member of the police academy from which she graduated in 1988Stothers put pressure on herself because she knew that receiving a police badge would open the door for other black women to achieve the same feat,she told the writers ofThe Black Experience in Manitoba.

Stothers told CBC News years later it was important for the force to havediversity on the ground.

"It sends a huge message to the black community that at the police department, we do care," she said in a 2006 interview. "The black community does count."