Congress of Black Women of Canada

The Congress of Black Women of Canada (CBWC) / Congrès des femmes noires du Canada, 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."[1] 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.[2] 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."[3]

History

The Congress of Black Women of Canada (CBWC) was formed in 1973 in Toronto with Kathleen "Kay" Livingstone as Chair.[3] It developed out of the Canadian Negro Women’s Association (CANEWA), which began in 1951,[1] with Kay Livingstone as its first president.[3]

The CBWC incorporated as a registered non-profit organization in 1980.[2]

Jean Augustine, who founded the Toronto chapter of the CBWC in 1973,[4] became president of the organization in 1987, and was awarded the first annual Kay Livingstone award that year.[5][6]

Past Conferences[2]
Year Location Theme
1973 Toronto The Black Woman Today
1974 Montreal The Black Woman and Her Family
1976 Halifax Crisis of the Black Woman
1977 Windsor Impetus, the Black Woman
1980 Winnipeg Concerns for the 80s
1982 Edmonton Black Women and the Workplace
1987 Vancouver[7][8] n/a

References

  1. Region, Congress of Black Women of Canada, Ontario. "Congress of Black Women of Canada, Ontario Region". Congress of Black Women of Canada, Ontario Region. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  2. Mills, Jennifer (2015). "Conferencing as a Site for the Mobilization of Black Feminist Identities in the Congress of Black Women of Canada, 1973-1983". Journal of Black Studies. 46 (4): 415–441. doi:10.1177/0021934714568456. ISSN 0021-9347.
  3. Hill, Lawrence, 1957- (1996). Women of vision : the story of the Canadian Negro Women's Association, 1951-1976. Toronto: Umbrella Press. ISBN 1-895642-18-3. OCLC 37031142.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. "York University Libraries | Clara Thomas Archives & Special Collections online exhibits | Congress of Black Women of Canada · The Jean Augustine Political Button Collection". archives.library.yorku.ca. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  5. Gies, Sheila (1987-09-28). "Rose from domestic to principal, black woman honored by group". The Globe and Mail.
  6. "Black women honor Augustine". Toronto Star. 1987-09-28. p. D3.
  7. "Black women in jeopardy". Vancouver Sun. 1987-05-15. p. A3. ISSN 0832-1299.
  8. Smith, Jackie (1987-04-04). "Canadian black women's group sets sights on May convention". Toronto Star. p. K14. ISSN 0319-0781.
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