by Avi Silberstein
It’s February and you find yourself magically transported to Vancouver. Mild weather, light rain, and all around you cherry trees getting ready to blossom.
Looking for a place to sit and read a newspaper, you duck into the Joe Fortes branch of the Vancouver Public Library system. And being the curious person that you are, right away you ask yourself: who was Joe Fortes? What does a person have to do to get a library branch named after them, anyway?
So you go ask the librarian. She tells you that February is Black History Month, and then she tells you about three notable British Columbians. Starting with Joe Fortes.
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His full name was Seraphim Joe Fortes, and he was born in Trinidad and Tobago. He arrived in Vancouver in 1885 and began working as a bartender and hotel porter. In his spare time he’d go swimming at English Bay beach.
Before long, he started volunteering there as a lifeguard and swimming instructor. He was gregarious and charming, and so well-loved that Vancouver citizens petitioned successfully for him to be put on the city’s payroll.
Throughout the course of his life, Joe Fortes taught three generations of Vancouverites to swim. He saved at least 29 people from drowning. When he died in 1922, more than 10,000 mourners lined the streets.
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Eleanor Collins won a singing contest at age 15, and the rest is history.
In 1942 she married Richard Collins and they moved to Burnaby, becoming the first black family in the neighbourhood. Some of their white neighbours started a petition to prevent them from moving there, but Eleanor and Richard moved in despite the racism they were facing.
Eleanor pursued her music career, all the while volunteering at her children’s school as a music teacher, trying to win over the families that didn’t want her there.
Meanwhile, her career as a jazz singer and performer flourished. In 1954, when the CBC made her the host of “The Eleanor Show,” she became the first Black television host in North America.
Now widely regarded as “Canada’s First Lady of Jazz,” Eleanor Collins was honoured with a Canada Post commemorative stamp earlier this year. The 102-year old attended the ceremony. “It all has been a real blessing,” she said, of the life she has led.
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And then there’s Rosemary Brown. Her accomplishments speak for themselves. First Black woman elected to a Canadian legislature. Founder of the BC Association for the Advancement of Coloured People. And in running for the leader of the NDP in 1975 she became the first Black woman in Canada to run for leadership of a federal party.
As if all that wasn’t enough, she was also an advocate for women’s rights. She once said, “To be Black and female in a society which is both racist and sexist is to be in the unique position of having nowhere to go but up.”
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If you’re interested in learning more about some of the notable Black Canadians in our history (and present), our library has an assortment of books for adults, teens, and children. Or you can read a book by a Black Canadian author, like Francesca Ekwuyasi or Esi Edugyan or Antonio Michael Downing or C.L. Polk or Eternity Martis.
Outside, the rain is letting up. You thank the librarian and exit the Joe Fortes branch. And just like that you’re magically transported back to Nelson. You’re startled to see cherry blossoms floating down from trees — ah no, that’s just snow.
Avi Silberstein is the Children’s Librarian at the Nelson Public Library. Check This Out runs every other week. If you’re interested in learning more about library programs and services, sign up for our monthly newsletter on our website or by giving us a call.