1820s – 1920s

The early history of Montreal’s Black community is closely tied to the rhythms of the city’s railroads. While Black men found employment there, women took the lead in establishing organizations that uplifted the community. Together, they were at the forefront of social change throughout the early twentieth century, pushing for solidarity, self-supporting social organizing, unionization, and global pro-black movements.

In the 1850s, railroads beginning with the Grand Trunk and later the CPR established their stations in Montreal. The Pullman sleeper car was introduced in the following decade; the company employs exclusively Black men as porters. As Canadian railways adopted the carriage they also began mass-hiring Black men to fill these roles. Hundreds of families immigrated from the southern States, Nova Scotia, and the Caribbean in the 1870s. Though the men were often highly educated, widespread discrimination limited their employment to the railroads. The families settled in the strip of land between the two main railway lines, extending from the stations downtown to west of Atwater; and as Montreal’s first distinctly Black community grew, a network of organizations also blossomed.

A zoomed-in to the collage map examines life and work on the railroads. While the profession was guaranteed work and steady income, it was a brutally demanding job, with as little as three hours of sleep a night and frequent abuse from White passengers. Nevertheless, Black porters travelled the width of the continent, taking on the role as social leaders and establishing links with Black communities across Canada and the States. Throughout the 1910s they formed North America’s first large Black union, first Black congregation (Union United Church), and Canada’s branch of the UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association). Dorothy Williams, the foremost historian of Montreal’s Black community, writes of the railroad porters’ “status, prestige, and an image of professionalism.”

The rhythms of the railroads dictated much of life; empty yards provided open space to play in Little Burgundy’s dense urban fabric, rich with small stores and factories. Often, kids would hitch a ride back from school on the trains. In fathers’ long absences, women took the lead in establishing community organizations. The first of these was the Coloured Women’s Club (1902), which supported mothers, provided food security, and sanitation aid. In 1907 the CWC helped found the Union United Church, Canada’s first Black congregation, and one of the community’s beating hearts. More organizations followed, including a branch of the UNIA in 1919. When its founder Marcus Garvey was deported from the States, the organization’s Montreal and Toronto branches provided key locations for the UNIA to promote its global, pan-African movement.