History, as it’s often told, is shaped by those with the loudest voices — and the power to write it. But the truest stories, the ones that reveal who we really are, often live in silence. They are buried beneath myths, erased from books, and forgotten by design. Among them lies the untold story of Black Canadians — men and women whose courage, intelligence, and innovation helped build a nation that rarely said their names.

The Hidden Soldiers of Canada

When Americans celebrate their “thirteen colonies,” they forget that there were actually nineteen. Six of them refused to join the Revolution — remaining loyal to the British crown. Those loyal colonies became Canada. And among the most steadfast defenders of that new northern land were Black men — soldiers, farmers, and freedmen who fought to preserve it.

From the late 1700s through the War of 1812, Black Canadian regiments stood at the front lines. When American forces invaded Quebec in 1775, it was a Black regiment, part of the “undaunted fifty,” who stood beneath the Citadel walls and turned them back. They fought again during the War of 1812, defending British North America from invasion, and once more in the 1830s, when they crushed the Mackenzie-Papineau rebellion to keep Canada united.

Their bravery extended westward, too. In 1856, when American settlers threatened to annex Vancouver Island after gold was discovered, Black soldiers were the first to be mobilized to defend it. Time and again, they stood between Canada and invasion — and yet, their names rarely appear in history books.

Erasing Black Canada

For centuries, the story of Black Canadians has been treated as a footnote — when it was, in truth, a cornerstone. Their contributions were not just military but cultural, intellectual, and communal. They shaped cities, built businesses, and cultivated the values of courage and unity that would define Canada.

But prejudice made sure their story was rewritten — or not written at all. Libraries cataloged them as “subjects,” not as citizens. Historians dismissed their achievements, reducing their legacy to the context of slavery. And what wasn’t forgotten was often distorted.

Yet beneath that silence lies a history rich with triumph. A history that begins not with chains, but with resilience.

The Birth of Black Hockey

Among the most remarkable forgotten chapters is that of The Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes — the first organized Black hockey league in North America, formed in 1895.

Nearly two decades before the National Hockey Association — precursor to the NHL — Black athletes in Nova Scotia were skating, strategizing, and redefining the game. They developed the first offensive plays, pioneered the modern goalie drop to block shots, and even invented the slapshot — a move that would revolutionize hockey forever.

But you won’t find their names in the Hockey Hall of Fame. You won’t read about Henry Sylvester Williams, James Johnston, or James Kinney — men who built a league that thrived against racism and exclusion, producing some of the finest players of their era.

By 1900, their league rivaled white teams in skill and excitement. Their games drew crowds, not just for their athleticism but for their creativity and showmanship — complete with halftime performances that celebrated community and pride.

But as Black teams grew in popularity, white power structures moved to crush them. Rinks were denied. Sponsorships disappeared. Officials changed the rules, and slowly, the league was forced into extinction.

When Africville — the historic Black community of Halifax — was destroyed in the 1960s under the guise of “urban renewal,” the birthplace of modern Canadian hockey was buried with it.

The Theft of Legacy

The erasure didn’t stop there. The Stanley Cup, first awarded in 1893, became a symbol of “royal sport,” restricted to elite, white teams. The very sport that Black Canadians had helped define was now used to exclude them.

In history books, hockey became “a white man’s game,” its Indigenous and Black roots rewritten to fit a national myth. Even today, monuments and museums barely mention the pioneers who gave the sport its soul.

A Call to Remember

Canada’s story cannot be complete without them — the soldiers who held the line, the builders who shaped communities, and the athletes who changed a nation’s game forever.

The history of Black Canadians is not a sidebar. It is Canadian history — a history of defiance, brilliance, and grace in the face of erasure.

And until the day their names stand beside those they once fought and played alongside, the work of rewriting that history remains unfinished.

Because the truth was never lost — it was buried. And it’s time to bring it home.