Our Board of Directors
Team Details
Dr.Dorothy W Williams, Ph.D.
founder and Board of Directors
Experience: 45+ Years
E-mail: dorothy@lejeuneinstitute.ca
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
Dr.Dorothy W Williams, Ph.D., is a historian who specializes in Black Canadian history. She has authored three books, and has contributed to other scholarly and academic publications. Her first book was Blacks in Montreal: 1628-1986 An Urban Demography, was written at the behest of the Quebec Human Rights Commission, in 1989, during their study of racism in Montreal’s housing market. Her second work published in 1997, The Road to Now: A History of Blacks in Montreal, remains the only chronological study of Blacks on the island of Montreal.
Her most recent book in 1998, Les Noirs à Montréal, Essai de démographie urbaine, was a translation of Blacks in Montreal. While studying for her Ph.D., she contributed chapters on Black Canadian print culture, for two volumes of The History of the Book in Canada, (University of Toronto, 2005, 2007). Her thesis, “Sankofa: Recovering Montreal’s Heterogeneous Black Print Serials”, (McGill University, 2006) focused specifically on the range of Black print culture in Montreal. In addition, she has penned popular articles in magazines and newspapers.
Expertise
History, Gender – Black Women, Education, Language, Railroads / Porters, Slavery, Blacks in Canada, Black institutions, Racism, Discrimination, Biography, Sir George Williams University Affair, Blacks in Quebec, Blacks in Montreal, Little Burgundy, The Black Periodical Press, Black Health, Historiography, Human Rights – Law Justice, Personal biography & memoir, Jazz
Books Published
The ABCs of Black Stories in Canada - Book 1
Readers Say
I love how accessible this book is! For all ages, it can introduce vital parts of black Canadian history to readers in bite-size pieces. The colours, illustrations, and thorough research make it a trustworthy source of information that avoids overwhelming the reader.
- Raven Griffin
My thoughts on the books were that they were incredibly detailed and educational. I think they would be great for anyone who is interested in learning more about Black history in Canada. I loved how vividly illustrated it was.
- Zoe Regnier
Bravo once again for your children’s books. I think they’re great! I’ve been reading them through. William Hall and the Victoria Cross? James Douglas? Tons of stuff I hadn’t known and now I do.
- Julie Miller
The ABCs of Black Stories in Canada - Book 2
Readers Say
First of all, I really enjoyed both volumes of your book; the stories were all compelling, and I appreciated how they showcased the range of the black experience in Canada. I remember learning about the fur trade back in elementary school, and it had never occurred to me that black people even existed in Canada before the 19th century, well, not until I started coming to the archive anyway. I kept thinking over and over again about how much these books would have impacted me if I had them as a kid. Your book actually reminded me of a book my mom bought me as a kid, which was filled with stories of influential women in history that really inspired me to dream big. I think the variety of stories in the book will have the same impact on the black kids who read it. I personally felt inspired reading all the different stories; it gave me a pep in my step when I went to work on my job application. I especially liked the blurbs with definitions; books like that were how my vocabulary improved as a kid, so I thought that was a great addition.
- Atika Ahmed
THE ROAD TO NOW: A HISTORY OF BLACKS IN MONTREAL
Readers Say
Very useful for me, as I’m slowly working away at my family history, and have some ties to Montreal. There isn’t a lot out there regarding black history in Canada, so I find that this is a great source of providing context to the city’s history, and gives it a dimension that is important, but seems to be ignored. I’d recommend this book.
- Amazon Customer
All Canadians of African descent should read this book, especially if your family interacted with Montreal at some point in history.
- Rema
LES NOIRS À MONTRÉAL, 1628-1986
Readers Say
Very useful for me, as I’m slowly working away at my family history, and have some ties to Montreal. There isn’t a lot out there regarding black history in Canada, so I find that this is a great source of providing context to the city’s history, and gives it a dimension that is important, but seems to be ignored. I’d recommend this book.
- Amazon Customer
All Canadians of African descent should read this book, especially if your family interacted with Montreal at some point in history.
- Rema
BLACKS IN MONTREAL 1628-1986: AN URBAN DEMOGRAPHY
Awards
2024 KING CHARLES III CORONATION MEDAL
2024 DOCTORAT HONORIS CAUSA DE L’UQÀM | HONORARY DOCTORATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF QUÉBEC OF MONTRÉAL
2024 ORDRE DE MONTRÉAL | ORDER OF MONTREAL
2023 LAC SCHOLAR
2022 JOHN G. DENNISON AWARD RECIPIENT
2022 CBC BLACK CHANGE-MAKER
2022 THE AFRO MUSÉE INAUGURAL EXHIBITION
2023 LAC SCHOLAR AWARD, LAC FOUNDATION, OTTAWA
2022 JUDGE JOHN G. DENNISON AWARD, OTTAWA BLACK HISTORICAL SOCIETY
2022 BLACK CHANGE-MAKERS, CBC MONTREAL
2022–2023 DOROTHY W. WILLIAMS ACTRICE DE CHANGEMENT/CHANGEMAKER, AFRO MUSÉE. INAUGURATION EXHIBITION
2021 PRIX FEMME DE SCOTIABANK
2018 BLACK CANADIAN WOMEN: STORIES OF STRENGTH, COURAGE AND VISION, HERITAGE CANADA
2016 100 ACCOMPLISHED BLACK CANADIAN WOMEN, 100ABCWOMEN
2011 GIRLS’ ACTION FOUNDATION, SPARK
2011 BLACK HISTORY MONTH 20TH ANNIVERSARY, LAUREAT
2010 WOMAN OF MERIT AWARD, PLAYMAS MONTREAL
2007 REPRESENTED HER EXCELLENCY, GOVERNOR GENERAL OF CANADA, THE RIGHT HONOURABLE MICHAËLLE JEAN. ON HER BEHALF DELIVERED HER ADDRESS AT THE PREMIERE OF “100 YEARS OF FAITH”, MONTREAL, APRIL 15, 2007