Illuminate Black: Shining Light on the Black Presence in Ontario

Experience Ontario’s Black histories in a whole new light 

Come visit the Archives of Ontario to experience a groundbreaking new exhibit! 

Illuminate Black: Shining Light on the Black Presence in Ontario explores the rich, complex histories of Black communities across the province, highlighting untold stories from the last 250+ years. 

Location: Archives of Ontario’s Helen McClung Exhibit Area, 134 Ian Macdonald Boulevard, Toronto, Ontario 

Dates: From February 23, 2026 to March 2028 

Visiting hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

Illuminate Black is a celebration of Black joy, Black culture and Black resilience. Through artifacts, archival records and immersive interactives, visitors will encounter stories from the earliest Black arrivals to the present day. From freedom seekers to agricultural labourers, professionals, performers and entrepreneurs, these diverse narratives are personal and community wide.

The exhibit features several distinct areas, each space focusing on topics like migration, cultural expression, anti-Black racism and activism. Displays combine photographs, physical objects, video recordings and interactives to provide a rich, multi-sensory experience. Visitors can step into dynamic spaces like a barber shop (pictured above), a kitchen and a U.N.I.A. (Universal Negro Improvement Association) Liberty Hall. There’s also a reflection space where visitors can pause and reflect on the exhibit.

The Archives’ largest exhibit to date, Illuminate Black is first and foremost community driven. Curated by Dr. Natasha Henry-Dixon, Assistant Professor of African Canadian History at York University, it was developed in collaboration with community members and memory institutions who generously lent their time, resources and collections to its creation.

Learn about the lives and experiences of people whose stories have often been overlooked or hidden from history.

A jail cell lock from a Niagara jail (on loan from Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum) helps tell the story of freedom seeker Solomon Moseby, who was captured and imprisoned in Niagara in 1837. Facing extradition to slavery, he escaped during a protest by hundreds of Black residents. His experience prompted legal reforms that led to the creation of the 1842 Webster-Ashburton Treaty, shaping Canada’s lasting principle of refusing extradition if it might result in persecution or injustice.

A sleeping car porter uniform that belonged to James “Laverne” Robbins (on loan from Buxton National Historic Site Museum) is also on display. It speaks to the experiences of the many Black men who powered the province’s expanding transportation networks but faced many challenges: porters were required to purchase and maintain uniforms and supplies at their own expense, for example, with inspectors creating constant pressure and risk of dismissal.

Learn about barbershops and salons — places of conversation, care and connection that were among the first Black-owned and -operated businesses in Ontario. Admire the barbershop tools on loan from the Oshawa Museum while taking a spin in a barber’s chair, donated by local Toronto barber Trevor Walker.

Flex your musical muscles and play a steelpan drum, on loan from Pan Fantasy Steelband. The steelpan, which originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1930s, remains a powerful symbol of creativity that gained prominence in Ontario through events and festivals.

These are just a few of the hundreds of stories the exhibit brings into the light.

Come experience the exhibit for yourself! As a local teacher recently shared with us while spending time in the space, “not in thirty years of [my] teaching has there been anything like this.”

Illuminate Black is free of charge and open to the public Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. It’s on now until March 2028.

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“Illuminating the lengthy history of the everyday lives of Black Canadians removes us from the shadows of the unfamiliar, from the footnotes of history, and firmly places our presence in the spotlight . . .”

Dr. Natasha Henry-Dixon, exhibit curator

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Take a virtual tour of our exhibit

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  Select the “Play” button to begin the tour. Select the tags within the space for more information about each section of the exhibit. 

  360° Virtual Tour

Acknowledgements

Exhibit Advisory Board

Organizations