This archive of photographs shows Black Canadians 'in the light in which they deserved to be shown'

Black Life: Untold Stories is an epic eight-part documentary series that reframes the rich and complex histories of Black people in Canada over 400 years. Watch now on CBC Gem.

In his archival collection, which predates the founding of Upper Canada in 1791 and includes materials up to the middle of the last century, historian Alvin McCurdy showcased Black Canadians in a positive and deserving light. 

"He spent decades of his life collecting material about people of African descent in the light in which they deserved to be shown," historian Irene Moore Davis said in "Haven, But No Heaven," the first episode of CBC's Black Life: Untold Stories. 

"There's this common perception that maybe Black people got here through the Underground Railroad, and then we all vanished. But what Alvin McCurdy's collection documents is the many generations of continuing Black presence in our country, just really full lives of people of African descent."

Born in Amherstburg, Ont., in 1916, McCurdy was a member of the McCurdy clan, whose ancestor, Nasa McCurdy, was an agent on the Underground Railroad.  

He was a professional carpenter and a Freemason and belonged to the Baptist Church. And he collected newspaper clippings, postcards, minutes, research files, scrapbooks and about 3,000 photographs of friends, family and social, cultural and church events.

But what stands out for Moore Davis are the images of people from the 19th century, just a generation removed from slavery, "who chose to pose wearing their best outfits, looking dignified with books on the desk, and showing their relatives and friends that they were doing very well in Canada.

"In a society where people wanted for so long to treat us only as porters and servants and maids and agricultural workers, those photos really meant a lot," Moore Davis said.

"Haven, But No Heaven" is streaming now on CBC Gem. Watch it on CBC-TV on Oct. 25 at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT).

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.