{"id":492299,"date":"2026-02-22T16:06:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T16:06:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/492299\/"},"modified":"2026-02-22T16:06:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T16:06:12","slug":"metro-vancouvers-black-population-is-growing-and-is-looking-for-ways-to-connect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/492299\/","title":{"rendered":"Metro Vancouver\u2019s Black population is growing and is looking for ways to connect"},"content":{"rendered":"

Where are all the Black people in Metro Vancouver?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a question some Black and mixed people hear a lot.<\/p>\n

But despite the common misconception that there are no Black people here, the community\u2019s population is growing and finding more ways to connect.<\/p>\n

In Metro Vancouver, the Black population rose by 38 per cent between 2016 and 2021, from 29,830 people to 41,180, according to Statistic Canada data.<\/p>\n

Across all of B.C., the Black population rose 42 per cent during the same time period, from around 43,500 people to 61,760.<\/p>\n

The number of Black people in the province now sits at about 1.3 per cent of the total population.<\/p>\n

\"Viccy<\/p>\n

Corporate controller and content creator Viccy Birungi Namuyomba says she’s noticed more Black people living in Metro Vancouver since moving here in 2018. (Ben Nelms\/CBC)<\/p>\n

This change in population size is something corporate controller and content creator Viccy Birungi Namuyomba has noticed. She moved to Canada from Uganda about eight years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s not as it used to be before where you used to be like a lone wolf walking around Vancouver. So I feel like there’s a shift,\u201d said Birungi Namuyomba.<\/p>\n

University of British Columbia student Gankal Ka says she has also noticed a change since moving to Metro Vancouver from Senegal in 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’d be the only Black student in classes. You look around on campus, you see that one Black person and you’re like, yeah, [I] see you. Whereas now, I think there’s a lot more people both at UBC and outside that you can connect with,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The erasure of Vancouver\u2019s Black neighbourhood<\/p>\n

Even with an increase in population, it can be challenging for some Black people to connect.<\/p>\n

The director of UBC\u2019s Centre for Culture, Identity & Education, Handel Kashope Wright, says there are a variety of reasons why.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that there aren’t that many Black people, the fact that we’re dispersed and the fact that there are no Black ethno-burbs where you’re just going to bump into a lot of other Black people, and the fact that there’s a need to sort of more consciously bring people together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Vancouver was once home to a Black neighbourhood \u2014 Hogan\u2019s Alley.<\/p>\n

From the early to mid-1900s, the three-block stretch at the edge of Strathcona was home to a vibrant community that included the African Methodist Episcopal Fountain Chapel and many\u00a0 Black-owned businesses, such as legendary Vie’s Chicken and Steak House.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Hogan’s Alley, pictured here, was home to Vancouver’s Black community in the early 20th century. (City of Vancouver Archives)<\/p>\n

But by the 1970s, the community was pushed out and buildings were demolished to make way for the Georgia and Dunsmuir street viaducts.<\/p>\n

The executive director of Hogan\u2019s Alley Society, Djaka Blais, says the dismantling of the community has had a lasting effect.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s had an impact on people, you know, talking about growing up in Vancouver and having a very isolated experience, whether it’s being the only Black kid in your class or your school, the only Black family in the neighborhood, the only Black person in your workplace, and you’re experiencing racism and discrimination and going through that,\u201d said Blais.<\/p>\n

Wright says the impacts have been profound, and that Hogan\u2019s Alley could have been a node from which Blackness could have grown from.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt could have been a point of connection. And I think the message to that community and successive communities and people who’ve moved here is that Black people might not be particularly welcome,\u201d Wright said.<\/p>\n

\"Hogan\u2019s<\/p>\n

The City of Vancouver approved a deal to turn historic Hogan’s Alley into a community land trust along with a multi-use redevelopment of the Strathcona site in 2022. (Justine Boulin\/CBC)<\/p>\n

The City of Vancouver has agreed to give a community land trust to the Hogan\u2019s Alley Society for the land bordered by Main and Gore streets to the west and east and Union and Prior streets to the north and south, but said there is no set time frame for it.<\/p>\n

In return, the society will provide housing, amenities and a cultural centre.<\/p>\n

How and where are Black people connecting <\/p>\n

While a possible revitalized community hub could be years down the line, there are many places where Black people are able to connect and build community in Metro Vancouver. One place is at the Centre for Integration of African Immigrants in New Westminster.<\/p>\n

It was founded more than 20 years ago by Paul Mulangu.<\/p>\n

The centre hosts programs like job fairs and tax clinics. It also runs events for seniors and youth, and to celebrate Black History Month.<\/p>\n

Mulangu says since Black people tend to be more family-oriented, meeting in person at the centre helps build connections to find jobs and housing.<\/p>\n

\"Paul<\/p>\n

Paul Mulangu, executive director of the Centre of Integration for African Immigrants in New Westminster, says his resource centre hosts different programs to help Black people connect. (Nav Rahi\/CBC)<\/p>\n

But Mulangu says it\u2019s hard to keep the programs going when funding from the government isn\u2019t consistent. <\/p>\n

Funding is also a barrier faced by the Black Block Association. The organization has hosted an annual summer Black Block Party at the Vancouver Art Gallery for the past four years.<\/p>\n

The block party has musical guests, local businesses selling items, and food and drinks stalls.<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s operations lead, Ayobami Suara, says the goal is to keep the event free to make it more accessible to people, which means working with sponsors to cover the costs, totalling up to $60,000.<\/p>\n

\"Ayobami<\/p>\n

Black Block Association’s Ayobami Suara helps organize the group’s annual Black Block Party hosted at the Vancouver Art Gallery. (Ben Nelms\/CBC)<\/p>\n

Suara says the hard work is worth it to bring Black people together but says success is only possible if people come out and support the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s nothing stopping [5,000], 6,000 people coming for Black Block Party, but you have to be open and willing to, you know, make the trip, go down there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Surrey could be new hub <\/p>\n

Another place where Black people are connecting is in Surrey.<\/p>\n

The city is home to much of Metro Vancouver\u2019s Black population, and that\u2019s where Ekaose Nwadiani owns and operates his restaurant, VanSuya.<\/p>\n

Nwadiani says his restaurant is home to many other events, including karaoke nights, fundraisers, Independence Day celebrations for various African countries, and Caribbean-themed nights.<\/p>\n

Some of these events are hosted within restaurant hours, but for bigger events that extend past closing time, the business is limited to hosting around six a year because of the licence they have through the City of Surrey.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the biggest struggles we have is capacity. We have a small capacity, but because it’s really high demand, sometimes we face challenges of going over capacity where we get fines from the liquor board,\u201d Nwadiani said.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

Ekaose Nwadiani, owner of Vansuya restaurant in Surrey, is hoping to upgrade his business licence to be able to host more events to help connect Black people. (Ben Nelms\/CBC)<\/p>\n

He says he\u2019s working with the city to upgrade his operating licence so they can host a variety of events.<\/p>\n

He says his goal is to provide a safe space where Black people can relax and connect with each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, it’s just a way to make you mentally stable because you know that you are walking into a safe space that is your own,\u201d Nwadiani said.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s hope for a permanent and long-term space.<\/p>\n

\u201cA hub, just a hub where we can all come together, connect on a fun level, creative level, professional level, where we can just do things that have never been done in the city before,\u201d said Suara.<\/p>\n

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians \u2014 from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community \u2014 check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"(CBC)\"<\/p>\n

(CBC)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Where are all the Black people in Metro Vancouver? It\u2019s a question some Black and mixed people hear…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":492300,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194298],"tags":[2023,197638,197641,49,48,197640,197639,65672,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-492299","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-vancouver","8":"tag-black","9":"tag-black-person","10":"tag-black-population","11":"tag-ca","12":"tag-canada","13":"tag-city-of-vancouver-archives","14":"tag-hogans-alley","15":"tag-metro-vancouver","16":"tag-vancouver"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=492299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492299\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/492300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=492299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=492299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=492299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}