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Caribbean Conference Committee-The Caribbean Conference Committee (CCC) was formed in 1965 in Montreal, Canada, by a group of Caribbean immigrants who sought to provide a platform for intellectuals to discuss anti-colonial ideas and formulate political as well as social change. The activities of this group defined the Black power movement in Canada and led directly to the “Computer Centre Incident” at Sir George Williams University in 1969.

Content:

Background, Members and Change of Name

Key CCC Events

Connection of the CCC to the Sir George Williams Protest

Implications and Accomplishments

Background, Members and Change of Name

The buying, selling and enslavement of Black people started with colonists in New France in the early 1600s, and lasted until it was abolished throughout British North America in 1834. While not permitting slavery, Canada’s immigration practices for almost 100 years following emancipation, did not permit non-white immigrants. As these restrictions relaxed in the 1950s-1960s, Montreal's black population began to grow. This led to a large migration of West Indian and African blacks to Canada.

Many Caribbean immigrants intended to return to the Caribbean and become politically active after earning an education. The common aspiration to fight colonialism in the Caribbean inspired a group of Caribbean men and women to form the CCC. Among this group were Alfie Roberts, Rosie Douglas, and Anne Cools. The Caribbean Conference Committee (CCC) separated in 1967 when some members dispersed, however the organisation continued and the name was changed to the Canadian Conference Committee (CCC) signalling a shift in looking to Canada as their permanent home. Caribbean students became less concerned with Caribbean decolonization and more interested in domestic racial issues.

Key CCC Events

The CCC held multiple conferences that featured influential activists from around the globe such as George Lamming and C.L.R James. The CCC initially focused on political and social change in the Caribbean, and then moved to ideas of change in Montreal. Shortly after the CCC’s October 1968 meeting, another committee, largely comprised of black students at McGill University and Sir George Williams University, spearheaded a gathering that would broadcast the shift that was occurring among African descended people in Canada.

The first conference was a three-day event from October 4 to 6, 1968, held at Sir George Williams University. The conference was organized by black activists seeking racial equality through civil means. Inspired by the CCC and titled the Black People in Canada Conference, It addressed the local, daily concerns of Montreal's black population and featured Howard McCurdy, a professor at the University of Windsor, who emphasized the importance for blacks to understand their identity and have a voice. The conference also sought to reconcile class divide and conflict amongst Montreal Blacks, particularly between the Caribbean immigrants and established black Canadians.

The second conference was a four-day event from October 11 to 14, 1968, held at McGill and it was titled The Congress of Black Writers. The most prominent speech at this event was Stokely Carmichael's, which amassed a crowd of over 2000 people and was centered around Black Power as well as the idea that blacks should liberate themselves internationally through revolution. Carmichael asserted that revolution was necessary to rebuild the social system that had previously oppressed blacks internationally through slavery and colonization. The majority of the attendance at this second committee was of a younger demographic and the radical ideas expressed conflicted with the more civil ideas of the Black People in Canada Conference.

The shift in consciousness was explicit in the gathering's statement of purpose, signed by co-chairs Elder Thebaud and Rosie Douglas. It declared that "modern white oppression ... has always sought to justify its oppressive control over the other races by resorting to arrogant claims of inherent superiority, and attempting to denigrate the cultural and historical achievements of the oppressed peoples."

Connection of the CCC to the Sir George Williams Protest

Two CCC events, Black People in Canada Conference and The Congress of Black Writers. led to what is now known as the Computer Centre Incident whereby several Black students at Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University) complained about racial discrimination on the part of a professor Percy Andersen and occupied the Computer Center at the University for several days. The Sir George Williams affair (also referred to as "The Sir George Williams Computer Incident") was a 1969 event at Sir George Williams University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, now a part of Concordia University. It was the largest student occupation in Canadian history.

University administrators had to re-evaluate internal procedures. Student representation on university decision-making bodies was firmly established and university procedures and policies were revamped. In April 1971 Sir George Williams adopted University Regulations on Rights and Responsibilities, and the Ombudsman’s Office was established. By December 1977, Concordia University approved a university- wide Code of Conduct and new terms of reference for the Ombudsman’s Office.

Implications and Accomplishments

In many ways the work of the CCC gave birth to what may rightly be termed a Canadian dimension of the evolving "Black Radical Tradition" that political scientist Cedric J. Robinson describes as being rooted in the history of black resistance and "an accretion, over generations, of collective intelligence gathered from struggle." In Robinson's view, this tradition manifested itself in the early 20th century in the work of W.E.B. Du Bois, aamong others. For the first time an independent black group based in Canada was openly propagating a decidedly socialist political vision in relation to people of African descent in the Caribbean.

See Also

Black Power movement in Montreal

Sir George Williams affair

Anne Cools

Rosie Douglas

Alphonsus Theodore Roberts

Union United Church

References

Caribbean Conference Committee
Caribbean Conference Committee

The Caribbean Conference Committee (CCC) was formed in 1965 in Montreal, Canada, by a group of Caribbean immigrants who sought to provide a platform for intellectuals to discuss anti-colonial ideas and social change. The group’s focus changed in the late 1960s from inequities in the Caribbean to racial injustice in Canada. The activities of this group defined the Black power movement in Canada and led directly to the “Computer Centre Incident” at Sir George Williams University in 1969.

Content:

Background and Members Change of Name Key CCC Events Connection of the CCC to the Sir George Williams Protest Implications and Accomplishments

Background and Members

The buying, selling and enslavement of Black people in Canada started in the early 1600s, and lasted until it was abolished throughout British North America in 1834. While not permitting slavery, Canada’s immigration practices for almost 100 years following emancipation did not permitted few non-white immigrants. As Canadian immigration restrictions relaxed in the 1950s-1960s, Montreal's Black population began to grow. This led to a large migration of West Indian and African blacks to Canada. The more recent immigrants settled in large Canadian cities like Toronto and Montreal, the largest sectors being university students and domestic workers

Many Caribbean students who emigrated to Canada intended to return to the Caribbean after earning an education. The shared aspiration against colonialism in the Caribbean led to a group of Caribbean men and women forming the CCC. Among this group were activists Alfie Roberts, Rosie Douglas, and Anne Cools.

Change of Name

The Caribbean Conference Committee (CCC) changed its name when Caribbean students became less concerned with Caribbean decolonization and more interested in domestic racial issues in Canada. Canadian students were a key demographic component of the CCC and inequities occurring at Canadian universities became a key focus of the CCC. In 1967, the Caribbean Conference Committee changed its name to the Canadian Conference Committee (CCC) representing the shift towards Canadian racial issues.

Key CCC Events

The CCC held several conferences featuring international racial activists such as George Lamming and C.L.R James. Shortly after meetings organized by CCC in 1968, a group of white and Black students at McGill University and Sir George Williams University became involved in a student protest that still holds the distinction of being the largest student protest in Canadian history.

One conference occurred between October 4 to 6, 1968 at Sir George Williams University. The conference was organized by the CCC. Labelled the Black People in Canada Conference, this event addressed the local concerns of Montreal's Black population and featured Howard McCurdy, a professor at the University of Windsor, who emphasized the importance for blacks to understand their identity and have a voice. The conference also sought to eliminate conflict amongst Montreal Blacks, particularly between recent Caribbean immigrants and established Black Canadians who had arrived in Canada earlier.

Another conference, a four-day event from October 11 to 14, 1968, held at McGill University was titled The Congress of Black Writers, and was attended by over 2000 people. A prominent speaker at this event was Stokely Carmichael of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Carmichael’s speech reflected the growing violence in student protests in the late 1960s, suggesting that Blacks should liberate themselves through revolution. Carmichael asserted that revolution was necessary to rebuild the social system that had previously oppressed blacks internationally through slavery and colonization. The majority of those attending the event were a younger demographic, including many students, who absorbed these ideas, which were more radical than those expressed at the Black People in Canada Conference. This shift in consciousness was confirmed in the conference’s statement of purpose, signed by co-chairs Elder Thebaud and Rosie Douglas. It declared that "modern white oppression ... has always sought to justify its oppressive control over the other races by resorting to arrogant claims of inherent superiority, and attempting to denigrate the cultural and historical achievements of the oppressed peoples."

Connection of the CCC to the Sir George Williams Protest Two CCC inspired conferences, Black People in Canada Conference and The Congress of Black Writers led to what is now known as the “Computer Centre Incident” at Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University). Several Caribbean students at the school, who were in Canada to qualify for and attend medical school complained about racial discrimination on the part of a biology professor Percy Andersen. Black and white students occupied the Computer Center at the University for several days. This was the largest student occupation to date in Canadian history. As a result of the occupation administrators re-evaluated internal procedures, including student representation on university decision-making bodies and a revamping of university procedures and policies.

Implications and Accomplishments

In many ways the work of the CCC initiated a Canadian dimension of "Black Radical Tradition" that political scientist Cedric J. Robinson describes as being rooted in the history of Black resistance. In Robinson's view, this tradition manifested itself in the early 20th century in the work of W.E.B. Du Bois, among others. For the first time an independent Black group based in Canada was openly calling for racial equality for people of African and Caribbean decent.

See Also

Black Power Movement in Montreal Sir George Williams Affair Anne Cools Rosie Douglas Alphonsus Theodore Roberts Union United Church

References i Henry, Natasha L., "Black Enslavement in Canada". In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historic Canada. Article published June 13, 2016; Last Edited June 09, 2020. ii Forsythe, Dennis. "The Black Writers Conference: Days to Remember." Let the Niggers Burn: The Sir George Williams Affair and its Caribbean Aftermath (1971): 57-75. iii Henry, Natasha L., "Black Enslavement in Canada". In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historic Canada. Article published June 13, 2016; Last Edited June 09, 2020. iv Austin, David. “All Roads Led to Montreal: Black Power, the Caribbean, and the Black Radical Tradition in Canada.” The Journal of African American History 92, no. 4 (2007): 516–39. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20064231. v Austin, David. “All Roads Led to Montreal: Black Power, the Caribbean, and the Black Radical Tradition in Canada.” The Journal of African American History 92, no. 4 (2007): 516–39. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20064231. vi Williams, Dorothy. 1989. Blacks in Montreal 1628-1986: An Urban Demography. Cowansville: Les Éditions Yvon Blais Inc. vii Mills, Sean. “The Empire Within: Postcolonial Thought and Political Activism in Sixties Montreal - ProQuest.” viii Forsythe, Dennis. "The Black Writers Conference: Days to Remember." Let the Niggers Burn: The Sir George Williams Affair and its Caribbean Aftermath (1971): 57-75. ix Austin, David. “All Roads Led to Montreal: Black Power, the Caribbean, and the Black Radical Tradition in Canada.” The Journal of African American History 92, no. 4 (2007): 516–39. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20064231 x Austin, David. “All Roads Led to Montreal: Black Power, the Caribbean, and the Black Radical Tradition in Canada.” The Journal of African American History 92, no. 4 (2007): 516–39. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20064231. xi Austin, David. “All Roads Led to Montreal: Black Power, the Caribbean, and the Black Radical Tradition in Canada.” The Journal of African American History 92, no. 4 (2007): 516–39. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20064231. xii Austin, David. “All Roads Led to Montreal: Black Power, the Caribbean, and the Black Radical Tradition in Canada.” The Journal of African American History 92, no. 4 (2007): 516–39. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20064231. xiii The Georgian 1968-1969 https://www.concordia.ca/offices/archives/student-newspapers.html#georgian-1968-69 ix Forsythe, Dennis. "The Black Writers Conference: Days to Remember." Let the Niggers Burn: The Sir George Williams Affair and its Caribbean Aftermath (1971): 57-75. xiv Forsythe, Dennis. "The Black Writers Conference: Days to Remember." Let the Niggers Burn: The Sir George Williams Affair and its Caribbean Aftermath (1971): 57-75. xv Cedric J. Robinson, Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition (1983; reprinted Chapel Hill, NC, 2000) xvi Cedric J. Robinson, Black Marxism: The Making of the Black Radical Tradition (1983; reprinted Chapel Hill, NC, 2000)