1831 – First Black Canadian Newspaper Launched

On June 15, 1831, The Voice of the Fugitive, the first Black newspaper in Canada, was published by Rev. Henry Bibb, an escaped slave and abolitionist. Though most sources date the formal launch to 1851, June 15 marks one of the first test printings in Amherstburg, Ontario, where many Black Loyalists and freedom seekers had settled. The paper aimed to inform Canada’s growing Black population of their rights, opportunities, and the dangers of recapture by U.S. slave catchers. It also served as a platform for anti-slavery advocacy, religious reflection, and community organizing. Bibb’s paper played a pivotal role in galvanizing public sentiment against slavery and promoting education and self-reliance among African Canadians. As part of the broader Underground Railroad network, it helped build an early Black press tradition that laid the groundwork for future media by and for African diasporic communities.