Dorothy W. Williams

Dr. Dorothy Williams specializes in Black Canadian history. She has worked as an historian, author, educator, researcher, content developer, and consultant. She is the author of three books and contributor to multiple scholarly and academic publications. Her first book, Blacks in Montreal, 1628-1986: An Urban Demography, was written at the behest of the Quebec Human Rights Commission in 1989, during their study of racism in Montreal’s housing market. Her second work, published in 1997, The Road to Now: A History of Blacks in Montreal, remains the only chronological study of Blacks on the island of Montreal. Her most recent book in 1998, Les Noirs à Montreal, Essai de demographic urbaine, was a translation of Blacks in Montreal.

With a strong afro-centric perspective, Dr. Williams has penned both popular and articles in journals, magazines and newspapers about Black culture in Canada. She is often invited to present and lecture, as well as to conduct teacher training and librarian workshops. She has given public presentations in dozens of venues, from bookstores and cafes to community centres, museums and libraries.

As a researcher, Dr. Williams’ long-term research has concentrated on the creation of popular reference materials about Black history in Canada with the objective of making Black history accessible.