The people who gave Canada a festival
Caribana was built by volunteers with day jobs: doctors, lawyers, librarians, engineers and domestic workers who believed their culture belonged on Canada's streets. Accounts of the founding committee differ, and we're still piecing together the full list. Here are some of the people who made it happen.
Dr. Joseph "Al" Liverpool
St Vincent
Served with the Canadian Army at Normandy, graduated in medicine from McGill in 1955, and founded the College Euclid Clinic in Toronto. Sources describe him as the driving force of the 1967 committee.
Charles Roach
Trinidad
Civil rights lawyer who co-founded Caribana and the Black Action Defence Committee. Charley Roach Lane in Toronto bears his name.
Romain Pitt
Grenada
Co-founded Lindsay and Pitt, described as Canada's first Black law partnership, and later served as a justice of the Ontario Superior Court.
Rita Cox
Trinidad
Librarian who built Toronto Public Library's Black and Caribbean Heritage Collection, now more than 16,000 items. Member of the founding committee; Order of Canada, 1997.
Jean Augustine
Grenada
Came to Canada through the West Indian Domestic Scheme in 1960 and served on the committee that organized the first Caribana. In 1993 she became the first Black woman elected to the House of Commons, and her motion created Black History Month in Canada.
[CONFIRM: year] · [CONFIRM: place] Kenneth Shah
Trinidad
Petroleum engineer turned costume designer and band manager for more than 30 years. His 4,000 photographs are now held at York University.
Alpha King
Trinidad
Born in Port-of-Spain. Airline manager and entrepreneur who helped organize the first Caribana in 1967 as a facilitator rather than a formal board member. Sources say that through his work with BWIA he helped bring steel pans and artists from Trinidad. [CONFIRM: board to verify this biography against its sources]
Dr. Maurice Bygrave
Jamaica
Dental surgeon. Listed as Dr. M.E. Bygrave on the board of directors of the Caribbean Committee for Cultural Advancement. [CONFIRM: board to verify this biography against its sources]
Johnny Cayonne
[CONFIRM: island]
Educator and artist, and a founding member of Caribana. He died in July 1998. [CONFIRM: board to verify this biography against its sources]
George Meikle
[CONFIRM: island]
Financial analyst. Listed as G.I. Meikle on the board of directors of the Caribbean Committee for Cultural Advancement. [CONFIRM: board to verify this biography against its sources]
[CONFIRM: add or remove names once the board settles the founding committee list. Get family permission before using any founder's photo.]
Board of Directors: Caribbean Committee for Cultural Advancement
- Dr. J,A.Liverpool, Chairman, MD
- Ms. J. Dunn, Legal Secretary
- R.W.Pitt, Vice Chairman, Lawyer
- P. Marcelline, Town Planer
- Lowe, Treasurer, Ontario Land Surveyor
- Dr. S.A. Liverpool, Dental Surgeon
- C.C. Roach, Secretary, Lawyer
- Mrs. C. Huggins
- G.I. Meikle, Financial Analyst
- Mrs. S. Ward, Bank Account (Nova Scotia)
- Sheppard, Life Underwriter
- Miss H. Cohen, Executive Secretary
- E.S. Lindsay, Lawyer
- Mrs. L. Patterson, Public Health Nurse
- F.R. Myers, President (House of Jamaica)
- A. Coombs, Civil Servant (Ontario Gov.)
- Dr. M.E. Bygrave, Dental Surgeon
- M. Martinez, Managing Dir. (B.W.I.A; Tor.)
- Robertson, Lawyer
- Miss T. Taylor, Executive Secretary
- McKenzie, Industry
[CONFIRM: board to verify the spelling, initials and titles in this list, and the committee's name against its incorporated name, before it is published]
Help us complete the record
Did your parent, grandparent or neighbour help start Caribana? Do you have photos, programs or letters from 1967? Help us tell the full story of everyone who built it.