Universal Negro Improvement Association Hall Commemorative Plaque, 2019
Resource ID
7170
Access
Open
Address
355 College Street, Toronto, ON M5T 1S5
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
2019
Historical Themes
Program Category
Rights
Heritage Toronto
Caption
Universal Negro Improvement Association Hall Commemorative Plaque, 2019
Description
From 1925 until it was sold in 1982, this building was home to the Toronto Division of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). The UNIA was an international organization led by Black nationalist Marcus Garvey that aimed to strengthen solidarity among people of African descent around the world. After six years of fundraising, UNIA members purchased this building. Many were Caribbean immigrants who worked as railway porters. The hall became an important centre for the community, hosting civic meetings, heritage classes, lectures, legal clinics, employment workshops, performances, and dances. UNIA members also participated in affiliated groups such as the women-led Black Cross Nurses. Until the 1950s, the Toronto Division organized the annual “Big Picnic” Emancipation Day celebrations at Lakeside Park in Port Dalhousie, attracting hundreds of people from both sides of the border. The UNIA hall connected Black Torontonians to the Pan-African movement and contributed to the social, cultural, and political fabric of the city’s proud Black community.