The bottom of a Pullman Porter plate - Men of the Rails Collection by Theodore A. Xaras produced by Christian Bell Porcelain Ltd. Made in Germany
Stanley Grizzle C.M. (Pronounced Grizzelle - think of Mrs. Bouquet) would likely not be amused although he may find it to be an interesting curiosity. He was the driving force which led to the first Black Canadian Porter's Union as the porters were paid next to nothing and had to live off their tips. It was a miserable existence.
www.flickr.com/photos/21728045@N08/2352358435/in/photolis...
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Courtesy of Sandra Danilovic, TV documentary,
"Portrait of a Street: The Soul and Spirit of College"
(2001, Rodna Films Inc.)
Stanley G. Grizzle founded the Railway Porter’s Trade Union Council and served as president of the Toronto Canadian Pacific Railroad (CPR) Division of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) from 1946 to 1962.
Grizzle was born in Toronto in 1918, to Jamaican parents who immigrated to Canada in 1911. He became a railway porter at the age of 22 to help support his family. In 1938 Grizzle helped form the Young Men’s Negro Association of Toronto, initiating a period of activity which would make him one of the leaders in the black Canadian campaign for civil rights.
After serving in the Canadian Army in Europe during World War II, Grizzle returned to play a more active role in the BSCP he had joined years earlier. He was elected president of the Canadian BSCP in 1946 and by the early 1950s Grizzle had became a member of Canada’s Joint Labour Committee to Combat Racial Intolerance. He led groups which met with provincial and federal government officials to discuss antidiscrimination legislation and appeared often on radio and television to describe the issues facing African Canadians. On April 24, 1954, Grizzle plunged into the controversial issue of immigration when he organized the first delegation of Canadian blacks to meet with members of the federal cabinet to discuss discrimination against West Indian applicants for Canadian citizenship.
In 1959 Grizzle and Jack White became the first African Canadians to seek seats in the Ontario legislature. Running as a Co-operative Commonwealth (CCF) candidate, Grizzle won nearly ten thousand votes in a losing election effort. The following year he was appointed an Officer of the Ontario Labour Relations Board, becoming the first black Canadian to hold a position at this level of provincial government. Grizzle remained on the Board until 1978 when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appointed him Judge of the Canadian Court of Citizenship, again another first for an African Canadian.
Grizzle received the Order of Ontario in 1990 from Lieutenant-Governor Lincoln Alexander in recognition for his work with the BSCP. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 1995 from Governor General Romeo LeBlanc. He also received the Order of Distinction from Jamaica for his valuable contributions to Canadian society.
In 1996 Grizzle completed an autobiography he titled My Name’s Not George which described his life as a sleeping car porter on the CPR and as a political activist. Grizzle also discussed the dual roles the BSCP union has traditionally embodied in both the United States and Canada, trade unionism and civil rights. Grizzle also described his role in the eventual removal of the barriers that prevented porters from being promoted to conductors.
In July 2007, Stanley G. Grizzle was honoured at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, for contributions and donations to Library and Archives of Canada. Four months later Toronto Mayor David Miller led a dedication ceremony for Stanley G. Grizzle Park which was located on Main Street in the city’s east end. Stanley G. Grizzle continues to make his home in Toronto.
Sources:
Stanley G. Grizzle and John Cooper, My Name’s Not George: The Story of Sleeping Car Porters (Toronto: Umbrella Press, 1997); Robin W. Winks, The Blacks in Canada (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1997). www.answers.com/topic/stanley-g-grizzle
Stanley G. Grizzle worked as a Citizenship Judge at 25 St. Clair Ave. East Toronto. He continued to preside as a volunteer at Canadian citizenship ceremonies as well as to visit and lecture to dozens of Ontario Public Schools. He became Grand Master in Ontario of Prince Hall Masons.
Stanley Grizzle C.M. (Pronounced Grizzelle - think of Mrs. Bouquet) would likely not be amused although he may find it to be an interesting curiosity. He was the driving force which led to the first Black Canadian Porter's Union as the porters were paid next to nothing and had to live off their tips. It was a miserable existence.
www.flickr.com/photos/21728045@N08/2352358435/in/photolis...
Stanley G. GRIZZLE CM., O. Ont. Passed peacefully at Toronto East General Hospital on November 12, 2016, in his 98th year. A former Citizenship Court Judge, Railway Porter, World War II Veteran, Political Candidate and Labour Union Activist, Stan was a dynamic force in the African Canadian civil rights community. Born in Toronto to Jamaican parents and the oldest of seven children, Stan grew up to challenge the colour barrier that prevented Black Canadians from enjoying equal rights. At age 19 he co-founded the Young Men's Negro Association of Toronto. As a soldier in Europe, Stan challenged the then-common practice of using soldiers of colour as butlers for senior officers. As a Railway Porter, he helped organize workers under the banner of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, serving as the local chapter's President for 16 years. Constantly agitating for change, in 1954 he led activists to Ottawa to challenge the federal government for a more open immigration policy for Caribbean immigrants to Canada and as a member of the Joint Labour Committee to Combat Racial Intolerance, he focused on ensuring fair treatment for Blacks in employment and accommodation. He also served as the Toronto Chair of the Martin Luther King Fund on projects promoting change through non-violence. In 1960, Stan went to work for the Ontario Labour Relations Board and in 1978 was appointed a Citizenship Court Judge by Pierre Trudeau. Stan was the recipient of many honours, including the Order of Ontario in 1990 and the Order of Canada in 1995. In the 1990s, he was inducted into the Labour Hall of Fame and was the recipient of the Harry Jerome Award. In 2007, the City of Toronto named Stanley G. Grizzle Park in his honour, at Main and Danforth in Toronto and in 2013 he was presented with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Ontario Government. He leaves behind six children, Patricia, Nerene, Pamela, Stanley, Latanya and Sonya and foster son Ricky Hurst, 14 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. A private family service was held. A celebration of his life and legacy will be announced at a later date.
Published in Toronto Star on Nov. 18, 2016.
Pullman and the Railroad Rebellion — A Chicago Stories Documentary
youtu.be/i-kxAUwLktM?si=wLWy11C2JCWNnh-F
The bottom of a Pullman Porter plate - Men of the Rails Collection by Theodore A. Xaras produced by Christian Bell Porcelain Ltd. Made in Germany
Stanley Grizzle C.M. (Pronounced Grizzelle - think of Mrs. Bouquet) would likely not be amused although he may find it to be an interesting curiosity. He was the driving force which led to the first Black Canadian Porter's Union as the porters were paid next to nothing and had to live off their tips. It was a miserable existence.
www.flickr.com/photos/21728045@N08/2352358435/in/photolis...
Back to Online Encyclopedia Index
Courtesy of Sandra Danilovic, TV documentary,
"Portrait of a Street: The Soul and Spirit of College"
(2001, Rodna Films Inc.)
Stanley G. Grizzle founded the Railway Porter’s Trade Union Council and served as president of the Toronto Canadian Pacific Railroad (CPR) Division of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) from 1946 to 1962.
Grizzle was born in Toronto in 1918, to Jamaican parents who immigrated to Canada in 1911. He became a railway porter at the age of 22 to help support his family. In 1938 Grizzle helped form the Young Men’s Negro Association of Toronto, initiating a period of activity which would make him one of the leaders in the black Canadian campaign for civil rights.
After serving in the Canadian Army in Europe during World War II, Grizzle returned to play a more active role in the BSCP he had joined years earlier. He was elected president of the Canadian BSCP in 1946 and by the early 1950s Grizzle had became a member of Canada’s Joint Labour Committee to Combat Racial Intolerance. He led groups which met with provincial and federal government officials to discuss antidiscrimination legislation and appeared often on radio and television to describe the issues facing African Canadians. On April 24, 1954, Grizzle plunged into the controversial issue of immigration when he organized the first delegation of Canadian blacks to meet with members of the federal cabinet to discuss discrimination against West Indian applicants for Canadian citizenship.
In 1959 Grizzle and Jack White became the first African Canadians to seek seats in the Ontario legislature. Running as a Co-operative Commonwealth (CCF) candidate, Grizzle won nearly ten thousand votes in a losing election effort. The following year he was appointed an Officer of the Ontario Labour Relations Board, becoming the first black Canadian to hold a position at this level of provincial government. Grizzle remained on the Board until 1978 when Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appointed him Judge of the Canadian Court of Citizenship, again another first for an African Canadian.
Grizzle received the Order of Ontario in 1990 from Lieutenant-Governor Lincoln Alexander in recognition for his work with the BSCP. He was awarded the Order of Canada in 1995 from Governor General Romeo LeBlanc. He also received the Order of Distinction from Jamaica for his valuable contributions to Canadian society.
In 1996 Grizzle completed an autobiography he titled My Name’s Not George which described his life as a sleeping car porter on the CPR and as a political activist. Grizzle also discussed the dual roles the BSCP union has traditionally embodied in both the United States and Canada, trade unionism and civil rights. Grizzle also described his role in the eventual removal of the barriers that prevented porters from being promoted to conductors.
In July 2007, Stanley G. Grizzle was honoured at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, for contributions and donations to Library and Archives of Canada. Four months later Toronto Mayor David Miller led a dedication ceremony for Stanley G. Grizzle Park which was located on Main Street in the city’s east end. Stanley G. Grizzle continues to make his home in Toronto.
Sources:
Stanley G. Grizzle and John Cooper, My Name’s Not George: The Story of Sleeping Car Porters (Toronto: Umbrella Press, 1997); Robin W. Winks, The Blacks in Canada (Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1997). www.answers.com/topic/stanley-g-grizzle
Stanley G. Grizzle worked as a Citizenship Judge at 25 St. Clair Ave. East Toronto. He continued to preside as a volunteer at Canadian citizenship ceremonies as well as to visit and lecture to dozens of Ontario Public Schools. He became Grand Master in Ontario of Prince Hall Masons.
Stanley Grizzle C.M. (Pronounced Grizzelle - think of Mrs. Bouquet) would likely not be amused although he may find it to be an interesting curiosity. He was the driving force which led to the first Black Canadian Porter's Union as the porters were paid next to nothing and had to live off their tips. It was a miserable existence.
www.flickr.com/photos/21728045@N08/2352358435/in/photolis...
Stanley G. GRIZZLE CM., O. Ont. Passed peacefully at Toronto East General Hospital on November 12, 2016, in his 98th year. A former Citizenship Court Judge, Railway Porter, World War II Veteran, Political Candidate and Labour Union Activist, Stan was a dynamic force in the African Canadian civil rights community. Born in Toronto to Jamaican parents and the oldest of seven children, Stan grew up to challenge the colour barrier that prevented Black Canadians from enjoying equal rights. At age 19 he co-founded the Young Men's Negro Association of Toronto. As a soldier in Europe, Stan challenged the then-common practice of using soldiers of colour as butlers for senior officers. As a Railway Porter, he helped organize workers under the banner of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, serving as the local chapter's President for 16 years. Constantly agitating for change, in 1954 he led activists to Ottawa to challenge the federal government for a more open immigration policy for Caribbean immigrants to Canada and as a member of the Joint Labour Committee to Combat Racial Intolerance, he focused on ensuring fair treatment for Blacks in employment and accommodation. He also served as the Toronto Chair of the Martin Luther King Fund on projects promoting change through non-violence. In 1960, Stan went to work for the Ontario Labour Relations Board and in 1978 was appointed a Citizenship Court Judge by Pierre Trudeau. Stan was the recipient of many honours, including the Order of Ontario in 1990 and the Order of Canada in 1995. In the 1990s, he was inducted into the Labour Hall of Fame and was the recipient of the Harry Jerome Award. In 2007, the City of Toronto named Stanley G. Grizzle Park in his honour, at Main and Danforth in Toronto and in 2013 he was presented with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Ontario Government. He leaves behind six children, Patricia, Nerene, Pamela, Stanley, Latanya and Sonya and foster son Ricky Hurst, 14 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. A private family service was held. A celebration of his life and legacy will be announced at a later date.
Published in Toronto Star on Nov. 18, 2016.
Pullman and the Railroad Rebellion — A Chicago Stories Documentary
youtu.be/i-kxAUwLktM?si=wLWy11C2JCWNnh-F