During the early 20th century , Montreal blacks primarily lived in the Saint Antoine district , where they were socially excluded and evicted to facilitate urban development , forcing them to disperse to other regions of Montreal . Structural racism was prevalent during the turn of the century and prevented Montreal blacks from obtaining respectable work or adequate housing . Montreal 's black community fought racial discrimination through the creation of various social groups such as the Union United Church ( UUC ) and the Negro Community Centre ( NCC ) in 1927 . The UUC was originally called the Union Congregational Church of Montreal ( UCCM ) . Founded by American-born railway porters in 1907 , the UCCM was a response to the racial discrimination the railway porters had faced at white churches . The UCCM provided the black community with a space to worship freely without discrimination , and in 1925 the name was changed to the UUC . Led by Reverend Charles Este , the UUC sought to improve the social conditions for the black community through leadership and development . In 1927 , clergy members of the UUC founded the NCC , a charitable organisation that also sought to improve the social conditions for the black community . The NCC became a staple in Montreal 's black community and contributed to the fight against racial discrimination by promoting black employment , hosting educational programs , and looking after the youth in the black community . After the Canadian government 's removal of exclusionary immigration policies in the 1950s-1960s , which favoured non-white immigrants , Montreal 's black population began to grow . This led to a large migration of West Indian and African blacks to Canada . These immigrants often came with job skills that advanced the economic standards for Montreal 's black population . Despite these advancements , issues of racism and resistance from the black community against these issues persisted . The internationally broadening language of dissent towards colonization during the 1960s sparked an increased sense of activism among black intellectuals because it was seen as an opportunity to be heard . This increased activism was rooted in the idea of Black Power , a slogan coined by Stokely Carmichael in 1966 . During this period , a larger scale Black Power movement was also occurring in the United States . Black intellectuals in Montreal drew from the analyses of race and imperialism formulated by black intellectuals in the United States . The ideas of Malcolm X , Martin Luther king , and Stokely Carmichael inspired the Black Power movement in Montreal and the assassination of Martin Luther King sparked protest in Montreal . Locally in Montreal , many social groups expressing anti-colonial and anti-imperialist ideas formed during the Quiet Revolution . Among these groups were French Canadians , feminist groups , and workers rights groups . These various groups contributed to and borrowed from the circulating language of dissent in Montreal as well as internationally during this period . Montreal 's Black Power Movement was one of the actors in the Quiet Revolution , and the struggles experienced by blacks resonated with other groups during the time . Montreal 's Black Power movement was inspired by third world liberation struggles . The liberation of India in 1947 , Ghana and Malaya in 1957 , and Algeria from French colonialism in 1962 inspired anti-colonial ideas in Montreal . The Cuban revolution inspired anti-colonial ideas in Montreal because Cuba 's dissolution of trading ties with the United States demonstrated that a small nation could stand against a large imperial power . Black intellectuals linked institutional racism to imperial oppression and the Cuban revolution symbolized freedom from this oppression
assassination of Martin Luther King
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Black Power movement in Montreal