Discover Toronto's history as told through its plaques

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Donald Willard Moore 1891-1994

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted March, 2009

In front of this building at 20 Cecil Street is this City of Toronto Culture Division 2000 plaque. Here's what it says:

Coordinates: 43.656966 -79.395833

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From his arrival in Canada from Barbados in 1913, Donald Willard Moore worked to make Toronto the vibrant multicultural community it is today. To protest unjust immigration law, Moore led the first Black delegation to Ottawa on April 27, 1954. The law, restricting entry of non-whites from the West Indies and other Commonwealth areas, was changed due to Moore's tireless work and allowed, first, nurses from the West Indies to enter Canada to work in hospitals, and then women to work as domestics for a year before attaining permanent residence. Eventually the regulations permitted immigration of other non-whites, from other parts of the world.

Near this plaque stood the recreation centre purchased by Moore ("Uncle Don") and others for newly arrived immigrants. Also in this area (at College and Augusta) was the Toronto branch of the United Negro Improvement Association, which Moore helped found as well as the Toronto Negro Citizenship Association. For his social justice work Moore received the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario, the Order of Barbados, the Bicentennial Medal of Ontario, the Harry Jerome Award and the City of Toronto Award of Merit.

More Toronto Black History
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Albert Jackson
Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
George Brown (1818-1880)
Kathleen (Kay) Livingstone (1918-1975)
Mary Ann Shadd Cary 1823-1893
The O'Connor-Lafferty House
St. Lawrence Hall
Thornton and Lucie Blackburn
Toronto's Reggae Roots
William Peyton Hubbard 1842-1935

More
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Here are the visitors' comments for this page.

> Posted February 11, 2014
Thanks to the work Donald Willard Moore did, my parents were able to come to Canada from the West Indies to give their children better opportunities. I am a proud recipient of the Donald Willard Moore Scholarship which I achieved from George Brown College and thanks to the recognition and opportunities that Uncle Don worked tirelessly for, minorities can benefit and play a very important role in Canada's multicultural community.
Nicole Francis

> Posted August 15, 2013
I am a film maker in UK and am keen to find out as much as I can about Don Moore and the people who knew him. I met him years ago when I visited Canada.
[email protected]

> Posted September 29, 2012
From Mr Sylvan Carew. I would like to know if Mr Moore and his delegation walked to Ottawa or took the train. Thank you for your response. Some of my friends were having a debate about it. I would like to know who is right. Thanks for the answer. My email is [email protected]

> Posted February 13, 2011
I'm so proud of the work my Uncle Don did. Thanks for sharing this.

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