Canadian stamp stories

Africville
Halifax's Africville is one of the African-Canadian communities featured as part of Canada Post's celebration of Black History Month in 2014. Tragically, this historic community was dismantled through a relocation of its residents in the 1960s.

The Africville stamp features a photograph of seven young girls, all members of the community, set against an illustrated background of the neighbourhood's hills and homes.

The Official First Day Cover offers a peek into historic Africville through an illustration of a church that for so long was the social hub of the community. "We wanted to call attention to these buildings because they were at the heart of their neighbourhoods," says Halifax stamp designer Karen Smith, "and they still hold a special place in the memories of many past residents."

Hogan's Alley
Hogan's Alley in Vancouver's Strathcona neighbourhood was an African-Canadian community that became a vibrant destination for food and jazz until it was removed in the 1960s to make way for new construction.

Pairing real photographs with photo-inspired illustrations helped Smith draw together the physical legacy and the memories of a neighbourhood.

"The community had a real sense of pride. We wanted to honour that by showing the real people who lived there," explains Smith. "We used watercolour illustrations to bring a sense of nostalgia to the backgrounds, to represent the fond memories and feelings past residents had for their communities."