Brantford school to be named after one of U of T’s first Black female students

A new school, park, and community centre in Brantford will be named after Blanche E Williams, who is believed to be one of the first Black women to attend university in Canada on equal terms with white students. The Brantford Expositor and CBC report that Williams completed high school in Brantford and enrolled at the University of Toronto in 1885. The group that uncovered her story—Unite Against Hate—nominated her name for the new Grand Erie District School Board (GEDSB) school and is now investigating where Williams went after U of T. “With education as the path to transformation, Blanche Williams interrupted racial barriers and showed us what’s possible,” said GEDSB Superintendent Liana Thompson.