Kathleen “Kay” Livingstone (born October 13, 1919, in London and died July 25, 1975) | Black History Month | Seneca Students

Image illustrated by Veronica Rojas Marquez, Fashion Arts advanced diploma student. Instagram: @veronicarojasm.

Kathleen Livingstone, organizer, activist, actress and broadcaster, is known for devoting her life to social activism and organization. It was Ms. Livingstone that coined the term “visible minority” in 1975 (Yarhi, 2019, para. 1). She studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and the Ottawa College of Music for elocution. While in Ottawa she began a radio show The Kathleen Livingstone Show, while also working in television and film for many years. Ms. Livingstone was very active in her community and served as president of the United National Association in Canada. In 1953, she took part in the founding of the Canadian Negro Women’s Association whose vision was to become aware of, to appreciate, and further the merits of Black Canadians (Yahri, 2019, para. 6). This association went on to support Calypso Carnival (a precursor to Toronto Caribbean Carnival) and Negro History Week (later Black History Month) (Yahri, 2019, para. 7).  In 1973, she organized the first National Congress of Black Women of Canada. It became a national organization in 1980, that promoted and fostered advancement, recognition, history, and education of Black women and their families. Ms. Livingstone was designated a person of National Historic Significance in 2011, and in 2018 she was also honoured with a stamp during Black History Month from Canada Post.

Reference

Yahri, E. (2019). Kay Livingstone. In The Canadian Encyclopedia.

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/kay-livingstone