Often described as “more English than the English,” the city of Victoria has a much more ethnically diverse background than historical record and current literature reveal. Significant contributions were made by many people of colour with fascinating stories, including:
the Kanaka, or Hawaiian Islanders, who constructed Fort Victoria, and members of the Kanaka community such as Maria Mahoi and William Naukana
three Metis matriarchs—Amelia Connolly Douglas, Josette Legacé Work, and Isabelle M. Mainville Ross
the Victoria Voltigeurs, the earliest police presence in the Colony of Vancouver Island, and who were primarily men of colour
Grafton Tyler Brown, now known in the United States as one of the first and best African American artists of the American West
Manzo Nagano, Canada’s first recorded immigrant from Japan
and many more
With information about various cultural communities in early Victoria and significant dates, May Wong’s
City in Colour
is a collection of fascinating stories of unsung characters whose stories are at the heart of Victoria’s history.