Isaac C. Phills, (January 11, 1896March 9, 1985) was a Canadian

steel worker Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...

, the first Black man to receive the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

Life

Phills was born in abject poverty in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

before coming to Canada in 1916. He served in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

with the 85th Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders) of the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

. The writer

Calvin Ruck Calvin Woodrow Ruck (September 4, 1925 – October 19, 2004) was a human rights activist and a member of the Senate of Canada. He was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia; his parents were immigrants to Canada from Barbados. Ruck's life has been docum ...

quotes Phills as saying,

"In Sydney after the war started, quite a few Blacks volunteered for active service and were told point blank, 'We don't want you. This is a white man's war.' However, in 1917, the Canadian Army was up against it. They had lost a lot of men in France. At that point, they were willing to take anyone. Conscription came in, and they took the Blacks and the Whites."

Returning to

Sydney, Nova Scotia Sydney is a former city and urban community on the east coast of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Sydney was founded in 1785 by the British, was incorporated as a city in 1904, and dissolv ...

after his discharge from service he went back to Sydney Steel where he worked for 45 more years and raised a family that included four college graduates. Phills was active in his community, a member and vestryman of Saint Alban's Anglican Church in

Whitney Pier Whitney Pier (2016 population: 4,612) is an urban neighbourhood in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. Prior to the 20th century, this area was known as “Eastmount” or “South Sydney Harbour,” and had long been a fishing and farming district. It i ...

, treasurer of the Ethiopian Community Club and secretary of the Court Washington

Ancient Order of Foresters The Foresters Friendly Society is a British friendly society which was formed in 1834 as the Ancient Order of Foresters. As of 31 December 2016, the society had approximately 75,000 members. Its head office is located in Southampton, England. ...

Order of Canada

Isaac Phills was awarded the

in Canada's centennial year of 1967. Isaac's appointment was in the inaugural list of 90 and was the only person of

African descent Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in s ...

to be recognised in the first list. The first Black man to receive the Order of Canada, he is important for the role he played in showing the immigrant community of Whitney Pier that any man could overcome hardship through hard work and determination and build a prosperous life for themselves and their family in a new land. Phills' Order of Canada citation reads in part:

"A Cape Breton steel worker of West Indian origin, who raised a large family and despite many difficulties, gave them a good education and start in life and set a fine example in the community."

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Phills, Isaac 1896 births 1985 deaths Officers of the Order of Canada Emigrants from the British West Indies to Canada

Life

Order of Canada

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography