Black History Month

‍The 2026 theme for Black History Month in Canada is “30 Years of Black History Month: Honouring Black Brilliance Across Generations—From Nation Builders to Tomorrow’s Visionaries,” highlighting the enduring contributions of Black Canadians across time. Violet King, who became the first Black woman lawyer in Canada, and her family lived in the Hillhurst Sunnyside community of Calgary from 1919-1975.

Sylvie Lang, a Hawkins Lang + Price founding partner, has deep roots in the Hillhurst Sunnyside community. As a child, she often heard her mother speak about the King family, and over the years, Sylvie grew to appreciate the significance of their contributions to the community, to Calgary, and to Canada. Violet King, who was admitted to the Alberta bar in 1954, is now recognized throughout the legal community and beyond as a pioneer who made history, breaking racial and gender barriers.

Sylvie’s family still lives near the King’s family home, and she has had the opportunity to share Violet King’s history with her own daughter. It is an inspiring story of the resiliency of a young woman who chose to pursue her ambitions despite her race and gender not being reflected in the legal profession. In her own words, “People told me it wasn’t a good idea for a girl, particularly a coloured girl to be a lawyer, so I went ahead.”

To ensure future generations of Calgarians know the story of Violet King, the Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association has named a greenspace in Sunnyside in her honour. “Violet King Park” is located at the corner of 7 Avenue and 5 Street NW, across the street from the King family’s former home, where Violet lived for decades.

“People told me it wasn’t a good idea for a girl, particularly a coloured girl to be a lawyer, so I went ahead.”

~ Violet King