Barbara Howard

Barbara Howard (May 8, 1920 – January 26, 2017) was a Canadian sprinter and educator. Growing up in Vancouver, British Columbia, Howard gained national media attention as a sprinter in high school when she completed a time trial that broke the standing British Empire Games record for the 100-yard dash. She was selected as a member of the Canadian track and field team for the 1938 British Empire Games, becoming the first Black woman to represent Canada in international athletic competition.

The family lived in East Vancouver's Grandview neighbourhood. When Howard was eight years old, her father died, and her maternal uncle stepped in to support the family.

Travelling to Sydney, Australia for the Games, Howard and her teammates completed a 28-day journey aboard the ocean liner Aorangi. Howard enjoyed her time there and was the recipient of many gifts, including a koala bear toy. but she helped Canada's 440-yard and 660-yard relay teams win silver and bronze medals respectively, running with teammates Jeanette Dolson, Aileen Meagher and Violet Montgomery. She was a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma sorority When asked to teach a class of "brilliant, but underperforming kids," she devised lessons that included having students plan field trips, shadow working professionals, and create their own films. She didn't often speak about her past as a sprinter, but her students from the early 1970s recalled one memorable occasion: Physical fitness was a priority and softball was our daily game. We hadn't known her impressive sports background, until the day she suggested boys versus girls, with her as captain and she ran round the bases in skirt and heels, laughing her head off as she hit the winning home run for the girls team! Howard retired from teaching in 1984, but remained active as a volunteer through the United Church. At her local community centre, she led exercise classes and peer counselling courses. In 2010, the Vancouver Park Board gave Howard a Remarkable Woman Award in recognition of "her passionate dedication to inspire others to make a positive difference in their community."

Death and legacy In the last decade of Howard's life, research into Canadian sports history had triggered new public interest in her story, and her athletic achievements were recognized by an induction into the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame (2011), the BC Sports Hall of Fame (2012), and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame (2015). In 2018, the City of Vancouver announced that it would rename a park near the Cambie Street Bridge as Barbara Howard Plaza.

Howard died on January 26, 2017.