Royal Canadian Mint Honors Hogan’s Alley
The Newly Minted Coin Celebrates a Historic Vancouver Community.
There are 22 official neighborhoods in Vancouver, Canada, but none are like Hogan's Alley. This unofficial neighborhood, established in an alley on Park Lane, is considered Vancouver's first majority Black community. Hogan's Alley was founded in the 1850s as a refuge for Black Americans, leaving racial strife in California and Black Albertans who were moving into the nearby neighborhood of Strathcona. What formed was a cultural hub often filled with the joyous sounds of everyday life, nightclubs, and restaurants.
Hogan's Alley is no longer standing in its original form; it was demolished over a century later for urban renewal. However, it is far from forgotten. A new commemorative coin minted by the Royal Canadian Mint made from 1 ounce of 99.99% pure silver is honoring the people who made the community. Recently released for Black History Month, this coin is the seventh in the Mint's annual series, "Commemorating Black History," which celebrates the lives and contributions of Black Canadians. “Crafting coins that breathe new life into stories that reflect the full breadth of Canada’s heritage is important to the Royal Canadian Mint,” says President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint Marie Lemay on the Mint’s website. “This is why we are proud to continue supporting the national celebration of Canada’s Black History Month with coins that highlight fascinating chapters of Black history in Canada that should be preserved for generations to come.”
Inscribed on the coin's reverse are vibrant scenes commonly seen in Hogan's Alley: performing musicians and dancers, a cook preparing food over a stove, and an oncoming train on the nearby Great Northern Railway. A Pacific Dogwood, British Columbia's official flower, sits in the artwork's center.
This is the first time Hogan's Alley has been featured on a Royal Canadian Mint coin, and only 5,000 have been issued. The coin arrives to customers packaged in a black Royal Canadian Mint-branded clamshell with a black beauty box.
"This coin pays homage to the vibrant community of Hogan's Alley. While housing discrimination played an integral role in the settlement of Black Canadians as primary residents of this neighbourhood, it only tells part of the story," explains the coin's designer, Kwame Delfish, on the Royal Canadian Mint's website. "A thriving cultural hub that encompassed music, art, and activism, the residents restored a sense of identity and belonging, strengthened solidarity, and bolstered collective pride…While short-lived, Hogan's Alley is part of Canadian history that is to be celebrated."
More information about the Royal Canadian Mint's "Commemorating Black History: Hogan's Alley" coin can be found on the Royal Canadian Mint website.
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