Have you ever thought about how little time it takes for people to be lost to history?

By all accounts, Prince George’s own Inga Hensina Andersen was not only a star but a virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of everything that she did. She didn’t just break ground, but she did it with grace, poise, charisma, and style. In the words of one critic:

“Miss Andersen isn’t a star, she’s a whole constellation”.

After opening the Inga Andersen School of Dance at only age 16, Inga left Prince George in 1930 to make it big in Hollywood. She became an actress and solo dancer/choreographer for the world-famous Albertina Rasch dancers, which saw her tour the world. She also starred in BBC radio dramas and performed as a cabaret artist in upscale nightclubs in England, France, and Italy.

Her talents even took her to the front lines of World War II, where she performed for troops in bombed-out buildings, earning the nickname Blackout Girl. Without the aid of microphones, she captivated soldiers with her voice and stage presence, becoming one of the first performers to boost morale at the war’s onset.

How could such a woman—once the toast of London, New York, and Paris—be forgotten? The answer remains a mystery. But by the end of this exhibition, there’s no doubt you’ll know who Inga Andersen is and why her legacy deserves to shine once more.

Developed by the BC Black History Awareness Society in partnership with the Royal BC Museum, this exhibit tells the story of Afro-diasporic “British Columbia” history, past, present and future. Black “British Columbian” history has long been whitewashed in the annals of colonial history. Against the backdrop of white-centring walls, this exhibit daylights the living and ongoing history of Black belonging, told in this manner by the Black community for the first time.

Written, told, and designed by Black voices, this exhibition reclaims and retells the complicated history of stolen people on stolen land, and how the contributions of Black leaders echo across the centuries into the present.

Central to this narrative are the seldom-told stories of Black women such as Sylvia Stark, who was born an enslaved person in Missouri, taught herself to read by secretly listening to her master’s children’s lessons, and eventually became a pillar of the Black pioneer community on Salt Spring Island. Her daughter Emma Stark became the first Black teacher on Vancouver Island.

The exhibition features audio recordings of Black British Columbians calling in from around the province to lend their voices to this history, and—with a focus on decolonization—it also features artwork by young Black artists speaking to the history of the Hogan’s Alley community in Vancouver, BC.

Visit the BC Black History Awareness Society website.