Eleanor Collins aka “The First Lady of Canadian Jazz” was born Elnora Ruth Proctor on November 21, 1919, in Edmonton, Alberta. Her parents were part of the migration of Black settlers from Oklahoma who responded to the Canadian government’s promotion to settle in the prairies in 1910.
In 1948 there was a petition to keep Eleanor’s family out of a white neighbourhood in Burnaby, BC. Rather than let the wall of racism divide her from the community, she used her gift of music to build a bridge amongst the people.