Donna Coombs-Montrose

Donna Coombs-Montrose is a Community Activist and History Advocate who has resided in Edmonton, Alberta for over 25 years.  Since coming to Edmonton she has served on the board of CARIWEST – Western Carnival Development Association – from 1999-2017, including the last 10 years as its President. Her core intent was to raise the contributions of Caribbean immigrants to building this society.  She has also served as founding member of the Alberta Labour History Institute (ALHI) from 1999 and continues to serve as a Director.  Her passion for documenting oral histories – the narratives that fuel communities – has resulted in scores of interviews of African-American pioneers, African-Canadians, diaspora residents, community members on the ground of transforming society in health, labour, education, professional occupations, culture being included in ALHI’s online sites at albertalabourhistory.org/blackcommunities.  

Coombs-Montrose is also a Founding Member of the Caribbean Women Network, an Elder to CCACH (Council of Canadians of Caribbean and African Heritage) which is devoted to tutoring and programming for diaspora students grades 1-12, an active member of Congress of Black Women, WAWT (When African Women Talk) CURC (Council of Union Retirees of Canada) and several other organizations.  She has contributed to the ECAMP Virtual Museum “And Still I Rise: A Blace Presence in Alberta, Late 1800s to 1970s, The Jasper Place Project (jasperplacehistory.org), West Indian Diary and other community projects.  Book chapters in several edited volumes also bear her name.

The recipient of a Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Medal in 2022, Donna Coombs-Montrose is currently serving as Historian Laureate for the City of Edmonton for the 2024-2026 term and sits on the Board of the Edmonton Historical Council.