Hogan’s Alley featured in Vancouver Police Museum and Archives ‘Hidden Histories’

The Vancouver Police Museum and Archives is kicking off its “Hidden Histories” speaker series Saturday, with a deep dive into the origins of Hogan’s Alley — Vancouver’s historic Black neighbourhood.

“Hogan’s Alley was the unofficial name for the alley that ran through the Strathcona neighborhood in Vancouver,” Museum Executive Director Pamela Roberts explained.

“It was home to Vancouver’s black community, alongside a wider immigrant community…It’s known for like gambling and bootlegging and famous musicians like Jimi Hendrix, but when you dig into the history, it was also home to a lot of hardworking families,” she said.

Roberts says the area has a rich history that deserves to be told.

“It was one of the first places in Vancouver that was settled by European, African, and Asian people, and really, people from all over the world,” Roberts said.

“It really once was quite a thriving business and cultural center, and over the decades, gentrification and lack of housing, and really the displacement of people has had quite a devastating effect on these communities. And as a museum in the Downtown Eastside, [it’s] really interesting just how that impacts today.”

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Author Wayde Compton and historian John Atkin are set to host the event, which will “unravel some of the myths and histories of this neighbourhood and its importance to Black identity 50 years later,” the museum’s website reads.

Roberts says the series will focus on three areas — Hogan’s Alley, Howe Street, and Chinatown — and the displacement of people.

“I think museums have a really important role in raising awareness of some of these more hidden histories and some histories that over time have been erased,” she said.

Roberts says 50 per cent of the ticket sales goes to Hogan’s Alley Society, which will help “support their meaningful community initiatives, including the Hogan’s Alley Memorial Project,” the museum website reads.

“I think it’s really interesting to think about how these histories can impact today, [and] the importance of remembering these histories,” she said.

The event is set to run from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Feb. 18.