Barbara Howard was known as one of the fastest female sprinters in the British Empire and the first black female athlete to represent Canada. She qualified for the 1938 British Empire Games as a 17 year old high school student, running the 100 yard dash in 11.2 seconds, 1/10 of a second faster than the games record. Barbara also won a Silver and Bronze in the 440yd and 660yd relay events with her team at these games.

With the outbreak of WWII and the cancellation of two Olympic Games, Barbara missed the opportunity to compete during her prime.  Barbara attended the University of British Columbia and graduated in 1959.  She became the first member of a visible minority hired by the Vancouver School Board and worked as a Vancouver school teacher until 1984 including 14 years as a Physical Education teacher.