Black History Month: Honouring and remembering Black Canadians

Canada prides itself on being a multicultural country and not a “melting pot.” We do our best to understand, recognize and celebrate all the different cultures that live and work in this country. One way we celebrate is through Black History Month. But how did this celebration come about? Who started it? When? And why?

It began in the United States in 1915, 50 years after the 13^th Amendment was added to the Constitution that officially abolished slavery. The two men who started it all were Carter G. Woodson and Jesse E. Moorland. Woodson was a Harvard trained historian, Moorland was a prominent minister and both were African American. Both saw that the history of the States taught in schools was sorely lacking the contribution of African Americans. Woodson stated, “If race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated.” Together, they founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). This new group dedicated the second week of February as National Negro History Week in 1926; they chose the second week because it held the birthdays of two important men: Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. For those who don’t know who Frederick Douglass was, he was born a slave in 1818 and became a prominent orator and figure for getting slavery abolished.

By the end of the 1960s, Negro History Week turned into Black History Month across many American college campuses mainly because of the Civil Rights Movement gaining tremendous strength, and bringing with it a rising awareness of the African American identity. In 1976, President Gerald Ford officially recognized February as Black History month stating, “[We need to] seize the opportunity to honour the too often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavour throughout our history.” Since then, every American president has claimed February as Black History Month and announced a theme; in 2013, it was “At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality” to celebrate the 150^th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50^th anniversary of the March on Washington.

This awareness spread to other countries. By 1950, Canada was starting to celebrate its Black Canadians with Toronto being the first city to hold such a celebration. Canadian railroad porters saw a growing African American awareness when they travelled to and from the States and brought the idea back with them to Canada. The Canadian Negro Women’s Association of Toronto also hosted events. However, in wasn’t until 1978 when the formation of the Ontario Black History Society (OBHS) occurred and it subsequently petitioned the City of Toronto to announce that February was Black History Month.

In 1993, the first Black woman was appointed as a member of parliament of Etobicoke-Lakeshore, and two years later, the Parliament of Canada officially recognized that February was Black History Month. The OBHS annually holds talks, presentations, heritage advocacy and exhibits for the public in hopes that raising awareness to the contributions of Black Canadians—past and present—will continue to tell a more complete history of Canada. As Rev. Darryl Gray said at the 1999 ceremony honouring Black Canadians who worked as CPR porters, “This is a milestone for us. People of colour in this country are trying to say, ‘This isn’t our history in addition to Canadian history, it is Canadian history.’”

Some Important Black Figures in History

• Viola Desmond: A successful businesswoman whose daring act of sitting in the front of a theatre instead of the sectioned Black area brought forth the inspiration for Black Nova Scotians not to accept racial discrimination. Read our article about Viola Desmond and the new ten dollar bill here.
• Thornton and Lucy Blackburn: The Blackburns were slaves in the States who escaped twice from their Kentucky owner—the first time they went to Detroit, the second to Canada. The Canadian courts refused to send back the Thorntons to the States and subsequently to their slave owner. It signalled to the world that Upper Canada was a safe place for Black slaves.
• William Hall: He was the first Black person to receive the Victoria Cross for his bravery in saving a British garrison in Lucknow, India.
• John Ware: A former slave who settled in Alberta and became one of the most skilled and recognized cowboys in the area. He had two successful ranches before he died in 1905.
• Bessie Coleman: She was the first Black woman to get her pilot’s license. In the early part of the 20^th century, no American flying school would teach her because she was a woman and because she was Black. Therefore, she went to France, received her license in 1921 and became one of the most skilled stunt pilots in the States.

To get to know more prominent Black Canadians check out www.blackhistorycanada.ca