Black History Month in Canada | MyConsultant

Black History Month in Canada

February is Black History Month around the world. In Canada, the theme for Black History Month is “Canadians of African Descent: Going forward, guided by the past.”

Canadian heritage has been shaped by people of African descent; many settled in Canada after the American Revolution. The history of slavery in the US is well-known, thanks in part to efforts like Black History Month. Fewer people know that African people were once enslaved in Canada as well. Those who fought enslavement have helped create the more inclusive Canada we know today.

Black History Month is an opportunity to become more educated about this history. It is also a time to honour the important contributions black Canadians have made to Canada’s development.

African American historian Carter G. Woodson proposed a time to reflect on Black History in the U.S. in 1926. In the 1970s, it became Black History Week, then Black History Month in 1976. In Canada, the House of Commons officiated the holiday in 1995, after the Honourable Jean Augustine was elected to Parliament. She was the first black Canadian woman in Parliament.

Source: canada.ca 

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