In 1995, the House of Commons recognized February as Black History Month. The motion was brought by the Honourable Jean Augustine, the first Black Canadian woman elected to Parliament. In 2008, Senator Donald Oliver, the first Black man appointed to the Senate, brought forward the Motion to Recognize Contributions of Black Canadians and February as Black History Month, which was unanimously adopted.

Black History Month celebrates the many contributions that Black communities have made to the social, cultural, political, and economic fabric of Canada.

The Black History Month 2023 theme, “Black Resistance,” explores how “African Americans have resisted historic and ongoing oppression, in all forms, especially the racial terrorism of lynching, racial pogroms and police killings,” since the nation’s earliest days. . More information about Black History Month can be found at Heritage Canada.

If you are interested in learning more about what is happening in the Black community in Newfoundland and Labrador, please visit Memorial University’s Black Student Association’s Facebook page.