Black History Month, 2011

Black History Month, known also as African Heritage Month, was started in 1926 in the U.S. to recognize the history and accomplishments of African-Americans. In Canada, it began in Toronto in the 1950’s but was not acknowledged nationally until 1995 when parliament recognized February as Black History Month. This year, Black History Month will be celebrated in the context the United Nation’s declaration of 2011 as the International Year for Peoples of African Descent.

Started by U.S. black historian Carter Woodson in 1926, and known originally as Negro History Week, the event aimed affirming the contributions of blacks as well as providing role models for future generations. In 1979, Toronto became the first city in Canada to proclaim Black History Month through the work of such groups as the Ontario Black History Society.

In CEIU, the Human Rights/Race Relations Committee provides an ongoing resource for racialized members to pursue human rights and race relations initiatives. In October 2010, CEIU held its national Human Rights/Race Relations Conference to develop strategies and priorities for the future.

A towering figure in the history of the PSAC was black activist Cal Best. Working at the Department of Labour in 1949, Best co-founded the Civil Service Association of Canada (CSAC), one of the organizations that was to form the PSAC in 1966. Before working in the federal public service, Best had established the first African-Canadian owned newspaper in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.

As part of its International Year for People of African Descent, the United Nations has produced a documentary titled Slave Routes: A Global Vision. It provides an overview of the massive deportation of African populations to different parts of the world and highlights the contributions of the African Diaspora to the host societies across a variety of fields. An online excerpt of the video is available at the UN website.

Despite the growing recognition of contributions made by blacks, there remains much more to be done to end discrimination in the workplace and beyond. A recent reminder came in the case of hockey coach Greg Walsh who was suspended for the year when he took his team off the ice after a racial slur had been thrown at one of his players. Rather than supporting Walsh for his stand against racism, the Ontario Minor Hockey Association took a narrow view of the rule against removing a team from the ice and imposed a suspension. They reversed their position after a major public outcry, but their initial decision is a reminder of the depth of the problem yet to be solved.