Black History Month in Canada

Black History Month is a time to honour and amplify the voices of Black Canadians, while celebrating their achievements and lasting contributions to our country.

👉 For more than four centuries, Black communities have helped shape Canada’s identity beginning with Mathieu Da Costa, a navigator and interpreter whose presence in Canada dates back to the early 1600s.

Yet, much of this history has long been overlooked.

ℹ️ Few Canadians are taught that:
• some of the Loyalists who settled in the Maritimes after the American Revolution were people of African descent
• Black soldiers made significant sacrifices as early as the War of 1812
• people of African descent were once enslaved in what is now Canada
• those who resisted enslavement helped lay the foundations of today’s diverse and inclusive society

✨ Black History Month is an opportunity to learn these Canadian stories and to recognize the many ways Black Canadians and their communities continue to strengthen our culture, compassion, and prosperity.

✔️ A brief history of recognition in Canada
• 1978 – The Ontario Black History Society (OBHS) is founded
• 1979 – Toronto issues Canada’s first proclamation of Black History Month
• 1988 – Nova Scotia observes its first Black History Month (renamed African Heritage Month in 1996)
• 1995 – February is officially recognized as Black History Month in Canada after a motion introduced by Dr. Jean Augustine, the first Black Canadian woman elected to Parliament
• 2008 – The Senate unanimously adopts a motion recognizing Black Canadians’ contributions, introduced by Senator Donald Oliver

Black History Month reminds us that Black history is not a separate story it is an essential part of the Canadian story.