February is Black History Month

Every February, people across Canada participate in Black History Month events and festivities that honour the legacy of Black people in Canada and their communities.

The 2023 theme for Black History Month is: “Ours to tell”. This theme represents both an opportunity to engage in open dialogue and a commitment to learning more about the stories Black communities in Canada have to tell about their histories, successes, sacrifices and triumphs.

No matter where you live, we invite all Canadians to learn more about these communities, and how they continue to help shape Canadian history.

Description: By the numbers: Black History Month 2022

Black History Month is an opportunity to highlight the contributions and accomplishments of Black Canadians and their communities, today and every day.

A positive outlook

Among Canada’s Black population, 76% of immigrants and 85% of non-immigrants felt that their life opportunities would improve within the next five years. Among the rest of the population, these proportions were significantly lower (57% and 46% respectively).

Source: Statistics Canada, General Social Survey – Canadians at Work and Home, 2016.

Fighting COVID-19 on the front lines

In 2016, one-third of female Black workers aged 25 to 59 in Canada worked in the health care and social assistance sector. No other sector has such high proportions of female Black workers.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2016 Census of Population.

More likely to hold a bachelor’s degree or higher

In 2021, Black Canadians in the core age group (25 to 54 years) were more likely to hold a bachelor’s degree or higher (41.1%) than people in the same age group who did not belong to a visible minority and were not Indigenous (34.2%).

Source: Statistics Canada. Labour Force Survey Supplement, custom tabulation.

Contributions to the scientific community

In 2016, 71,365 Black Canadians 25 years and older had a postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Source: Statistics Canada. Table 37-10-0171-01 Postsecondary qualification holders aged 25 years and over by highest certificate, diploma or degree, STEM and BHASE (non-STEM) groupings for a major field of study, sex and selected demographic characteristics.

From the StatsCan website go to the link here

Minister Gould announces funding for over 500 capacity-building projects under the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative

News release

February 17, 2023 Scarborough, Ontario Employment and Social Development Canada

In Canada, diversity is our strength. The Government of Canada is investing in initiatives that celebrate the stories and contributions of Black Canadians while acknowledging the unique challenges they face.

Under the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative (SBCCI), the Government of Canada is supporting Black-‑led and Black ‑serving community-based organizations across the country by bringing decision-making closer to Black communities to better meet their needs and priorities.

Today, Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, announced $31.4 million in funding for the Black-led national funders network, which includes Tropicana Community Services, Africa Centre, Black Business Initiative and Groupe 3737. Together, the SBCCI national funders network will allocate the funds to over 500 capacity-building projects aimed at empowering Black-led community-based organizations across Canada. With this additional funding, the national funders will have collectively awarded up to $50 million in grants to 939 projects. A full list of projects will be available on the national funders’ websites in spring 2023.

By working in collaboration with the national funders network, the Government of Canada is ensuring that its investments respond to the needs of Black communities in Canada.

Quotes

“The Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative was created to work alongside Black communities to build the capacity of Black-led and Black-serving community-based organizations and support the important work they do to promote inclusiveness. This initiative also aims to address the systemic barriers and challenges, including anti-Black racism, faced by Black Canadians. By working with the SBCCI national funders network, we’re ensuring investment decisions are made by Black communities for Black communities.”

– Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

“The Black National Funders Network continues to make history as we make this announcement of additional funding for the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative (SBCCI), this Black History Month,” said Raymund Guiste, Executive Director, Tropicana Community Service Organization. “This new funding from Employment and Social Development Canada will help further the work that Black community organizations are doing to enhance their capacities, and directly impact the work they do to serve the community.”

– Raymund Guiste, Executive Director, Tropicana Community Services

“BBI is proud to be one of the four Black National Funders Intermediaries Network administering the SBCCI Capacity Building Grant, proud to be a part of this effort and is excited about the impact it is having. We recognize and thank ESDC for the impact of the SBCCI Capacity Building Grant in which goes far beyond financial support. It’s about investing in Black voices, Black leadership, and Black excellence. The impact of this funding has been and will continue to be significant. Black led and black not for profit organizations have the potential to uplift and empower the Black community, providing vital services and advocating for systemic change”

– Rustum Southwell, CEO of the Black Business Initiative

“Capacity building requires an eco-systemic approach involving partners from different sectors and expertise. It is an immense pleasure to create sustainable impact alongside the Federal government and the National Funder network. We welcome this additional investment by Employment and Social Development Canada that will not only pursue the initial objective of capacity building for black led organisation but will also create impactful and significant growth in African descent communities”

– Louis-Edgar Jean-François, Chief Executive Officer of Groupe 3737

Quick facts

In January 2018, the Prime Minister announced Canada’s official recognition of the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent. To celebrate this recognition, the Government of Canada created the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative (SBCCI) to strengthen the capacity and effectiveness of Black-led and Black-serving organizations.
Since 2019, the Government has made $175 million available through SBCCI to support organizations that promote inclusion and celebrate the contributions of Black and Afro-descendant communities in Canada.
On November 15, 2022, the new members of the SBCCI External Reference Group were announced. The first cohort consists of seven members of African descent from the not-for-profit, education, public and private sectors. The ERG members will work in allyship to support the Minister in ensuring the meaningful implementation of the SBCCI to help build capacity within communities by providing strategic advice, expertise and insight on the emerging priorities of Black Canadians.
As part of the SBCCI, the Government of Canada is also supporting the establishment of a national institute to advance initiatives that address issues affecting Black communities in Canada from a Black-led perspective.

Associated links

Contacts

For media enquiries, please contact:

James Cudmore
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Karina Gould
James.Cudmore@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

Media Relations Office
Employment and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
media@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
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This on on Govt of Canada website go to the link here

Critical work on the next phase of Canada’s Black Justice Strategy begins

News release

February 15, 2023 – Ottawa, Ontario – Department of Justice Canada

Black communities in Canada continue to live with the effects of prejudice, discrimination, and hatred—from unconscious bias to anti-Black hate crimes and violence. These systemic inequalities have resulted in the overrepresentation of Black people in Canada’s criminal justice system, including as victims of crime. To further its work to address these systemic issues, the Government of Canada is working with Black communities to develop Canada’s Black Justice Strategy (the Strategy).

Today, the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada was joined by the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion; the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth; Dr. Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, Associate Professor of the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto; and Zilla Jones, Human Rights Lawyer, to announce the establishment of a Steering Group to lead the next phase of Canada’s Black Justice Strategy.

The nine-member Steering Group will develop a framework for consultations led by Black communities across Canada and work with other experts and community leaders. This work will ensure that the Strategy is grounded in the diverse backgrounds, experiences and regional realities of Black communities across Canada.

The Steering Group members are Dr. Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, Anthony Morgan, Fernando Belton, Mandela Kuet, Moya Teklu, Sandra Muchekeza, Suzanne Taffot, Vanessa Fells, and Zilla Jones. These leaders from across the country will bring their expertise and experiences to this very important work. Dr. Akwasi Owusu-Bempah and Zilla Jones will co-author a final report, providing an overview of the information gathered through consultations and the Steering Group’s recommendations.

The goal of this work is a comprehensive strategy that identifies concrete ways to address both the systemic discrimination and anti-Black racism that exists in Canada’s criminal justice system, as well as actions to reform and modernize the criminal justice system, to ensure that every Canadian has access to fair and just treatment before the law.

Quotes

“Canada’s Black Justice Strategy provides a generational opportunity to promote fairness and justice for Black people in this country. By building on previous work, and drawing on broad perspectives and experiences, the Strategy will advance a comprehensive approach to combatting anti-Black racism in our justice system and beyond. The Strategy will be national in scope, yet attuned to the diversity of our Black populations, and the regional differences that exist in Canada.”

Dr. Akwasi Owusu-Bempah
Canada’s Black Justice Strategy Steering Group Member and Author, and Associate Professor of the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto

“Canada’s Black Justice strategy is a historic acknowledgment by the Government of Canada that systemic anti-Black racism exists in Canada and that it has poisoned our justice system, negatively impacting the integrity of our communities and the futures of our children. This initiative aims to give real meaning to the principles of redress and reconciliation by listening to the voices of grassroots Black communities—those most impacted by inequality in the justice system. It is very significant that we will be hearing from Black communities from coast to coast to coast—all regions, all different parts of the African Diaspora. I am honoured to be able to start this work by listening and connecting, and I am hopeful that the report we create will make a tangible difference in Black lives for generations to come.”

Zilla Jones
Canada’s Black Justice Strategy Steering Group Member and Author, and Human Rights Lawyer

“Our government is committed to fighting systemic discrimination and anti-Black racism in our institutions, which continue to be painful realities for members of Black communities across the country. Developing and implementing Canada’s Black Justice Strategy, in consultation and collaboration with Black communities, will ensure that all Canadians have access to fair and just treatment before the law. I am honoured to be announcing the Steering Group today, and I look forward to seeing their work unfold over the coming months.”

The Honourable David Lametti, P.C., K.C., M.P.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

“In Canada, diversity is a fact, but inclusion is a choice. As we celebrate Black History Month, we also need to acknowledge the social, economic and political barriers Black communities have faced and continue to face because of systemic anti-Black racism and discrimination. Building a more equitable and inclusive country takes hard work and thoughtful engagement, especially when it comes to improving the reality of Black communities across our country. Canada’s Black Justice Strategy’s Steering Group will help guide our government’s work in finding solutions to the disproportionately negative experiences of Canada’s Black communities in the criminal justice system. I thank the steering group for the challenge it is about to take on as we move toward building a more inclusive and equitable Canada where no one is left behind.”

The Honourable Ahmed Hussen,
Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion

“We know that anti-Black racism and systemic inequality have intergenerational effects on Black communities across Canada, which is why we are proud to announce that the work supporting Canada’s Black Justice Strategy is moving ahead. The invaluable advice of the Steering Group will be used to create meaningful change while centring the experiences of Black people in Canada, including women, girls and gender-diverse people to make sure Canada’s justice system is equitable for everyone.”

The Honourable Marci Ien,
Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth

Quick facts

In 2020-21, Black adults (aged 18 years and more), who represented approximately 4% of the adult population in Canada, were consistently overrepresented in provincial admissions to correctional services (custody and community services) across reporting jurisdictions, namely Nova Scotia, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.
The December 2021 mandate letter for the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, the Honorable David Lametti, includes a commitment to developing Canada’s Black Justice Strategy with the support of the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion and in consultation and cooperation with Black communities. The Strategy will help address the systemic discrimination and anti-Black racism that has resulted in the overrepresentation of Black people in Canada’s criminal justice system, including as victims of crime.
The Government of Canada formally endorsed the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015 to 2024) in 2018. The International Decade provides an important framework—organized around three pillars of Recognition, Justice and Development—to address the most pressing issues affecting Black communities around the world, including in Canada. This means taking action on the issues that affect people of African descent in Canada, including improving research and data collection, addressing mental health challenges, systemic discrimination and the overrepresentation of Black people in the criminal justice system.
In August 2016, at the invitation of the Government of Canada, the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent visited Canada on a mission to examine the situation of Black persons in this country. At the conclusion of their mission, the three-member United Nations delegation submitted The 2017 Report of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent on its mission to Canada, presenting recommendations to assist Canada in its efforts to combat all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, Afrophobia and related intolerance. This report motivated the Government of Canada to look for solutions to fundamental issues faced by Black people in Canada concerning systemic racism, and the overrepresentation of Black people in the criminal justice system.

Related products

Mandate and members of the Steering Group for Canada’s Black Justice Strategy

Associated links

Contacts

For more information, media may contact:

Diana Ebadi
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
(343) 574-3446
Diana.Ebadi@justice.gc.ca

Media Relations
Department of Justice Canada
613-957-4207
media@justice.gc.ca

Brittany Hendrych
Office of the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion
brittany-anne.hendrych@infc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819-994-9101
1-866-569-6155
media@pch.gc.ca

Media Relations
Women and Gender Equality Canada
819-420-6530
CFC.Media.SWC@fegc-wage.gc.ca

This on Govt of Canada website go to the link here

Joint statement on Black History Month

Victoria Wednesday, February 1, 2023 7:30 AM

Premier David Eby; Mable Elmore, Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives; and Rachna Singh, Minister of Education and Child Care, have released the following statement in celebration of Black History Month:“February is Black History Month, a time to recognize and honour the contributions of Black Canadians.“Black people have been an integral part of British Columbia for more than 150 years and their contributions have helped shape this province. For example, Emma Stark became the first Black school teacher on Vancouver Island when she was hired to teach in a one-room school in Nanaimo in 1874. Burnaby’s Barbara Howard was the first Black woman to represent Canada in an international competition, participating in track and field in the 1938 British Empire Games in Australia. Seraphim Joseph Fortes is heralded as Vancouver’s Citizen of the Century for saving at least 29 people from drowning and teaching three generations of children to swim while working as a lifeguard in English Bay during the early 1900s.“It’s stories like these that inspire us to learn more about the history of our province and inspire all of us to challenge the status quo and work together to build a more just and equitable society.“At the same time, we can’t ignore the unjust barriers that Black people continue to face in their daily lives. The Province is working to build a more inclusive province for everyone by identifying systemic racism through the Anti-Racism Data Act. We’re also committed to developing an anti-Black racism strategy in partnership with Black communities in recognition of the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent.“To help teachers incorporate more content about Black history and anti-racism into their classrooms, our government has worked with a variety of community groups and education partners to produce a summary of resources that improve the representation of radicalized communities and promote a more comprehensive understanding of anti-racism, human rights, and diverse cultural experiences, histories and contributions.“Please join us in commemorating this month by learning more about the history of Black British Columbians and the many contributions they have made and continue to make. By learning more about the communities that shape our province, we can build a better future for everyone.”

Translations

Black_History_Month_French.pdf

This is from BC Govt website go to the link here

February 1, 2023 Ottawa, Ontario

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on Black History Month:

“As we celebrate the beginning of Black History Month, we reflect on the rich history of Black communities in Canada and commit to building an equitable future for all. This is a time for Canadians to honour the legacy of Black communities from coast to coast to coast and celebrate the contributions they have made across the country. From scientists to artists, from business owners to philanthropists, Canadians from Black communities continue to shape our country each and every day.

“One of the many stories we celebrate this February, as part of this year’s Black History Month theme, ‘Ours to tell’, is that of the Honourable Jean Augustine. Thirty years ago, she made history as the first Black Canadian woman to be elected to the House of Commons and later when she became the first Black Canadian woman to be appointed to the federal Cabinet. Her advocacy led to the national recognition of Black History Month, and she continues to be a beacon of excellence for communities across Canada, and for others to follow in her footsteps. From Jean Augustine to medical pioneers like Dr. June Marion James, athletes turned successful entrepreneurs like Donovan Bailey, scientists and comedians like Boucar Diouf, and artists like Dionne Brand, this year’s Black History Month theme celebrates stories that are worth telling.

“Last year, the Government of Canada committed $1.5 million to support the ongoing activities of the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora at York University, which works to address systemic barriers to improve educational outcomes for Black students. We also provided funding through the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative to support Black community organizations across Canada, while the Black Entrepreneurship Program continues to offer Black-led businesses, organizations, and financial institutions across Canada the financial resources to succeed now and into the future. These investments are key pieces to making sure we’re building an equitable Canada.

“Canada has a history of anti-Black racism, and communities continue to face the impacts of systemic racism today. It is our collective responsibility to end it by listening, learning, and taking action. That is why in 2018, Canada officially recognized the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent, which provides a global framework for recognition, justice, and development for people of African descent. Building on this framework, our government will continue to address the unique challenges that Black communities face.

“We know that more work still needs to be done, and the Government of Canada will continue to support the advancement of Black communities. This includes our ongoing efforts, working closely with provinces, territories, and Black communities, to develop Canada’s Black Justice Strategy, which will help address systemic discrimination and the over-representation of members of Black communities in our criminal justice system. And through Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy, we will continue fighting anti-Black racism, eliminating inequities, empowering communities, and changing attitudes by building awareness.

“This month, I invite everyone to take part in community events for Black History Month, and to listen to and actively share the stories Black communities have to tell. Let’s continue to celebrate their many past and ongoing contributions. Together, we will continue to build a stronger and more resilient country, where all Canadians can succeed, thrive, and have their voices heard.”

This on Justin Trudeau website go to the link here

Celebrating Black History Month: Canadians who have contributed to Paralympic Movement