In December 1995, the Parliament of Canada officially recognized February as Black History Month, following a motion introduced by the first Black Canadian Woman elected to Parliament, the Honourable Jean Augustine, M.P. of Etobicoke-Lakeshore, who at the time was Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister. The motion was carried unanimously by the House of Commons.
The 2011 Census reported that 16.4% of the population in Ontario self-identified as Black, making them this Province’s third largest visible minority group, of whom 397,175 live in Toronto.
In Ontario, the black community worked to improve the status of racial minorities from the earliest period of settlement. The 20th century saw an organized effort to eliminate discrimination in hiring and terms of employment for black citizens. In 1944 the government of Ontario responded to changes in public attitudes by passing the first anti-discrimination legislation in Canada, the Racial Discrimination Act. This Act explicitly declared that racial and religious discrimination would not be tolerated. The Act was designed to combat the once prevalent discriminatory signs that were displayed in store windows, beaches and other public places.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission was created in 1961. Its function was to administer the Ontario Human Rights Code which was enacted in 1962. It was the first legislation of its kind in Canada and protects the people of Ontario against discrimination in employment, accommodation, goods, services and facilities, and membership in vocational associations and trade unions.
Local 79 is dedicating Black History Month this year to our Local 79 Sister, Muriel Collins, who passed away in November 2013. She was known as a woman who conducted herself with quiet dignity and a powerful sense of purpose. In 1989, the Toronto YWCA named her as a “Woman of Distinction,” and when the co-op housing project on Lombard Street that Local 79 initiated was opened in 1995, it was named the “Muriel Collins Housing Co-op” in tribute to her character and accomplishments. She retired in 1998, and the following year was named to the honour roll of the Ontario Federation of Labour, with an OFL student scholarship bearing her name.We honour her memory by continuing her struggle to serve our fellow human beings and bring respect and justice to all.
In Canada, Black History Month celebrates the many achievements and contributions of Black Canadians, past and present. The celebrations honour the legacy of some of the many individuals who have helped to make Canada such a culturally diverse, compassionate and prosperous country including:
The Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander
Bromley Armstrong
Donovan Bailey
Rosemary Brown
Senator Anne Clare Cools
William Hall
Josiah Henson
Ferguson Arthur Jenkins
Sam Langford
Michael Lee-Chin
James Mink
Oscar Peterson
Mary Ann Shadd
Bruny Surin
Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré
Portia White