Close Alert Banner
Skip to Content

FR

Contact Us

Resource Toolkit

Meeting Place

Member Directory

My Profile

Sign Out

Become a Member

Sign In

N4 Logo

Contact Us
  • About Us
    • Advisory Committee
    • Our Team
    • Partnerships
    • Testimonials
    • Disclaimer and Terms of Use
    • Media Relations
    • Reports
  • Our Network
    • Member Benefits
    • CoP - Community of Practice
    • SME - Subject-matter expert
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Our Tools
    • Afghan Resettlement Toolkit
    • Ukrainian Refugee Toolkit
    • Employer Toolkit for IEHPs
    • Interpretation - Position Paper
    • Community of Practice Guidebook
    • Data Tool
    • Public Data
    • Mobile App
    • Resource Toolkit
  • IEHPs
    • CoP Working Groups
    • e-Learning, Resources, Webinars
    • Employer Toolkit for IEHPs
    • IEHPs Conversation Café
    • IEHPs News
    • N4 / SPU IEHPs Online Program
    • Navigator Services for IEHPs
    • Training, Bridging Programs
    • Steering Committee
  • Education
    • e-Learning
    • Webinars
    • Professional Development
    • N4/SPU IEHPs Online Program
    • N4/SPU Newcomer Online Program
    • N4/SPU Newcomer Cohorts
    • N4/SPU IEHPs Cohorts
  • Data
    • Public Data
    • Data Tool
  • News & Events
    • All
    • Featured Members
    • Featured Organizations
    • Events Calendar
    • N4 Newsletter
    • N4 in the News
    • N4 Conferences
    • Conference Contributions
HomeNews & EventsAll

Black History Month – It’s Beginning’s

  • Open new window to share this page via Facebook Facebook
  • Open new window to share this page via Twitter Twitter
  • Open new window to share this page via Pinterest Pinterest
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Email this page Email
Email icon Back to Search
Large list of Black Slaves -Canadian Museum

February, the shortest month of the year, a month so unique in that it boasts 29 full days once every four years, yet it is a month that holds a special honour in the year as it hosts the legacy and ongoing contributions of people of Black heritage, across history. This is, unsurprisingly, perhaps more poignant than ever this year with the events surrounding the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests that sought to draw attention to persistent racial inequality and police brutality. Racial inequality plays no small part in why Black History Month is necessary, because the contributions of black people have often gone ignored or uncredited in both schools and common culture.

Black History Month celebrates the achievements of black people, both historical and contemporary. Dr. Kizzmekia Corbet, for example, a black female researcher, has been at the forefront of creating and testing a COVID-19 vaccine already used to inoculate more than 6.5 million Americans. Her influential position in an environment that has been hostile towards black people in the past is a further sign of change—perhaps not a sign our society has achieved true equality, but still far more equal than just decades ago.

Originally beginning in the United States as a Negro History Week in 1926, it was started by Carter G. Woodson, the historian who pioneered the field of African American studies. The month of February was chosen because it was the birth month of both Abraham Lincoln and African America author, abolitionist, and orator Fredrick Douglas. Black History Month was federally recognized in Canada in 1995 in a motion proposed by the Honourable Jean Augustine, the first black woman elected to Parliament in Canada.

Black History month was and still remains a response to inequality in academia and culture, an attempt bring attention to the important contributions of black people in history that so often go overlooked. And perhaps we still have a long way to go, but taking the time to spread awareness and celebrate the great accomplishments already there is important as well.

 

Katelyn Scaife
Carleton University Student

 

0 Likes

Comments

Login to Post a Comment

x

Login to Post a Comment

Make sure to log out of your current account before proceeding.

Login with Google Login with Facebook

No login? Please enter your details below to continue.

Email iconSubscribe to Blog

News & Events
    • All
      Toggle Section All Menu
      • Subscribe
    • Featured Members
    • Featured Organizations
    • Events Calendar
    • N4 Newsletter
    • N4 in the News
    • N4 Conferences
    • Conference Contributions

Contact Us

Subscribe to this page

National Newcomer Navigation Network Logo

IRCC - Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada logo

  • About Us
  • News
  • Events
  • FAQ
  • Become a Member
  • Our Network
  • Webinars
  • QuickLinks
  • Sign In

Newsletter

Sign Up Today

Stay Connected

View our Instagram Page View our YouTube Channel View our Facebook Page View our Twitter Page View our LinkedIn Page Subscribe to our IEHPs RSS

Contact Us

Get in Touch

Mobile App

Download on the App Store

Get it on Google Play

Copyright 2023

Designed by eSolutions

Supported by CHEO

  • Sitemap
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer and Terms of Use
  • Feedback
Close Old Browser Notification
Browser Compatibility Notification
It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.