Black History Month
February 1 - February 28
Celebrating February as Black History Month has become a powerful tradition in North America. Canadians have been officially recognizing it on a national level since 1995. Important groundwork laid by the Ontario Black History Society and strong community support enabled the Honourable Jean Augustine, the first Black woman elected to Parliament, to successfully champion the motion in the House of Commons.
Jean Augustine identified February as Canada’s Black History Month to align with the United States, where the February birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and former slave and anti-slavery activist Frederick Douglass provided the original rationale for its timing. However, Augustine distinguishes Canada’s national celebration, describing it as an opportunity to recognize the excellence of Black Canadians in all fields as well as individuals of African descent who, historically and today, have emerged “as contributors, as builders, as participants, as collaborators in Canadian society.” Augustine also underscores the essential role that active self-reflection plays in Canada’s Black History Month. It offers a time, she noted in a 2021 interview, “for all of us to examine our own prejudices, to examine our relationships, to ask ourselves, ‘are we allies to ensuring that others are full participants … in the workplace, in … ceremonies, and everything that happens in … [Canadian] society?’
Visit the Anti Racism and Cultural Diversity Office’s website For a full list of Black History events across University of Toronto.