The Evolution of Black History Month in Canada with Dr. Rosemary Sadlier

Recorded audio interview with Dr. Rosemary Sadlier, completed by Blessing Ogunyemi for the Harriet Tubman Institute, York University.

TRANSCRIPT:

Dr. Rosemary Sadlier: Black History Month, let me just go back, was first celebrated in the United States in 1926, came into Canada in the 1950s with the Railway Porters; was first really celebrated within the Black community in the 1950s, hosted by Stanley G. Grizzle, but organized by the Canadian Negro Women’s Association. Then it was celebrated by the Ontario Black History Society, but it tended to be low-key and only within the Black community. By the time I became the President in 1993, we almost lost that celebration, because we didn’t get… we couldn’t have been without having it recognized by the City of Toronto. So, it had been celebrated with the City of Toronto and the Ontario Black History Society since 1979, but it was still relatively low-key.  

So, what I did was amplify that celebration and advocate for it being celebrated annually. Not, you know, if we remembered to get in touch with the city, with the City of Toronto. Then I went to the Province of Ontario. Then I went to many people with the Federal Government, and it didn’t land with Jean Augustine until I approached her directly by chance at an event I was attending. I had, by that time, been building up a community of interest of people who would support Black History Month, and probably had done maybe 2000 or so Black History presentations, or media interviews, or what have yous—it was a busy time. So, the first national celebration, yes, did take place in February 1996, and I was struck by how important it was, and I thought that it would lead to so much. What did come out of that was the creation of something called the Mathieu Da Costa Awards, and unfortunately, that was disbanded after about 10 years, but it was a national art and essay contest, framed… named after honouring the first named free African in this country, who was a contract negotiator, who arrived here about 1604, or so.  

But what I really thought would happen, and the thing that has yet to happen, is that we would have required Black History instruction from kindergarten to grade 12 across this country. And yes, I’m aware, we’re all aware that education is a provincial responsibility, but with this level of encouragement, with a National Black History Month, in addition to all of the provincial Black History months I had been able to secure, I thought that that’s what would happen. It didn’t, and we still need to make sure that happens, because awareness about the long-term presence and contributions of people of African origin to this country are still not quite where they could be. If people think that it’s just, let’s just talk about Black people in February, it’s not enough. I’m Black all year. March 1st, I’m still Black. Every year I’m Black, and on March 1st, and I continue to be Black all year, and I continue to hear about and see about and perhaps experience my own issues related to being a person of African origin who is not seen as having contributed to this country over and over again.