Black History Month: More Than Just A Celebration
Written by Murphy Browne
February is African History Month/African Heritage Month/Black History Month in Canada. During this month, schools, business places and community organizations usually plan at least one activity to acknowledge the history and culture of Africans. Often these events are used as an excuse to display African attire, sample African food, music and dance. However more should be done to ensure that Black history events are more than just entertainment but a way of educating Canadians about the history and contributions of Blacks/Africans in Canada.
Black/African history in Canada did not begin with slavery. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, Mathieu DaCosta is recognized as the first African to arrive in Canada (1607). He was an interpreter for the French with the Mi’kmaq people. He was as part of the expedition of Pierre Dugua, the Sieur de Monts, and Samuel de Champlain that travelled from France. Most Africans in the Diaspora, however, are the descendants of enslaved Africans unless both of their parents are immigrants from the African continent.
The first enslaved African documented in Canada was a six-year-old child who was kidnapped from the African continent and sold by a British pirate to a French colonizer in Quebec in 1628. The child was given the name Olivier Le Jeune by the people who bought and enslaved him. That was a practice carried out by members of every European tribe that enslaved Africans, including English, Danes, Dutch, French, Irish, Portuguese, Scottish, Spanish and Welsh. Africans in the Diaspora were stripped of their names and renamed by their enslavers. That is why many of us have European names.
Although African Canadians have been actively involved in every armed conflict in Canadian history there is no recognition of this fact. For example during World War 1, after suffering enormous casualties among white men, the Canadian military eventually began to include large numbers of African Canadian recruits. These men served in a segregated Africa Canadian battalion under the leadership of white officers. Yet on Remembrance Day, when there are images of those who are remembered, praised and honoured, there is usually no images or mention of Black soldiers fought and gave their life, such as the Black Battalion that served Canada from 1916 to
1920.
In 2023, any Black History event in our schools or the places where we are employed should be an opportunity to learn about the history of Africans in Canada and at the very least, should include a display of books and informative posters.
February is African History Month/African Heritage Month/Black History Month in Canada. During this month, schools, business places and community organizations usually plan at least one activity to acknowledge the history and culture of Africans. Often these events are used as an excuse to display African attire, sample African food, music and dance. However more should be done to ensure that Black history events are more than just entertainment but a way of educating Canadians about the history and contributions of Blacks/Africans in Canada.
Black/African history in Canada did not begin with slavery. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, Mathieu DaCosta is recognized as the first African to arrive in Canada (1607). He was an interpreter for the French with the Mi’kmaq people. He was as part of the expedition of Pierre Dugua, the Sieur de Monts, and Samuel de Champlain that travelled from France. Most Africans in the Diaspora, however, are the descendants of enslaved Africans unless both of their parents are immigrants from the African continent.
The first enslaved African documented in Canada was a six-year-old child who was kidnapped from the African continent and sold by a British pirate to a French colonizer in Quebec in 1628. The child was given the name Olivier Le Jeune by the people who bought and enslaved him. That was a practice carried out by members of every European tribe that enslaved Africans, including English, Danes, Dutch, French, Irish, Portuguese, Scottish, Spanish and Welsh. Africans in the Diaspora were stripped of their names and renamed by their enslavers. That is why many of us have European names.
Although African Canadians have been actively involved in every armed conflict in Canadian history there is no recognition of this fact. For example during World War 1, after suffering enormous casualties among white men, the Canadian military eventually began to include large numbers of African Canadian recruits. These men served in a segregated Africa Canadian battalion under the leadership of white officers. Yet on Remembrance Day, when there are images of those who are remembered, praised and honoured, there is usually no images or mention of Black soldiers fought and gave their life, such as the Black Battalion that served Canada from 1916 to
1920.
In 2023, any Black History event in our schools or the places where we are employed should be an opportunity to learn about the history of Africans in Canada and at the very least, should include a display of books and informative posters.
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