Black History Month celebrates the rich contributions that people of African and Caribbean descent have made in our society, and their ongoing struggle for equity and social justice.
TLDSB is committed to educating our students about the heritage, culture, and contributions of Black Canadians, past and present. Teachers have the opportunity to engage their students, not only during this month but throughout the school year, to recognizing the strengths and resiliency of communities that historically have been marginalized, as well as examining issues of racism and the impact of discrimination on these communities.
In December 1995, Parliament officially recognized February as Black History Month in Canada following a motion introduced by the first Black Canadian woman elected to Parliament, the Honourable Jean Augustine, who at the time was Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister. The motion was carried unanimously by the House of Commons.
The theme for Black History Month 2022 is February and Forever: Celebrating Black History today and every day. Throughout the month, follow our social media channels for more resources and profiles of Black Canadians who contributed to the settlement, growth, and development of Canada.
Resources
- February is Black History Month – links and a digital toolkit from the Government of Canada.
- Black History Canada
- Black History In Canada – Education Guide
- 28 Picture Books That Celebrate #BlackJoy
- 28 Black Picture Books that aren’t about Boycotts, Buses or Basketball
- The Honourable Jean Augustine
- CBC Radio-Canada’s Black History Month – portraits of Black Canadians.
- Kayak magazine’s Black History Month issue
- Black Lives Canada Syllabus – a collection of resources to help illuminate the context of Black life and history in Canada.
- 365 Days and Ways to Celebrate Remarkable Black Canadians – an Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario resource.
- Black History Month 2021: Amazing Inventors and Inventions
- Sankofa Black History Collection – Grade 4-8 literary resource representing the African Canadian experience.
- Films about Black communities in Canada
- Historica Canada – the contribution of black soldiers in the War of 1812.
- Canadian Heritage Educational Resources
- Black Strathcona – 10 videos with a study guide that brings alive Vancouver’s first and only black neighbourhood from the early 1900s-1960s.
- Emancipation Festival – early Black Canadian history.
- Recommended Black History Month reads and the Social Justice and Diversity Book Bank from the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.
- Heritage Trust Ontario: From Slavery to Freedom and Recommended Reading
- The Book of Negroes – miniseries and teacher guides.
- The Harriet Tubman Institute
- Teaching African-Canadian History
- Poems, articles, and podcasts that explore African American history and culture
- African-American- Zinn Education Project – teaching Activity PDF by Bill Bigelow.
