The Government of Canada officially celebrated Black History Month in February 1996 for the first time, thanks to the Honourable Jean Augustine who successfully passed a motion in the House of Commons to have February recognized as Black History Month.
“I was so proud when the House of Commons unanimously passed the motion I introduced,” said Ms. Augustine. “We’ve seen a lot of changes over the years as a result of a simple motion to recognize February as Black History Month – Black history is now taught in classrooms as part of the curriculum, and it’s also talked about more and more by young people and in the media.”
In addition to making Black History Month an official national celebration, Ms. Augustine made history by becoming the first Black woman to be elected to the House of Commons, and later the first Black woman to serve in Cabinet, as Minister of State for Multiculturalism and Status of Women.
Her journey into politics as a woman of colour wasn’t without a struggle. Ms. Augustine, who was born in Happy Hill, Grenada in 1937, lost her father when she was just nine months old.
