February is Black History Month in Canada. Come down to your School Library to find out more as we celebrate and learn about Black Canadians. We will also look at Black History from the perspective of African-Americans, and the African Diaspora around the globe.
Lincoln Alexander was born on this day in 1922 in Toronto. He would go on to become Lt. Governor of Ontario.
Mr. Alexander was the son of immigrants from Jamaica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. He would grow up in Toronto, serve in the RCAF during World War Two, earn degrees from McMaster University and York University, and eventually go on to practice law. In the 1960’s he entered politics, and in 1968 was elected to the House of Commons, the first Black Canadian to become a Member of Parliament. He would later become the first Black Canadian to become a Cabinet Minister, serving in the brief Joe Clark government of 1979. In 1985 Lincoln Alexander became the Lt. Governor of Ontario, a post he held until 1991, again the first Black Canadian to hold a vice-regal position. Mr. Alexander died in 2012. In 2015 the government of Canada established January 21 as Lincoln Alexander Day.
Find out more:
Learn more about the history of Black Canadians in our province. “The British Columbia Black History Awareness Society (BCBHAS) celebrates the achievements of Black people in British Columbia by creating an awareness of the history of Blacks in B.C., stimulating interest in the contributions of persons of African ancestry to B.C. and Canada today, and celebrating historical and contemporary achievements in the arts, education, government, sports, science etc.” BC Black History Awareness Society.
Visit the virtual museum exhibit: British Columbia’s Black Pioneers: Their Industry and Character Influenced the Vision of Canada
February is Black History Month in Canada. Come down to your school library to learn more about black history in Canada, the African-American experience in the US, and the African Diaspora around the world.
Come down to visit us in person at your School Library– and check back on this site– for more information about Black History in Canada.
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library 
