Black History Month 2025

Ever since 1993, February has been Black History Month in Ontario. It is a time to highlight and commemorate the rich legacy of Black people’s achievements and contributions.

On February 25, the Honourable Edith Dumont welcomed students from Ashton Meadows School in Markham to the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite for an event themed “Black Legacy and Leadership: Celebrating Canadian History and Uplifting Future Generations.” These students learned about Lincoln Alexander, Ontario’s first Black lieutenant governor, and engaged with five speakers, all prominent members of the Black community in Ontario.

An informational postcard about Lincoln Alexander that was shared with guests of the event.

Sharing their experiences with the students were Zanana Akande (Canada’s first Black woman cabinet minister at the provincial level), the Honourable Jean Augustine (the first Black Canadian female Member of Parliament and cabinet minister), Arthur Downes (community organizer and former Justice of the Peace), Denham Jolly (Black radio pioneer and philanthropist), and Rosemary Sadlier (historian, activist, and champion of Black History Month) engaged in discussions and told the students about their journeys. Each student was given a copy of Sadlier’s The Kids Book of Black History in Canada. The event was co-hosted by the Children’s Breakfast Clubs, a non-profit organization that provides support for youth in southern Ontario.

Students from Ashton Meadows school listen to Mme Dumont with speakers (from left to right) Jean Augustine, Denham Jolly, Zanana Akande, Arthur Downes, and Rosemary Sadlier.

Mme Dumont participates in a word search game with the children.

On February 23 in Windsor, Mme Dumont attended the annual graduation gala of the Black Diplomats Academy. Organized by Developing Young Leaders of Tomorrow, Today, the program equips young Black professionals with training in international diplomacy. Mme Dumont congratulated the graduates, acknowledged the support of participating diplomats, and commended the program’s efforts to eliminate systemic barriers in this field.

Mme Dumont with graduates of the Black Diplomats Academy

“Lincoln Alexander called education ‘the path to limitless possibility.’ Thank you for choosing this path.

May it take you everywhere you wish to go!”

-The Honourable Edith Dumont, to the graduates of the Black Diplomats Academy

Her Honour visited the Amherstburg Freedom Museum on the east bank of the Detroit River. Founded in 1975, it tells the stories of African-Canadian journeys and contributions by hosting exhibitions and displaying historical artifacts and buildings.

The museum includes a log cabin that once housed the family of formerly enslaved Civil War veteran George Taylor, as well as the Nazrey African Methodist Episcopal Church, a stone chapel that was built in 1848 by Taylor’s fellow Black refugees. The chapel was a terminus of the Underground Railroad; it was also used as a school, to offer the education that its students had been denied. To this day, it continues to bring the community together for special events.

Mme Dumont at the Taylor Log Cabin at the Amherstburg Freedom Museum with interim assistant curator Irene Moore Davis.

Mme Dumont was profoundly moved by the exhibition The Never-Ending Quest for Inclusion, and by the stories she was told by museum staff, some of whom are themselves Underground Railroad descendants. She encourages all Ontarians to visit this museum, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025.

The Amherstburg Freedom Museum is open from Tuesdays through Sundays and accepts pre-booked visits and tours: amherstburgfreedom.org

For more information on the Black Diplomats Academy, please see www.dylott.com/bda-program.

The Kids Book of Black Canadian History is published by Kids Can Press.

More information about the Children’s Breakfast Clubs is available on their website.