Each February, people across Canada participate in Black History Month events and celebrations that honour the legacy and contributions of Black people in Canada and their communities.
The 2025 theme for Black History Month is: “Black Legacy and Leadership: Celebrating Canadian History and Uplifting Future Generations.”
This theme acknowledges the diversity of Black Canadians, the importance of Black leadership and the legacy being built for future generations.
The theme underscores that Black Canadians have a rightful place in the nation’s narrative, with over 400 years of historical presence on these Indigenous lands, deserving acknowledgment and celebration.
Black Canadians and their communities have been a part of shaping Canada’s heritage and identity since the arrival of Mathieu Da Costa, a navigator and interpreter whose presence in Canada dates back to the early 1600s.
The role of Black people and their communities in Canada has largely been ignored as a key part of Canada’s history. There is little mention that some of the Loyalists who came here after the American Revolution and settled in the Maritimes were people of African descent, nor the fact that many soldiers of African descent made many sacrifices in wartime as far back as the War of 1812.
Few people in Canada are aware of the fact that African people were once enslaved in the territory that is now known as Canada, or of how those who fought enslavement helped to lay the foundation of Canada’s diverse and inclusive society.
Black History Month is a time to learn more about these Canadian stories and the many other important contributions that Black Canadians and their communities have made to the history and continued growth of this country.