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Human RightsAfrican Heritage Month/Black History MonthFebruary is Black History/African Heritage Month
History has often been told by and about those who hold power. Consequently, the contributions and achievements of Black or people of African descent have been largely ignored here in Canada and in other parts of the world. Black History/African Heritage Month, celebrating its 79th year this month, has sought to level this imbalance in historical perspective. It is an annual event that is among those at the forefront of the campaign to reclaim history of the all those who have contributed to the development of our communities and our country. As such, it seeks to reclaim the history of not just Black people and people of African descent, but also the history of the majority. The PSAC reaffirms its commitment to combating racism in the workplace and the union. In honour of this month, we will be posting a special page on our Web site, highlighting throughout the month PSAC Black activists of activist of African descent who have made significant contributions to our union and/or their communities. As Rosemary Sadlier of the Ontario Black History Society writes, “ When the contributions of people of African descent are acknowledged, when the achievements of Black people are known, when Black people are routinely included or affirmed through our curriculum, our books and the media, and treated with equality, then there will no longer be a need for Black History Month.”
The Coalition of Black Trade Unionists To many Black workers, participation in the labour movement is a significant and effective way to struggle for economic, social and political equality in North America . However, Black workers realize that, to be really effective in this endeavour, the labour movement also has to change from within. This is what was in the minds of five Black union leaders in the U.S. who saw a need for a vehicle and a voice for Black workers and workers of colour in the labour movement. This need was prompted by their disappointment with the neutral position that the AFL-CIO Executive Council had taken during the 1972 presidential election between Richard Nixon and George McGovern. Black workers clearly could not be neutral toward Nixon, who had won the 1968 presidential election using the “Southern Strategy,” a plan to win over conservative white voters in southern states by advocating “states' rights” and “law-and-order” in the face of the burgeoning civil rights movement. The five Black union leaders spearheaded the formation of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU), which had its founding conference in September 1972. The convention entrenched a statement of purpose to call for more Black leadership in local unions and to increase Black and female representation on the AFL-CIO Executive Council. The Coalition has held conventions annually, including a women's conference as a regular event, and is the first labour organization to adopt and act on resolutions regarding South Africa , Namibia and Zimbabwe . Now, more than 50 international and national unions are represented in the Coalition, with 57 chapters in the U.S. and one in Canada. The chapter in Canada , specifically in Ontario , applied for chapter charter in 1996. However, the Coalition in Canada was born out of a struggle for more than 10 years by labour activists to put issues of racism and discrimination higher on labour's agenda. It launched a concerted effort calling for affirmative action seats for racially visible activists on the boards of the Canadian Labour Congress and the Ontario Federation of Labour. At the 1987 OFL Convention, delegates elected Herman Stewart of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union as the first person of colour to the provincial labour organization. Soon after, at the 1990 CLC Convention in Montreal , Dory Smith challenged the slate and ended with over a thousand votes. By the next convention, the CLC was considering one seat for a racially visible representative, but the Coalition had been advocating for two seats. In the end, two racially visible representatives were elected on the CLC Board. The Coalition in Canada also challenged the under-representation of Blacks and racially visible peoples on the staff of unions. To highlight this systemic exclusion, the Coalition began a report card on the hiring practices of unions. CBTU's work extends beyond the labour movement and into the broader community. Some of the Ontario chapter's activities, for example, include providing scholarships and educational grants to African-Canadian students. They also honour community activists through an annual awards dinner that is sponsored by unions and labour organizations, including the PSAC. One of the more recent awardees was Bromley Armstrong, a pioneering African-Canadian labour and social activist who was among the leaders in the fight against discrimination in housing and restaurants in the ‘40s and 50s. He also received the Order of Canada for his contribution to Canadian society. CBTU, Ontario , is also one of many African-Canadian community organizations that have formed a coalition to meet directly with the prime minister, Ontario premier and mayor of Toronto to discuss systemic responses to gun violence. Sources and for more information: Ontario Chapter president Janice Gairey
The origin of Black History Month In 1926, U.S. black historian Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week to celebrate the history, contributions and culture of African-Americans. Woodson chose the second week in February for the new festival to link it to the birth dates of black activist Frederick Douglass (February 7, 1817) and President Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809). In 1976, as part of the U.S. bicentennial celebrations, the week was expanded to become National Black History month. In Canada, the first official commemoration of black history was in the early 1950s when the Canadian Negro Women's Association successfully lobbied the Toronto city council to celebrate the Negro History Week. However, this movement lost momentum over the years, and it was not until the late 1970s that the council, after lobbying from the newly formed Ontario Black History Society, followed the example of the United States and declared that February would be known as Black History Month. Canada-wide recognition followed on December 14, 1995, when Member of Parliament Jean Augustine, the Parliamentary Secretary to then Prime Minister Jean Chr étien , requested and received the unanimous agreement of the House of Commons to the following motion: “That this House take note of the important contribution of black Canadians to the settlement, growth and development of Canada, the diversity of the black community in Canada and its importance to the history of this country, and recognize February as black history month.”
Initiatives undertaken by the PSAC to fight against racial discrimination and racism:
1) The PSAC holds the National Unity Conference, a forum for racialized members to discuss issues pertinent to them approximately every three years. The funding for the next National Unity Conference has been doubled to $300,000. Some Components and Regions also hove events for equity members as well. 2) The PSAC also has encouraged racialized members to organize racially visible action committees, human rights committees, anti-racism committees, etc. in order to provide a forum at the Local and Regional level to discuss issues pertinent to them. The PSAC Triennial Convention passed a resolution that provides funding of $20,000 for these committees and other equity committees. 3) The PSAC has supported anti-racism and employment initiatives for many years. The PSAC has had an anti-racism policy since 1999. The PSAC has advocated the federal government to have a national anti-racism strategy, incorporating employment equity initiatives and anti-racism initiatives. The PSAC has also pushed having a federal anti-racism strategy at various federal government hearings including External Advisory Committee on Embracing Change. In addition, the PSAC presented before the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Racism in Canada in September 2003.
Black PSAC activists or members of African descent
Employed with Human Resources and Skills Development (formerly HRDC) in Amherst, Nova Scotia, Theresa is a member of the CEIU and has been a Local president for the past two years. She has worked in HRDC for 22 years in various positions from a claim prep clerk to an investigation and control officer. She took an active interest in the union after five years in the HRDC and has participated in a number of union courses. Other than being a Local president, Theresa held the first alternate position to the Racially Visible Rep on the Equal Opportunities Committee and was a director with the Atlantic Council serving on the Communication Committee and Health and Safety. Theresa has always been involved in her community, having served on Boards of the YMCA, and the Multicutural Society of Nova Scotia and as a vice-president of N.S. Association of Police Boards, Employment Equity/Race Relations. She was also the first black woman to serve on the municipal council in Amherst. She is also involved in women's issues, regulary participating in International Women's Day activities and Dec 6 th Remembrance in my community. She is currently a member of the Citizen's Advisory Committee with Correctional Services of Canada at the Dorchester Institution and a contact person for Springhill Institution. Her other community involvement includes being the first vice-president of Family & Children's Services and Zonta International Club of Amherst. She has also often done presentations and speaking engagements at elementary and high schools for such events as African Heritage Month and International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (March 21). She was awarded the Commemorative Medal during the Canada 125 th anniversary celebration.
… and in no small measure, given Joe's own involvement in the union since 1994 and the number of positions he's held in the PSAC and the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour. Joe is currently the alternate vice-president representing the PSAC on the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour Executive and has sat on the Federation's Human Rights and Anti-Racism Committee for the past seven years. Now an acting team leader in the Canada Revenue Agency, Joe joined the Federal Public Service in 1991. His interest in employment equity issues was a natural fit for the PSAC and the urging of another PSAC leader, Dave Shaw, got him involved in the union, first as the local third vice-president, then as the first vice-president. Dave was also instrumental in getting him involved in the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour. Then known as the CCRA, Joe's employer awarded him the Award of Excellence for Community Service in 2003 in recognition of his active involvement in the struggle for equality, respect and recognition for people of colour in Nova Scotia. He is the chair of the Cape Breton Black Employment Committee, an organization that identifies, recruits and trains people in the black community for employment opportunities.
“My great uncles and grandfather were unionists,” she says. “My great uncles were members of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters – an all-Black union that really changed the face of working conditions for Blacks in Canada. My Grandfather was a Second World War veteran and a proud union member throughout his career at Massey Ferguson, making farm implements. “We always understood the nature of solidarity and that we need to work together for the benefit of all. I know that in our family, the honour of one has always been the honour of all – so too is the abasement of one, the abasement of all.” Trudy lives in the Northern Region in Yellowknife, is a member of PSAC's Environment Component and has been actively involved in the PSAC since moving to Yellowknife four years ago. She works for Environment Canada as a senior Aboriginal and community programs specialist, monitoring land claims and self-government negotiations and supporting community action on environmental issues. She is the vice-president of her Local and was the interim president for a few months this fall and winter. She is also a PSAC Regional Women's Committee representative, a human rights representative for the Northern Territories Federation of Labour and has been very supportive of labour movement activities. “I became involved because I care about my colleagues and about my workplace,” she says. Trudy keeps busy with community work, sitting as the secretary of the NWT Council of Persons with Disabilities and as member of the 2004 Marathon Committee with the Yellowknife MultiSports Club, of the Northern Youth Abroad Program Working Committee, and of the NWT Human Rights Act coalition. Aside from the labour movement, she is also active in women's issues. She belongs to a Women's Healing Circle and actively supports women's events (Dec. 6 th , Take Back the Night, International Women's Day) among others. She says her mother inspired her activism. Her mother, Robin Samuel, worked for Statistics Canada as a clerk for 35 years and was active in PSAC's National Component. “My Mom stood for what she believed in,” recalls Trudy. “She believed in fairness, equity and making things fun, even when money's tight, rent is due and people are screaming at you. She is an inspiration for me because she took risks. She made us understand that every gain is fought for, that every benefit comes from somewhere and the fact that we're able to live in a peaceful country, get a decent job and make a living wage is because of someone's sacrifice, somewhere down the line. The Labour movement allowed my Mom to use her gifts to make the world a better place, and she did.”
The other activists who inspire him are PSAC member Sister Wilma Findlay and Black-Canadian labour activist Sister Lynn Jones. In fact, these two were instrumental in getting Richard involved in the union, convincing him of the potential of unions to address inequity and human rights issues within the workplace. He is inspired by the two women's committment to justice and fairness. Richard is a policy analyst at the Canadian Grain Commission, and has been involved in the labour movement since 1997 after attending the Canadian Labour Congress' CLC Workers of Colour and Aboriginal Workers Conference in Montreal. His PSAC involvement includes being the racially visible male representative on the PSAC's Equal Opportunities Committee. He was also a member of the Manitoba Federation of Labour Workers of Colour Caucus and current member of the Winnipeg Human Rights Committee. Outside the labour movement, Richard is involved in anti-racism issues. He is the editor on the board of the Workers of Colour Support network, an advocacy group that takes on individual and system cases of racism within the workplaces in Manitoba, and is the National Secretary on the board of the National Council of Visible Minorities in the Federal Public Service, an advocacy group of People of Colour within the Federal Public Service. He is also a member of the Winnipeg Social Planning Council Anti-Racism sub committee, a group which addresses issues of systemic racism within the City of Winnipeg. Richard has a strong sense of the important contributions of Black activists in the labour movement. “The first successful break from Euro-colonial rule was fought and won by the people of Haiti in 1804,” he says. “They were predominantly Black people who had been enslaved by the Spanish, French and British. Haitians started a process that rolled into the French and American revolutions, basically fighting for the rights for workers to enjoy the fruits of their labour.”
Black activists are seen as role models and motivators, according to Olive, and cites long-time black labour activist Lynn Jones as an example. She says she has been a role model for a number of racially visible people who now participate in their union and has also been a motivator. Olive also names Rosemary Brown as a being a great motivator for a number of black women including herself. Employed with Public Works and Government Services in Nova Scotia, Olive is currently working on a special project for the Coast Guard around lighthouses. She has been involved with the PSAC and the Government Services Union Component since 1991, after having been deeply affected and motivated by the 1991 PSAC strike. She is a member of the Anti-racism Committee and the Regional Women's Committee. She has been a component representative and has participated in various PSAC Conferences, including National Women's Conferences, Regional Women's Conferences and the Unity Conference. She is also active in her Local executive and the Local's Fund Raising Program and Christmas family program, where they sponsor a family for Christmas. In the community, Olive is involved in her church, food bank drives and collecting for women's and men's shelter.
Pansy is a preservation clerk in the Department of National Defence in Ottawa and has been involved with the PSAC since 1979. She is a member of the board of directors of the Association of Public Service Alliance Retirees, a former member of PSAC's Racially Visible Action Committee, a former president and representative of UNDE Uplands Local 70611. As a community activist, Pansy concerns herself mainly with disabilities issues as a member of the board of directors of the Ontario Coalition for Persons with Disabilities and a volunteer for the Special Olympics. She also runs a two hour program every Friday for disabled youth. Her activism is inspired by Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.
A former member of the PSAC National Component, Dorothy is now with the the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) following a promotion to a position outside of the bargaining unit. However, as a PSAC member, she was one of the founding members of the Racially Visible Action Committee in the National Capital Region, the first regionally based equity group in the PSAC. She also served as a Chair of the Committee for many years. She served for a number of years as the Equal Opportunities Officer for Treasury Board locals for her union component. She was a member of her Local Executive for many years and held several local positions and has actively supported her Local for 22 years. Originally from Jamaica and of African-Caribbean heritage, Dorothy has a long history of work with the Jamaican Canadian community and with a wide range of church and community groups in the National Capital Region.
But apart from health and safety, Romeo also immerses himself in equity issues in the workplace and in his community. In fact, he names PSAC member Ranjit Perera as his inspiration to become active in this issue. Ranjit won a federal court victory in 2001 against Canada International Development Agency's (CIDA) for racial discrimination in the workplace. “Ranjit had mountains to climb,” says Romeo, who is also an Employment Equity Representative in PSAC. “I now realize that we need more Ranjits in the workplace, and I will strive to follow his example.” Romeo's other union involvement has included being a PSAC facilitator, including during the 2003 PSAC National Unity Conference; facilitating Fall School and Local training; and being the current London Area Council President. He is also currently involved in PSAC's organizing campaign of the Commissionaires in Windsor. In the community, he is very involved with the Urban Alliance of London, an umbrella organization for all visible minority groups in London which started a Diversity day event in the workplace. He is also involved in his community church. Joan Schroeder has always been a strong union supporter but became more directly involved in the PSAC about a year ago after she took some union courses and became a shop steward. “I decided to become more involved after our last round of collective bargaining,” says the Union of Postal Communications Employee Component member. “I participated in Labour action and saw the need in our area for more union representation. I felt I had a good understanding of the problems experienced by my colleagues and felt that I could contribute by providing a voice for all members.” Joan works for Canada Post as a Customer Service Representative at Customer Contact Centre in Winnipeg. She is currently the president of her Local for Manitoba and Northwest Ontario and participates in all Joint Health & Safety meetings. She is the PSAC representative on the Workers of Colour Caucus and sits as secretary of the group. She formerly held the positions of Health and Safety Committee representative and Shop Steward. Outside the union, Joan is involved in doing volunteer work for an organization which provides aid, emergency assistance and services to people in developing countries. She believes that Black activists have contributed in the labour movement by giving voice to people of colour and by serving as role models.
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PSAC, in the spirit of solidarity in struggle, take this opportunity
to recognize the important sacrifices and contributions of Black
people and people of African descent to the development of Canada
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