This February, join your union in observing Black History Month.
This year's theme is: Black Legacy and Leadership: Celebrating Canadian History and Uplifting Future Generations.
The first Black History Month was celebrated in Toronto in 1979. In 1995, the House of Commons recognized February as Black History Month.
During Black History Month, we also affirm our commitment to raising awareness about the Black Canadian community’s struggle for equality and justice. Many Black Canadians continue to face barriers to hiring and advancement, profiling while driving or shopping, discrimination at work with Black people making less on average than non-racialized workers.
Other barriers include prejudice and barriers within the education system, being attacked through hate speech and hate crimes. The community also faces unjust profiling and treatment by law enforcement and the justice system.
A recent York University study reported that 90 per cent of Black Canadians believe that racism in the criminal justice system is a serious problem. In a span of 12 months, the Toronto Star reported that more than one in five Black Canadians reported being unfairly stopped by police.
Black people in Canada and North America face threats to their safety, livelihoods and their very life due to racism and prejudice in a way that many people do not.
To learn more, you can enroll in UFCW Canada's special webCampus course: Black Voices Matter.
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