SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Black History Month

Colleagues, I am beyond honoured in this moment to be speaking for the first time as a newly minted senator. As Black History Month draws to a close, I stand before you and join the chorus of senators who have paid tribute to the contributions and excellence of Black Canadians.

My appreciation to the Algonquin and Anishinaabe peoples, who have lived in and cared for this unceded, unsurrendered territory for millennia, such that I could have the opportunity to speak today.

I am also grateful to the Canadian Senators Group, which graciously offered me this time to make my statement.

We have all heard time and again of the excellent contributions of Black Canadians, several of whom have sat in this very chamber. Today, I am addressing the importance of why such recognition and tributes are critical to emblaze on the minds of all Canadians and build on the understanding of why this is important not only in February but throughout the year.

I take time to pay homage and remember those who came before me, who took up space as “firsts” and who continue to stand, be seen and pronounce that my presence, and that of others who look like me, absolutely belong in the highest houses of this land. It is because of them that I stand here today and, as a result, I owe it to those to come, to remain standing and to be seen.

Colleagues, I take this moment — also on the eve of International Women’s Day — to mention two women I saw taking a stand.

The legendary and honourable Jean Augustine is one such woman. I thank her especially for tilling and laying the ground in institutionalizing this celebratory month some three decades ago. Due to her brilliance and courage, Jean, as I lovingly call her, set the example for many to take on the challenge in spaces they occupy and to insist on the recognition of the contributions and visibility of Black Canadians. Due to her legacy, institutions across all sectors get in gear each year to honour the contributions of accomplished Black Canadians.

The late, great Rosemary Brown was a woman whose contributions have stood the test of time. The impact of her legacy continues to reverberate in the lives of many. She was the first Black woman to be elected as a member of a provincial legislature and the first woman to run for the leadership of a federal political party, among other accomplishments.

On a personal level, Rosemary Brown was one of eight brilliant women who founded the Canadian Women’s Foundation, an organization that I led for seven years. The spirit of her legacy — including the fact that she is Jamaican — continues to shine and inform my own leadership, particularly the passionate stance she took on issues of equality and social justice. This same passion led her to declare, “Until all of us have made it, none of us has made it.” Her words fuelled the kind of intersectional justice that leaves no one out — that spirit of ubuntu that says, “I am because we are.”

Today, we focus our collective efforts on appreciating the struggles and achievements of the past to build a future constructed on all of us making it, such that the future we yearn for will not be “a fleeting illusion” but, rather, one we can pursue and attain.

Thank you, meegwetch.