Dr. Rosemary Sadlier (RS):
So many things come to mind as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of February being recognized, nationally, as Black History Month. I think it’s important to highlight that this national commemoration exists because of the significant collaboration between the community and the government. It was not the work of one person. It was a collective, community-driven effort.
It’s also important to remember that Black History Month has been celebrated in Canada for much longer than these 30 years. The first formal proclamation of February as Black History Month was secured by the Ontario Black History Society with the City of Toronto in 1979. That history matters.
When we think about how long Black History Month has been recognized, how much the community of people of African origin has grown, and where we are now… there’s a lot to reflect on. And I’m sure we’ll get into more of that as our discussion continues.
Ajirioghene Evi (AE):
As Dr. Sadlier said, Black history has always been here. It has always been part of Canada. People often say “Black history is Canadian history”, and that is true. Our ancestors have been on this land far longer than the 30 years that Black History Month has been officially recognized. The formal recognition may be recent, but the history and the people who have lived here, contributed, and shaped every sector you can think of have been here the entire time.
For me, this month is about making sure people are recognized in meaningful ways. We can celebrate what is happening now, but the historical piece is crucial. I also connect with the idea of looking back at where we have come from.
For example, even though I am busy all year, as a Black person, I always make time for youth in February, especially through my volunteer work. For many young people, this is the main time institutions and schools actually give them that space and attention.
It is a moment to recenter on Black communities, Black individuals, Black families, and all the incredible Black people who have contributed to Canada's history and growth.
As we reflect on the legacy of Black leadership this month, can you talk about both your journeys into social work?
RS: Well just like there's not one answer in terms of how Black History Month happened in this country, there's not really one entry point in terms of how I got into social work.
It started because of my connection to the adoption process, having a sister who was adopted and what that meant and the interactions that I saw my parents or intuited what was happening for and not for my parents with, in that instance, the Children's Aid Society of Metropolitan Toronto, and what it meant for our family.
The other critical point, would be the reality that when I looked around the community for people who looked like me and the kind of work that they found themselves able to secure, aside from people who had very low-paying positions that were not requiring high skill levels, the only people that I saw were a couple of Black social workers, one of them being Wilson A. Head.
And I felt that this might be an area of potential for me. Later, I think social work was important to me because I had a very narrow view of what a helping profession could be and what it looked like. And that's neither good nor bad. It's just what my perspective was at that time.
And I did seek and secure a master's degree in social work. But at that point in Toronto's process, I found that people who looked like me were neither expected nor hired in the field, yet we were absolutely expected to be the clients of those services.
While I ultimately was not hired in a professional capacity for an extended period in social work, I did find myself as the head of the only provincial heritage organization in Canada with a focus on Black history. Because of my ability to hold the community in a trusteeship, I was able to use structural analysis, advocacy, you know, relationship building in ways that were helpful to amplify the work and the mandate of the Ontario Black History Society that I headed.
AE: My story is very similar because I started from a personal experience as well. I recently shared with our members that my journey began in West Africa, specifically in Nigeria, as a young girl. I come from a family of very strong Black women, from my grandmother to my mother, my siblings. I am the last of three girls, my aunties as well. So, to me, my journey started with my mother, and even before I had the language for the profession.
She is my inaugural social worker, the first person that I observed as I was growing up: seeing how she navigated systems, how she advocated fiercely. She had this sense of what we would call an organic leadership style. And she ensured that she helped build people up with care.
My mother really remained grounded in dignity as she did a lot of advocacy around what we will call intimate partner violence, or homelessness, to challenges surrounding grief and loss. My mother was really able to do that but also do practical things in the community. So that early exposure shaped my understanding of social service. When I moved to Canada as an immigrant, I realized that what I had witnessed at home (in my early years in Nigeria) had a name: social work.
Rosemary, could you tell us about your involvement in the creation of Black History Month in Canada?
RS: In order for me to create Black History Month, it was not because I had an agenda: it was because I was unexpectedly put in as the president of the organization.
Be careful when you go to a meeting on time!
I went to the meeting on time because I had to get home early. My kids were little and I needed to nurse my son before he went to bed. I became president, and even then, I was working in a hybrid position. I was president for 22 years and was not paid.
I did the work from my home, invited people to my home for meetings, used my own phone, my own fax machine, and later my own computer. Working from home meant I didn’t know how things got done in the office. What was not shared with me is that every year the organization went to the City of Toronto and asked for a proclamation declaring February as Black History Month. Every year, they did that, and that was the scope of it.
I broadened that scope by drawing on my contacts and securing Black History Month for the City of Toronto in 1994. I also obtained the first-ever proclamation for the Province of Ontario.
All the work I had already been doing, raising awareness, community education, and raising awareness, community education, relationship-building, provided a solid foundation of support. When I went to the federal government, I spoke with many people. It landed with Jean Augustine when I confronted her at an event, and she took it to the House.
I continued to provide her and her office with Black history information, so she would have it if she encountered opposition on the Hill.
I share this longer version of the story, and I am still leaving a lot out, because Black History Month in Canada did not come about because of one person deciding it should happen. It came about through a series of people who created it and brought it to the first proclamation in Canada in 1979, through the Ontario Black History Society.
It was broadened further through my efforts… secured with the city, the first provincial proclamation, and then advocacy for a national declaration. Prior to that, no one had conceived of doing it. I take full credit for that aspect of the work.
Now, for social workers who are not Black or from racialized communities, what does meaningful engagement with Black history look like when supporting clients and communities?
AE: I think the first thing is recognizing that when it comes to service users, communities, or people we are working with — whether at the micro, or macro level — we hold power. We are looked to for decisions, for advocacy, and for action. For me, what I center on most is engagement, because our work is rooted in it, and that begins with humility.
It requires social workers to move away from saviorism or the sense of “I know it” or “I am in a position to make this decision,” and instead move toward collaboration. Working together, sharing the power we hold. That means listening — social work 101 — listening, leaning in, and acting without centring ourselves.
It also involves understanding history beyond the moment of celebration. For Black people, every day is Black excellence. Every day is Black history. People are living these 365 days a year. That means acknowledging the harm Black people have experienced, while also recognizing how past policies and the powerful, unexamined ideologies still hover over their present realities.
I would also add that social workers need to know when to step back and when to amplify Black voices — in February and outside of February. Know when to use your power, when to help shift systems, when to hold hands, when to seek information, and when not to position yourself as the expert. As a Black woman, I practice this myself because my social location is different from every Black person I interact with.
For social workers, this is crucial given the demographics we serve and the opportunities that can flow from our actions. Being Black is not monolithic. Everyone has their intersections, and we need to listen. I try to do that, and I know that even as a Black person, I want to continue doing that, let alone someone who may not share that identity.
RS: Yes, and it occurs to me now that how can you be a social worker and not be an ally? How do you work with your clients if you don't understand them, their family situation, or their community and cultural context? How do you do it? And in the process of becoming a better social worker, I think that really means that you personally, whatever you are, have to know who you are, what you are, what your values are. Still, you also have to be open to learning about who and what the people you're working with are, whether they are your clients or your colleagues.
I think that the profession demands a connection to people who might be different than other professions, and how else can that happen?
Unless you go through all the required steps. To be a good ally. And to support initiatives that will make a difference for people, even if they don't benefit you.