Black Excellence Day

After supporting “Black Shirt Day,” which received overwhelming support around  the world on January 15, 2021,  the members of Ninandotoo Society created the Black Excellence Day initiative. We chose to create our own event after consulting with various community members, including Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, and BC Human Rights Commission, who all voiced that the words ‘Black shirt’ and seeing people march wearing black shirts brought up traumatic experiences of Holocaust survivors.

Being truly anti-racist is about inclusion for all and Black Excellence Day was born. Despite moving away from “Black Shirt Day,” the meaning of Black Excellence Day remains the same: acknowledging the ongoing civil rights struggle of Black and racialized Canadians and fighting for mandatory curriculum on Black history.

What is Black Excellence Day?

As a lead up to Black History Month, Black Excellence Day is a day to rejoice Black history and learn about Black stories, Black art and Black people, and a day to stand in solidarity with Black Canadians.

• Black Excellence Day was created by Ninandotoo Society and takes place on January 15th each year, or the preceding Friday if it falls on a weekend or holiday. In 2023, Black Excellence Day is on January 13th.

• January 15th is in honour of the great civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who was born on January 15, 1929.

• The contributions of Black Canadians and the ongoing civil rights struggle of Black Canadians often go unacknowledged in our history books and school curriculum.

• The term Black Excellence was born out of the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

#BlackExcellenceDay #BED23

Source : https://blackexcellenceday.ca