Grade 11 African Canadian History IDC 301: Black History Month Report
Black History Month
Assignment
Black History Month is about those who made a
difference not purely because of the colour of their skin,
but their actions. From Rose Mary Brown to Portia White,
they are all a part of history and ultimately our Black
Canadian legacy.
Black History Month (BHM) is held every February in
Canada. The aims are to:



Promote knowledge of black history and experience
Circulate information on positive Black
contributions to Canadian & North American
Society
Heighten the confidence and awareness of Black
people in their cultural heritage
Your Task:
Congratulations! You have just been hired by the Toronto Star as a Junior Reporter. Your
writing style is very impressive and the newspaper is trusting that you will live up to your
superb resume and interview. Your first assignment is to attend a Black History month event
anywhere in the GTA. You must attend the event within the month of February and write a
500 word report on the event that you attended. You will explain the particulars of the event
and explain to our readers on how the event captured the essence of Black History Month.
The way you write your article is
very important. Write in a style
and language which is appropriate.
Make sure that you keep it
interesting; your article should be
written in an immediate and vivid
style with the detail of an
eyewitness report. Try and
interview at least one person, and
quote what they say in the story.
Use lots of description to tell your
story.
Your deadline for publishing your
report is March 1st.
Steps:
1) Read “Why a Black History
Month?” by Rosemary Sadlier.
2) Attend a Black History Month event
in the GTA (See flyers distributed
in class & On-line links)
3) Your report should include the
following:

One photo of the event.
(Capture an image that shows
what you witnessed or
experienced)

A detailed explanation of the
event (Who, What When
Where and Why)

In your own words, provide a
personal explanation of how
the event captured the
essence of Black History
Month.
Specifics:
 Double spaced
 Font: Times New Roman or Arial
 500 words (2 pages)
 Due March 1st.
Tips for Writing a Good News Story
Before you start to write:


Think about the purpose of your story: in a news story it will most likely be to
inform the audience.
Do some research and conduct interviews, remembering to take notes and
write down useful quotes.
As you write:



Use active verbs to show what's really happening
Tell the really interesting information first
Follow this outline:
First paragraph
Try to hook the reader by beginning with
a funny, clever, or surprising statement.
Go for variety - try to begin your article
with a question or a provocative
statement. In your first one or two
sentences, address the issues of who,
what, when, where, and why.
Second/third/fourth paragraphs
Give the reader the details by expanding
on the five Ws. Include one or two quotes
from people you interviewed. Write in the
third person (he, she, it or they).
Remember to stay objective, and never
openly state your own opinion. Use
quotes to express others' opinions.
Last paragraph
Wrap it up, and don't leave the reader hanging. Try ending with a quote, or a catchy
phrase, or a neat summing-up.
© 2009 Media Awareness Network
Black History Month
Websites with GTA Events
http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/kuumba/
http://fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/~gpieters/bhmcalendar.html
http://www.td.com/blackhistorymonth2010/
http://www.eyeweekly.com/blog/post/82164--black-historymonth-best-bets
http://www.toronto.ca/blackhistory/
http://www.blackhistorysociety.ca/events.php?year=2010&mon
th=02
http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100130/Histo
ry_Month_100130/20100130?hub=Toronto
http://www.dpcdsb.org/CAMPI/General+Info/Black+History+Mo
nth.htm
http://www.peelregion.ca/ow/ourservices/communityprogram/housing/pyv/play/
Why an African Heritage Month?
By Rosemary Sadlier, President of the Ontario Black History
Society
Black History Month evolved from the work of Carter G. Woodson, an African American, in the
1920s. He established Black History Week as a week of celebration to follow the year’s study
of Black history. The week he chose contained the birthdates of two people significant to the
ability of people of African descent to be free to obtain an education. The week includes
February 12 for President Lincoln, who brought emancipation into the law in the United
States, and February 14 for Frederick Douglas, who advocated for Blacks to do what they
could within their own country to lead to a better life for all Black people.
In the 1950s, the Canadian Negro Women’s Association brought the celebration to Toronto,
Ontario. By 1978, the Ontario Black History Society, whose mandate includes the promotion
of Black history education, successfully petitioned the City of Toronto to have the now
monthly celebration formally recognized. Toronto, many other cities, and the province of
Ontario currently proclaim Black History Month.
But why have a Black History Month? African-Canadian students need to feel affirmed, to be
aware of the contributions made by other Blacks in Canada, to have role models, and to
understand the social forces which have shaped and influenced their community and their
identities so that they can feel connected to the educational experience and their life
experience in the various regions of Canada. They need to feel empowered. Non-African
Canadians need to have a balanced sense of the historical contributions of Blacks in this
country and need to know a history of Canada that includes all of the founding/pioneer
experiences in order to work from an actual reality, rather than a virtual reality. Both groups
benefit by including Black history.
As a group, which has roots dating back to 1603, and which has helped to defend, clear,
build, and farm this country, the presence of Blacks is well-established, but not well-known.
It is not well-known because history has tended to record the acts of rich and powerful men
to the exclusion of any other group. The celebration of Black History is an attempt to have
the achievements of Black people in Canada included.
We need a Black History Month in order to help us to arrive at an understanding of ourselves
as Canadians in the most accurate and complete socio-historical context that we can
produce. All histories need to be known and all voices need to be expressed in a nation like
ours with such diversity. Black history takes on perhaps a greater importance because as the
group which is the most distinct from others, Black history provides the binary opposite to all
traditional histories. One needs traditional history to engender a common culture; one needs
Black history to engender a clearer and more complete culture.
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
the need for a Black History Month will no longer exist.