Lincoln Alexander Day: Canada’s first Black member of Parliament honoured with virtual event
Canadian trailblazer Lincoln Alexander was a man of many firsts. Which is why Nova Scotia Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard says she believes it’s time people gain a better understanding of the significance of his contributions.
“The fight for equality, the fight for rights, the fight for equity, the fight for racial justice, he was at the forefront of all of that,” said Thomas Bernard.
That’s why she has partnered with Senator Don Oliver and Lindsay Ruck, a program coordinator with the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institue in Halifax, to host a virtual Lincoln Alexander Day event.
“He broke down barriers and walls and paved the way for other Black men and women and children to go forward and do the work he started,” said Ruck.
Alexander was a Second World War veteran who studied law at McMaster University after leaving the Royal Canadian Air Force. He eventually opened his own practice in Hamilton, Ont.
He became the first Black person elected to the House of Commons in 1968. Ten years later, he was Canada’s first Black cabinet minister, serving as labour minister under Joe Clark. Then in the 80s, he became the first Black Canadian lieutenant-governor, accepting the appointment in his home province of Ontario.
In his new memoir ‘A Matter of Equality,’ Oliver dedicates a chapter to “Linc,” as he was affectionately known to his close friends.
“The fact that it (Alexander’s life) impacted someone like Senator Oliver so much and you look at the work he has done, he’s a social justice giant,” said Ruck.
“That was because of the impact of someone like Lincoln Alexander, so it just keeps going from generation to generation.”
Alexander died in 2012 at age 90. Friday would have been his 100th birthday.
“I see this day as a powerful tool that we can use to educate people in the broader society about our collective responsibility to address racism,” said Thomas Bernard.
Thomas Bernard encourages all Canadians to explore Alexander’s trailblazing story.
“It’s time for us to take the hidden figures, the gems from our own Canadian history and teach them to future generations,” said Thomas Bernard.
Lincoln Alexander Day has been observed across Canada since 2015.
Tonight’s virtual event can be viewed on the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute’s YouTube channel at 6:30 AST.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.