Black History Month 2025

February is Black History Month

Each February, people across Canada participate in Black History Month events and celebrations that honour the legacy and contributions of Black people in Canada and their communities.

The 2025 theme for Black History Month is: “Black Legacy and Leadership: Celebrating Canadian History and Uplifting Future Generations.” This theme acknowledges the diversity of Black Canadians, the importance of Black leadership and the legacy being built for future generations. Black communities are diverse at many levels. Those with a long history in this country have established a legacy for the newer communities. The theme underscores that Black Canadians have a rightful place in the nation's narrative, with over 400 years of historical presence on these Indigenous lands, deserving acknowledgment and celebration.

We invite all residents to learn more about Black Canadian communities, and how they continue to help shape Canada. Visit on of the two branches of the Russell public library to see a selection of books by black authors.

Sociodemographic diversity

• In 2021, Canada's Black population reached over 1.5 million, accounting for 4.3% of the total population in Canada.
• In 2021, over 4 in 10 Black people in Canada (41.0%) were born in the country. Black people represented the largest share (35.8%) of all racialized individuals in the third generation or more (born in Canada with all parents born in Canada).
• The 10 most frequently reported ethnic or cultural origins among the Black populations in Canada were African, Jamaican, Haitian, Canadian, Black, Nigerian, Somali, African Caribbean, Congolese and Yoruba.
• Among the Black populations, those born in Africa had the most diverse mother-tongue profile by place of birth, with 43.2% of these individuals reporting a non-official language as their mother tongue.
• In 2021, women accounted for 51.3% of the Black populations in Canada. This was mostly because of women-led immigration from the Caribbean. Three Caribbean countries of birth with the highest proportion of women among the Black populations in Canada were Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (62.4%), Saint Lucia (61.4%), and Dominica (60.4%).

For more information, visit www.canada.ca/black-history-month.