It's not that I think the achievements of historical Black Canadians are unimportant. It's just that, at this moment, I'd rather focus my energies on current struggles for liberation. That I am able to make this choice precisely because of those historical struggles is not lost on me. Indeed, it's kind of the point.

My brother was a remarkable person -- a gifted preacher, a champion of education, and a powerful advocate for the rights of Blacks. If there was one event that angered my brother more than any other, it was the tragic demise of "Africville." No attempt was made to save that Halifax Black community.

I don't know how history was taught when you were in school, but in my school our teachers skipped over the chapter (yes, only a single chapter) on blacks in Canada and North America more generally. These omissions skew our view of the world and lead to erroneous assumptions.

"Canadian Judge Frees North Carolina Negro." This is the title of a New York Times article published on March 3, 1922. The "North Carolina Negro" being referred to is Matthew Bullock. This is his story.

This story is written in honour and recognition of a Canadian hero: Canada's first black university graduate and our country's first black lawyer, Robert Sutherland (1830-1878). Today, Mr. Robert Sutherland's legacy lives on through a memorial room at Queen's University and scholarships established in his name.

The most influential man in the history of the province of British Columbia is James Douglas. Curiously overlooked by Ottawa, no statue of Sir James Douglas adorns the capital. Fact is, the capital region bestows no parks, no bridges, no street or stretch of highway to Douglas -- an honour reserved for the monarchy and Canadian heroes of European heritage.

Our country now mourns the passing of a great Canadian hero, Lincoln Macauley Alexander. He died on Friday October 19th, 2012 at the age of 90. Reading the many tributes to this outstanding Canadian makes it clear that Alexander's exemplary life was lived as an emphatic declaration that blackness and Canadianness can seamlessly exist in synergetic harmony, and that there is a black experience that is inextricably and simultaneously a Canadian experience. Indeed the passing of this legendary black Canadian should encourage us all to live lives that would leave us similarly criticized for our expressed concerns for the lot of the average Canadian, black and otherwise.

Everything about how we live today encourages the breakdown of all barriers. Sticking the colour of their skin to successful people is simply foolish. And that's exactly what Black History Month does. I look forward to the day when all great achievements will be celebrated all year long.