By Blaine Courtney

February is Black History Month. Original known as Negro History Week, in the United States, it has been expanded to ensure sufficient time is available to recognize and celebrate the history of blacks in North America. Our school books contained little on the subjects of slavery, emancipation, the struggle for civil rights and the significant contributions blacks have made to the growth and maturity of our nations. February has been set aside to address this neglect.

Our obvious memories are those associated with sports and music. Almost everyone can name several noted black athletes and entertainers. While the contributions their successes have had in the overall journey towards acceptance and equality in society is significant, they only represent a small portion of the entire story.

Can you name a black Canadian who was part of the civil rights movement? How about a black inventor, a black politician, a famous black armed services representative, a black of note in our medical profession or a black philanthropist? Do you know where the phrase "the real McCoy" came from or that Ontario and Nova Scotia were not the only provinces where slaves escaped north to, or who Mary-Ann Shad was?

Discovering the answers to these questions and much more associated with blacks in our history is the reason we have Black History Month. Take the time to google the subject, and I can assure you that your discoveries will amaze. We live in a country of great diversity, and we need to know all that makes us what we are.

As the descendant of an escaped slave who finally settled in Owen Sound, I grew up hearing just snatches of the stories associated with Great Grampa Abraham's struggles. As chairperson of the Owen Sound Emancipation Festival, I have recognized and embraced the obligation placed before me to know so much more and to ensure those stories are preserved, shared and celebrated. I am in awe of what I have learned and humbled by the struggles blacks have overcome. With this personal attachment, I cannot help but become emotional whenever I consider what I have learned so far. Please indulge me as I pay a short tribute to our black ancestors:

I am the spirit which links the history of your stories. I was there as you were chained in lines and marched to the sea for transport to the Americas.

I gave you the strength to survive the physical horrors of the slave ships and the humiliation of the auction block where you were treated as less than cattle. For hundreds of years, I lingered as you built a nation with your sweat and blood with no recognition for your contributions and a whip on your back as the only form of payment.

You made me proud as you struggled to maintain your humanity while your status remained that of an abused slave. This despite the founding words of a nation which proclaimed 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Your courage to flee from your enslavement with only the potential for freedom as the reward, gave me the power to make the northern star shine a little brighter, as the beacon to guide you on. Your arrival was seldom welcomed and your struggles began anew, but this time as a free people.

Your battles and victories paved the way for all future generations to enjoy a freedom you hoped for but never thought was possible. Your stories, throughout the years, are the testimonials of a great, proud race, who carved out a place for themselves in a world originally not their own.

Black History Month not only serves as a time to remember and honour our black heritage, it serves as a reminder of how far we have come in ensuring an equitable society and recognizing that this obligation is not yet completed. We must be vigilant in our efforts and have zero tolerance for anyone or anything which impedes our journey to this goal.

Blaine Courtney is the chairperson of the Owen Sound Emancipation Festival.