“The original intention of Black History Month was for Black people to come together during February to share what they discussed throughout the whole year. The poster I create stays up in a lot of places the whole year because it doesn’t say Black History Month, so it doesn’t have a date stamp on it.”

Freed slaves, the Davenport brothers, built the Hillsdale Hotel (also known as Alma House, O’Neil Tavern, O’Neil House and Simcoe House) in the Springwater Township of Simcoe County, Ont., in 1882. The building currently stands to be demolished after its owners requested a demolition permit in 2009 but agreed to delay demolition.

Rosemary Sadlier ponders the significance of celebrating our accomplishments throughout the year.

“I can come and tell people what’s not working from empirical data, but for the solution to get buy-in from the whole station or program, they have to take ownership. I am there to facilitate the discussion in a way that I think is going to be helpful.

The Black History Awareness Committee of Ryerson University, the force behind this effort, hopes these individuals will follow and be inspired by the courageous efforts of Ms Desmond in the pursuit of excellence. Among the four honourees is Shauna Bookal, Promotions & Athletics Events Coordinator with Athletics and Recreation at Ryerson University. She was honoured with the Ms Marie Marguerite Rose Award, another leading figure in Canada’s Black History.

Only 21 years on the force, Deputy Chief of Police Peter Sloly is the fastest ever to reach this rank and the second person of colour in Toronto to achieve such a milestone. In an interview via Facebook, the ambitious 44-year-old Jamaican-born Sloly talks about community policing, crime prevention and the type of leadership needed in policing

CBC radio freelance producer/author Hassan Ghedi Santur speaks candidly about becoming a writer, his favourite books, and the need to further promote the heritage and contributions of Black Canadians beyond just during Black History Month.

You’ve heard about Harry Jerome, Elijah McCoy and Portia White — or at least you should have — for days on end, but what does Black History Month really mean? Should the month be judged simply by the number of black history references found in popular media or is it bigger than that?

When Jean Emile Jean-Gilles was hand-picked to be a part of the product development team at Ford three years ago, he never thought his team would be nominated for a Henry Ford Technology Award. It never crossed his mind that if he won he would make history as the first Canadian recipient of the automotive company’s highest technical commendation.

What they have not taken is my willingness to see what I have learned, observed and loved while in Canada, now reflected in a new Kenya that I want to be a part of. Finally, Kenya is calling me. My crystal ball tells me the time is right for me. My son did not die for me not to try to change Kenya one more time!