The federal government issued an apology to Canada's only all-Black First World War battalion last week for the racism its members endured, a move that activists hope will be the first step in commemorating the battalion's contributions.
The No.2 Construction Battalion was formed in 1916 following two years of protests from Black Canadians who had been turned away when they tried to enlist. There were 600 Black men who enlisted with the segregated battalion, but only a few of its members would see combat, as the members were repeatedly told their help wasn't wanted on the front lines.
"Black people in this country have always been fighting for their freedom, doing so through the military, doing so through the courts, doing so through education. We have always, always been fighting for our freedom and fighting for the recognition that we so rightly deserve," social justice advocate and author Romemary Sadlier told CTV News Channel on Saturday.
Sadlier's grandfather was also a member of the battalion, but she never learned about the No. 2 Construction Battalion's history until much later in life.
"The fact that these are my family members, and I didn't know their history, speaks to the reality of the paucity of African Canadian history being made available readily and routinely through our school systems and through the media," she said.
Historian and writer Kathy Grant, who was the co-chair of the National Apology Advisory Committee that consulted the federal government on the apology, says that Archives Canada has also digitized records relating to the battalion.
"It's important to acknowledge the contributions and I think that the Canadian government is, in addition to the apology, ensuring that the story of No. 2 continues by ensuring that these (records) are preserved, that the documents are preserved and are available online for all," Grant told CTV News Channel.
Watch the full panel discussion with Romemary Sadlier and Kathy Grant at the top of this article.
With files from The Canadian Press.
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