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Who is The Honourable Jean Augustine? Simply put, she is a trailblazing politician and social activist, who has dedicated her life to equity in education. She is also the first Black Canadian woman to be elected to the House of Commons. Her story is not simple and is not common – she is “a testament to the power of hard work and devotion in pursuit of social justice”.
Dr. Augustine was born in Grenada, where she became an educated teacher. In 1960, she immigrated to Canada, where she attended the Toronto Teachers’ College and then later attended the University of Toronto, where she received her Masters in Education degree. She became an elementary school teacher and then on to become a school principal.
In 1993, she was elected to the House of Commons, where she served 4 terms. In December 1995, Dr. Augustine put a motion forward to designate February as Black History Month in Canada. This was passed in a unanimous vote of 305 to zero.
Dr. Augustine has received many Honors & Awards in her lifetime. For a full list, refer to the following: http://www.jeanaugustine.ca/honours/. Today, she continues to volunteer her time, champion, and celebrate successes of black women.
For the month of February, we would like to introduce you to a book, which Dr. Augustine is a co-author of: “100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women – 2020”.
The book supports the accomplishments of Black Canadian women in terms of their social, educational, and Professional accomplishments. To read more and to purchase a copy, head to: https://www.100abcwomen.ca/
References: http://www.jeanaugustine.ca http://www.heroines.ca/people/augustine.html https://www.100abcwomen.ca/product/100-accomplished-black-canadian-women-2020/https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jean-augustinehttps://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/black-history-month.html