Rosemary Sadlier

(1977-Present)

Rosemary Sadlier was the president of the Ontario Black History

Society from 1993 to 2015. She has worked tirelessly to ensure
all Canadians learn about Black history. Through her actions and
initiatives, Black History Month in Canada was recognized as an
annual event across the country by the Canadian government in 1996.

History
Rosemary Sadlier was born in Toronto in 1977. Her family’s presence in Canada goes back to
pre-Confederation. Her mother’s side of the family has roots that can be traced back to 1840.
Her father’s ancestors arrived in Canada in 1793, settling in New Brunswick.

Rosemary Sadlier has a Bachelor of Arts (Hon.) degree in sociology from York University. She
also holds a Bachelor of Education degree and a Master of Social Work from the University of
Toronto. Her life has been devoted to increasing national awareness of Black Canadian history.
She joined the board of the Ontario Black History Society (OBHS) in 1989. She took over the
presidency in 1993. She was disturbed by the fact that there was so little Black history taught
in Canada and the fact that the Black population had been in Canada for hundreds of years
and there was little recognition of that in Canadian society. Sadlier has led the OBHS in the
organization and development of an incredible amount of educational initiatives on Black
history. They offer presentations on social justice, heritage talks and they own collections of
historic photographs. They also organize conferences and seminars, run a Black history bus tour
and a Black history Canada website.

Black History Month

In 1979, OBHS founders, Dr. Daniel G. Hill and Wilson O. Brooks, petitioned to the City of
Toronto to recognize February as Black History Month. In 1979, their efforts were rewarded
as Toronto became Canada’s first municipality to acknowledge Black History Month. Other
municipalities began to follow Toronto’s actions. However, it was always the responsibility of
Black activists to pressure their own municipal governments to recognize Black History Month.
In the early 1990s, newly elected president of the OBHS, Rosemary Sadlier, petitioned the
Ontario government to proclaim February Black History Month across the province. In 1993, it
was proclaimed and then a bill was introduced in 2009. The bill was named Bill 207: An Act to
name February in each year Black History Month.

Page 1 of 3 visit twinkl.ca

 Rosemary Sadlier

The bill was delayed many times and it wasn’t until 2016, when the province declared every
February would be recognized as Black History Month.

In 1995, with cooperation from Black Member of Parliament Jean Augustine, Sadlier urged
the federal government to recognize Black History Month. Jean Augustine introduced a motion
in the House of Commons in 1995. The House of Commons voted unanimously in favour. By
February of 1996, the country of Canada celebrated its first official Black History Month.

Author
Rosemary Sadlier has facilitated thousands of discussions in schools and community groups
about the contributions of Black Canadians. She has been quoted as saying that Black children,
“are still experiencing books that depict them in a negative way, and teachers who have issues
with their names, their hair, or their skin tone. There are still gaps in the education system that
reinforce outmoded ways of thinking.” Sadlier began writing books to address this problem. Her
first book was “Leading the Way: Black Women in Canada” written in 1994. Then she wrote,
“The Kids’ Book of Black Canadian History” in 2003. She mentions in this
last book the No.2 Construction Battalion, which was a military
force from World War One made up entirely of Black soldiers
because white soldiers refused to serve alongside Black men. Her
grandfather and many of his cousins were some of the men
who served in the No.2 Construction Battalion. She also wrote
about Mary Ann Shadd and two books on Harriet Tubman, to
name a few.

Legacy and Awards

Rosemary Sadlier is a remarkable Black Canadian as she has been
an advocate for Black Canadian education in Canada. She has received numerous awards
such as the “Madiba Lifetime Achievement Award,’’ which was an homage to former South
African President Nelson Mandela. She has been honoured by the city of Toronto with the
Black Business and Professional Association. She has also received the Queen’s Diamond
Jubilee Award and the Order of Ontario. She was also one of the first Canadians to be
honoured as a Global Defender by the Robert F. Kennedy Speak Truth to Power initiative.
Sadlier has affected some enormous change in Canada in regards to our Black history
education and continues to work hard to press for continued change such as a much needed
presence of Black Canadian history in all school curriculum across Canada.

Page 2 of 3 visit twinkl.ca

 Rosemary Sadlier Questions
1. Who is Rosemary Sadlier?

2. What are Rosemary Sadlier’s ancestral roots in Canadian history?

3. Give two reasons why Rosemary Sadlier decided to petition the Ontario government to
recognize Black history month annually.

4. Why did Rosemary begin writing books?

5. What makes Rosemary Sadlier a remarkable Black Canadian?

Page 3 of 3 visit twinkl.ca

 Rosemary Sadlier Answers
1. Who is Rosemary Sadlier?
Answers will vary. Consider: Rosemary Sadlier was the president of the Ontario Black
History Society from 1993 to 2015. She has worked tirelessly to ensure all Canadians
learn about Black history. Through her actions and initiatives, Black History Month
in Canada was recognized as an annual event across the country by the Canadian
government in 1996.

2. What are Rosemary Sadlier’s ancestral roots in Canadian history?

Sadlier’s family’s presence in Canada goes back to pre-Confederation. Her mother’s side
of the family has roots that can be traced back to 1840. Her father’s ancestors arrived
in Canada in 1793, settling in New Brunswick. Her grandfather and many of his cousins
served in WW1 as part of the No. 2 Construction Battalion.

3. Give two reasons why Rosemary Sadlier decided to petition the Ontario government to
recognize Black history month annually.
(1) She was disturbed by the fact that there was so little Black history taught in Canada
and the fact that the Black population had been in Canada for hundreds of years and
there was little recognition of that in Canadian society.

(2) It was always the responsibility of Black activists to pressure their own municipal
governments to recognize Black History Month.

4. Why did Rosemary begin writing books?

She has been quoted as saying that Black children “are still experiencing books that
depict them in a negative way, and teachers who have issues with their names, their
hair, or their skin tone. There are still gaps in the education system that reinforce
outmoded ways of thinking.”

5. What makes Rosemary Sadlier a remarkable Black Canadian?

Answers will vary.

visit twinkl.ca