Black History Month
Save the Date for the National Defence Black History Month Event 2025
What: National Defence Black History Month Event 2025
Date: Thursday, February 6, 2025
Time: 1 PM to 2:30 PM (EST)
Where: In-person: NDHQ (Carling) Building 5 Atrium, or;
Virtually: MS Stream (Live sound | English Only |French Only)
In celebration of Black History Month, Defence Team members, and all Government of Canada employees, are invited to join the Defence Team Champions for Racialized Persons, and special guests for a national event on Thursday, February 6, 2025.
This event will be an opportunity to reflect upon the important contributions and achievements of Black Defence Team members, and to commit to the work that remains ahead for strengthening an inclusive and barrier-free workplace.
Defence Team members are invited to attend in-person at Carling Campus (DND NCR building pass is required), and all are welcome virtually by watching the live broadcast of the event (links above).
Opening remarks:
- Rear-Admiral Jacques Olivier, Defence Team Champion for Racialized Persons
- Denise Moore and Chief Warrant Officer Suzanne McAdam, Outgoing Defence Racialized Persons Advisory Group (formerly Defence Visible Minorities Advisory Group)
- Charlene Engmann and Major Ryan Carter, National Defence Team Black Employees Network
Keynote Speaker
We are honoured that Dr. Rachel Zellars will join us again as our keynote speaker. Dr. Rachel Zellars is a nationally recognized expert in critical implicit bias and anti-Blackness. She is also a lawyer, Senior Research Fellow, and Associate Professor at Saint Mary's University in the Department of Social Justice & Community Studies. In 2021, Dr. Zellars was named as the inaugural visiting scholar at the Canada School of Public Service through the Jocelyne Bourgeon Visiting Scholar Initiative. In this role, she helped to shape the learning curriculum offered to federal public servants on topics such as unconscious bias, structural racism, and anti-Black racism. Most recently in the Fall of 2024, she completed a Study on the Black Executive Community in the Federal Public Service. Her study is the first of its kind to capture and document the career experiences and barriers of lifelong Black public servants who serve as executives across the public service.
Additional Resources
This event may contain language and references to harmful situations which may be emotionally activating for some people. If you or someone you know needs support, please seek assistance: