National Defence Black History Month Event Continued Important Conversations
March 14, 2024 - Defence Stories
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Dr Zellars’ keynote address: Dr. Rachel Zellars presenting to the Black History Month 2024 event audience
On February 8, 2024, Defence Team members gathered in-person and virtually for the National Defence Black History Month event, Black Excellence: A Heritage to Celebrate; a Future to Build.
The event offered the opportunity to celebrate the important contributions and achievements of Black Defence Team members and recognize the work that remains ahead for an inclusive and barrier-free workplace.
Commodore Jacques Olivier, Defence Team Champion for Visible Minorities opened the event as moderator, with words of welcome and continued to guide attendees through the event, weaving in personal experience and aspirations for anti-racism at DND/CAF.
“I’m still on my journey. In terms of racial literacy, and more so racial stamina. [...] I wish for you, the audience, that there will be a renewed energy as you continue on your own journey.”
The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, sent his regrets as Commodore Olivier read his remarks on his behalf. Minister Blair’s remarks focused on the importance of hearing and incorporating diverse perspectives and continuing to make progress toward building a more inclusive institution.
Next, Deputy Minister Bill Matthews expressed his desire to provide space to speakers and participants through the event and encouraged participants to be engaged and use the event as a way to continue difficult conversations.
General Wayne Eyre and Chief Warrant Officer Bob McCann provided a thoughtful video message that reflected on past and current CAF priorities and recognized the vital role Black members play while drawing the necessary link between diversity and inclusion to operational effectiveness.
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Group of speakers: Cmdre Jacques Olivier, Champion for Visible Minorities, Maj Ryan Carter and Charlene Engmann, DTBEN National co-chairs, Dr. Rachel Zellars, keynote speaker, Denise Moore and CWO Suzanne McAdam, DVMAG National co-chairs
Co-chairs from the Defence Visible Minorities Advisory Group, Denise Moore and Chief Warrant Officer Suzanne McAdam, and the Defence Team Black Employees Network national co-chairs, Charlene Engmann and Major Ryan Carter, spoke about the roles their groups and networks play in supporting Black members and how vital it is to have these platforms. Their words reminded many that we must make this space year-round.
Commodore Olivier introduced the day’s Keynote Speaker, Dr. Rachel Zellars, a nationally recognized expert in critical implicit bias and anti-Blackness.
Dr. Zellars recounted examples of heroism of Black soldiers throughout Canadian history and shared real-life examples of the injustices Black soldiers in the Canadian Armed Forces face. She then turned to her recent research on treatment of Black Executives in the federal public service and the racism they’ve confronted. Attendees heard about the obstacles experienced by the Black community in service to Canada and the work that must be done to create an inclusive and barrier-free workplace.
A Q&A session saw participants share their stories, ask a range of questions to support their journey, and express thanks to Dr. Zellars and the other speakers. Through the questions and comments, it was clear that the event provided a safe space for guests to be passionate and truthful about their feelings and experiences.
In his concluding remarks, Commodore Olivier summarized the impact of the event by stating: “I also would like to thank all the speakers, and those courageous folks who came to the microphone. It takes courage to actually verbalize things. Again, please exercise self-care and for those who may have been affected by today's discussions – there are services available to you. I would like to wish you a good continuation in your own journey on racial resilience and racial understanding”.
If you missed this year’s event, you can view the automatic unedited, auto-generated video recording created by MS Teams.