Good morning.
Thank you to Principal Hopkins and to all of the teachers and staff for making me feel so welcome, and thanks most of all to you, the students of Lincoln Alexander Elementary School, for welcoming me today.
When Lincoln Alexander was little, his mother used to say, “Go to school, you’re a little black boy.” What she meant was that if Lincoln wanted to have a good future, he needed to learn, to study, to be self-disciplined. Years later Lincoln Alexander said his mom’s nagging worked. “All her lecturing paid off,” he said, “because I became a pretty solid student. I was at the top of the class a few times.” His best subjects were math, English, and history. He also liked machine-shop and wood-working.
People called him “Linc”. When Canada joined our British Empire Allies in declaring war on Adolf Hitler in 1939, which was the start of the Second World War, Linc Alexander wanted to do his part. So he volunteered, and signed up for the Royal Canadian Air Force. He served as a radio operator.
After the war, he wanted to become a lawyer, and he studied and worked hard to make that dream come alive.
While he was a law student there was a professor who used inappropriate language during class. Linc Alexander stood in the middle of the class and pointed it out. This took quite a lot of courage. There were 200 students in the class. Later he said: “I don’t know what ever made me stand up … in a class of 200 people. . . . But I will tell you one thing, that day made me a man.”
Sometimes you have to be brave and do something you didn’t think you could do. Because it is the right thing to do.
Sometimes people would stand in Linc’s way and say that he couldn’t or shouldn’t aim so high. He didn’t pay attention to those people. He kept trying. He kept working. He didn’t complain about race and who was black and who was white. He just got his work done and proved himself by his success. He wanted to show that if you want something good badly enough, you can find the honest and right way to make it happen.
As a Member of Parliament and a Minister of the Crown, Lincoln Alexander is a role model for me personally. He was a Member of Parliament and a Cabinet Minister, too, so in some ways I follow in his footsteps. He was the first black Member of Parliament, elected in 1968, and he was re-elected four times [in 1972, 1974, 1979 and 1980.] A lot of people must have liked him and wanted to be represented in Parliament by this brave man.
If you want to change the society, you won’t succeed by screaming or throwing rocks at people. Lincoln Alexander ran for Parliament. He took care of people. He led peacefully by example. He said – and I admire these words very much, “All I try to do, is to do a job, and to do it well.”
One of the proudest achievements of his life was when he became Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. He was proud of this because Ontario was one of the first places in the world to abolish slavery, in the 1790s when it was called Upper Canada. It was part of the British Empire, which abolished the slave trade in 1807 and abolished slavery in 1833, so that is 181 years ago.
Does anyone know what a Lieutenant Governor does?
(takes answers)
A Lieutenant Governor represents the Queen. Because the Queen lives in England and can only visit Canada on occasion, she is represented by the Lieutenant Governor. And while he held that position from 1985 to 1991, an award was established in his name.
The Lincoln M. Alexander Award goes to three students across Canada each year who are leaders in working for racial equality and harmony.
One thing Linc said his Dad taught him was to get along with people. Treat people the way you want them to treat you.
Last year, one of the winners – Saba Oji from Waterloo – received the award for coming up with an idea for “Say Hi” day in her school. Students were encouraged to say hi and get to know students they didn’t know, especially students from different cultures and backgrounds.
It sounds like a simple idea, doesn’t it? But it made a real difference in Saba’s school and so she was honoured with that award for her idea.
Maybe you have an idea that will help bring more people together and to realize that we’re really not that different, after all. Who knows? One or more of you could be a future recipient of The Lincoln M. Alexander Award.
Lincoln Alexander was 90 years old when he died just two years ago.
Another thing Linc Alexander used to say is this: “It is your duty to set a higher example for others to follow. I did. You can. You will.”
Thank you for welcoming me here today and I urge you all to think about Lincoln Alexander and his message. Always, always, do your best and be a good example. Not just today on Lincoln Alexander Day, but every day.
Thank you.
