PrairieAFRICAN Issue #3 February 15-March 14, 2021 - understanding our roots, promoting our culture We Will Never Forget Frederick Douglass Harriet Tubman Carter G. Woodson Martin Luther King Jr. Malcolm X We Have Introduced Online Citizenship Test. - Audrey Gordon Dan Vandal mmigration has always been a not a bad idea. But since the pandemic hit topical issue, as people continue to hard, federal and provincial governments, First US Imove across borders in search of in Canada, had put in place restrictions to better living conditions elsewhere. Now, help limit the spread of the virus. One of Canada is no exception to that traffic, as those restrictions was to limit the number Female our country has opened up her arms to of people at gatherings as well as shut down receive immigrants from other parts of the government offices save for phone and world. Many of these immigrants quickly email communications. The private sector Presidential settle here as Canada affords them the quickly put in place measures and counter- opportunity to work and raise a family at measures to mitigate the stress caused to Candidate the same time. But a unique problem has their customers, by introducing novel ideas rooklyn-born Shirley Anita arisen, no thanks to the on-going corona- like free delivery for online orders as well Chisholm announced her virus pandemic, where immigrants to as curbside pick-up for goods. Many other campaign for President of the Canada are stuck and are unable to continue businesses simply relocated online. But B Shirley Chisholm United States, on January 25th 1972, on the path toward citizenship, due to a the government seemed to demonstrate and six months later, she became the first total halt on the citizenship process. For apathy to these new techniques of doing “Granny gave me strength, dignity, and African-American and female Presidential example, no accommodation was made business, instead focussing on some love. I learned from an early age that I candidate (in the Democratic Party) vying for immigrants to write the citizenship issues while neglecting others. We asked was somebody. I didn’t need the Black for the ticket of a major party in the United test online, a vital component to gaining Audrey Gordon, a one-time Deputy revolution to tell me that.” Chisholm was States. She received 152 first-ballot votes citizenship in Canada. We went out in Minister of Labour and Immigration, as a woman of significant firsts. She became at the Miami Beach, Florida convention. search of answers for immigrants caught well as Director of the Multiculturalism the first African-American woman elected An early childhood educator, Chisholm in the web of this beaurocratic negligence Secretariat and Director of Settlement and to congress in 1968, representing New overcame gender and race discrimination and spoke to two sitting MLA’s, Audrey Newcomer support, why the government York’s 12th Congressional District. And to become the first African-American Gordon and Uzoma Asagwara, to try did not introduce online testing to help served seven terms from 1969 to 1983, woman to be elected into the New York and find answers for members of the mitigate the hardship faced by applicants. holding the record for the longest-serving State Assembly, in 1964, and was then Black community for whom life seems She told us that “Citizenship is federally Black woman in congress. Awarded the elected to congress four years later. Born to be at a stand still. They are unable to regulated and provincially administered Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, Shirley Anita St. Hill to poor immigrant apply for the kind of jobs they will like for the Provincial Nominee Program, and the author of Unbought and Unbossed parents from Guyana and Barbados (dad to do, because they’re yet to complete cannot say why the federal government has graduated BA (Brooklyn College) in 1946, was a labourer, and mom, a seamstress), the citizenship process. It is important to not made available an online citizenship and MA (Columbia University) in 1952, Chisholm was sent back to Barbados where note that the only method provided for test.” She referred us to Dan Vandal, the and was a member of the Harriet Tubman she lived with her maternal grandmother applicants to complete a citizenship test, Member of Parliament (MP) for the riding. Society as well as the Delta Sigma Theta until she returned to the United States before the corona-virus pandemic, is the Uzoma on her part expressed frustration at sorority. A founding member of the in 1934. She said of her upbringing, in-person method of testing which was visit prairieafrican.com for full story. visit prairieafrican.com for full story. PrairieAFRICAN 2 - understanding our roots, promoting our culture February 15-March 14, 2021 Celebrating Black History Month Brian Audrey Heather Eileen Cathy Cli Ralph Wayne Scott Cameron Kelvin Pallister Gordon Stefanson Clarke Cox Cullen Eichler Ewasko Fielding Friesen Goertzen MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for Fort Whyte Southdale Tuxedo Agassiz Kildonan-River East Spruce Woods Lakeside Lac du Bonnet Kirkfield Park Morden–Winkler Steinbach 204.489.0828 204.415.7397 204.487.0013 204.385.2469 204.334.7866 204.827.3956 204.467.9482 204.268.3282 204.889.0540 204.822.1088 204.326.5763 Sarah Josh Reg Len Derek Scott Bob Alan Shannon Brad Andrew Janice Guillemard Guenter Helwer Isleifson Johnson Johnston Lagassé Lagimodiere Martin Michaleski Micklefield Morley-Lecomte MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for Fort Richmond Borderline Brandon West Brandon East Interlake-Gimli Assiniboia Fort Whyte Selkirk McPhillips Dauphin Rossmere Seine River 204.221.8881 204.324.8957 204.728.2410 204.717.0977 204.641.8525 204.615.6044 204.807.4663 204.482.4955 204.336.2068 204.701.0238 204.289.4545 204.253.4509 Greg Blaine Doyle Jon Ron R. Andrew Dennis Rochelle James Je Ian Rick Nesbitt Pedersen Piwniuk Reyes Schuler Smith Smook Squires Teistma Wharton Wishart Wowchuk MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for MLA for Riding Mountain Midland Turtle Mountain Waverley Springfield-Ritchot Lagimodiere La Verendrye Riel Radisson Red River North Portage la Prairie Swan River 204.759.3313 204.745.2203 204.552.0130 204.261.7272 204.330.3353 204.416.7337 204.424.5406 204.615.5241 204.691.7976 204.641.2107 204.857.9267 204.614.7425 PrairieAFRICAN February 15-March 14, 2021 - understanding our roots, promoting our culture 3 Gill’s Furniture & Appliances Sale! Washer$499 & Dryer a set 121 Salter Street HOURS OF OPERATION Winnipeg, MB Monday to Friday : 10am - 5 pm R2W 4J8 Sartuday : 10am - 5 pm Sunday : Closed 204-582-8726 New & Used Serving you since 1984 [email protected] The Man We Owe Gratitude For Black History Month. t is no surprise that the second African-American they would hold to receive a doctorate degree from Harvard, after their heads up Ithe eminent scholar W.E.B. Du Bois, would be the high irrespective man to bring about Black History Month. Carter G. of what they’ve Woodson, author, writer and historian, considered the been through. “Father of Black History,” dedicated his life to the study Woodson would of African-American history. Noted for his book, “The dedicate himself Mis-education of the Negro (1933),” Woodson worked to research and tirelessly to establish Black History Month. Born to Eliza methodology, and James Woodson, and the fourth of seven children, creating a whole Woodson was unable to attend high school until he turned new system to 20, because he had to work as a sharecropper, during the properly educate Carter G. Woodson day, and a miner, at night, to help sustain his family. When African-Ameri- he eventually attended school, Woodson’s talent was so cans in America. thing and trying to do it efficiently.” Still not satisfied that immense that he completed a four year programme in only He gathered a large collection of materials through his a week is enough to celebrate Black heritage and history, two years. He took a break from school, after attending study, believing that only Black people can tell their history Woodson started to agitate to extend the celebrations to Berea College, to work for sometime, during which he correctly, as mainstream historians at the time refused to a full month. And though he did not witness it until his worked in the Philipines as an education supritendent for do so. He declared that White people had no business death, in 1950, members of his Association for the Study the US government. A graduate of University of Chicago badmouthing Blacks as having contributed nothing to the of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) together with other where he earned his Bachelors and Masters degrees before advancement of mankind, rather concluding that racial Black Power movements extended it to a full month in proceeding to Havard, where he also earned a doctorate prejudice “is merely the logical result of tradition, (and) 1970, and since 1976, on the 50th anniversary of the in 1912, Woodson was an avid reader and researcher. the inevitable outcome of thorough instruction to the first Negro History Week, every US President, beginning Not satisfied that Black people were not taught about effect that the Negro has never contributed anything to with President Jimmy Carter, has designated February as the achievements of their ancestors, Woodson founded the progress of mankind.” With the help of his fraternity, Black History Month.