Sketching HIstory

Viola Desmond Born July 6, 1914, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Viola Desmond was an African-Nova Scotian who was granted a posthumous pardon, the first to be given in Canada. The government of Nova Scotia also apologized for convicting her for tax evasion, when in fact, she was resisting a discrimination policy in a movie theatre in 1946. Her story was one of the most publicized incidents of racial discrimination in Canadian history, and she became a well-known civil rights activist. Viola became the first Canadian-born woman to appear on a banknote ($10 bill), past bills featured a prime minister or royal in its solo portrait. Viola was named as a National Historic Person in 2018.

The Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, was born on September 6, 1957, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Michaëlle came to Canada, as a refugee in 1968. She was raised in Quebec. Michaëlle worked as a Canadian journalist until 2005, when Queen Elizabeth II appointed her as the 27th Governor General of Canada, where she served until 2010. At this time, the Michaëlle Jean Foundation was established, which focuses on promoting education, culture, and creativity among youth from underprivileged communities in Canada. In 2012, she was sworn in as a member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada. From 2015 to 2019, Michaëlle Jean served as the Secretary-General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), the international body that oversees political action among nations that share French as a common language.

  Andre De Grasse was born November 10, 1994 in Scarborough, Ontario. He is a Canadian sprinter, He won the silver medal in the 200 m and bronze medals in both the 100 m and 4 × 100 m relay at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Andre is the reigning Pan American champion in the 100 m and 200 m. He is also the reigning NCAA men's champion in the 100 m and 200 m and current Canadian record holder in the 200 m. 

De Grasse is the first Canadian sprinter to win three medals in a single Olympics.

  Rosa Parks was born February 4, 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama. She was an African-American civil rights activist called “the first lady of civil rights” and “the mother of the freedom movement” by The U.S Congress. In 1955 Rosa was a seamstress in Montgomery, Alabama and she refused to give up her bus seat. Arrested for violating city regulation, this brave act began a movement that ended legal segregation in America making Parks an inspiration to freedom-loving people everywhere.

Barack Hussein Obama II was born August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is the former President of the United States of America, the 44th President to be inaugurated and the first African-American to be President of the United States. President Obama was the Junior United States Senator of Illinois from 2005 until he resigned on November 16th, 2008 to become President. He is a graduate of both Columbia University and Harvard Law School; he worked as a community organizer and practiced as a civil rights attorney and he also taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. Obama left office in January 2017 and he currently resides in Washington, D.C. His presidential library is located in Chicago.

  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States of America and his 17 minute “I Have A Dream” speech is known as one of the finest speeches in the history of American oratory. He was an American clergyman and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement. He was the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in 1964.

Oprah Gail Winfrey was born January 29, 1954. She is an American television host, actress, producer and philanthropist. She is best known for her award winning daytime talk show “The Oprah Show” which she retired from in May 2011. On January 1, 2011 Oprah launched her own television network called “OWN”, which stands for Oprah Winfrey Network. She is one of the richest African-Americans of the 20th Century, and has been ranked the best black philanthropist in American history

  Michael Lutrell Pinball Clemens, born January 15, 1965, in Dunedin, Florida. Pinball Clemens is now the current vice-chair for The Toronto Argonauts after retiring as a Argonauts player for 12 seasons from 1989-2000. After he retired in 2000, he became the head coach of The Argos. In 2001, Michael was appointed as a Member of the Order of Ontario, giving him the Post Nominal Letters "OOnt" for life. In 2004, he became the first black head coach to appear in a Grey Cup game, and he later became the first black head coach to win a Grey Cup Championship. "Pinball" Clemens was one of The Argos most famous players and also one of the most popular professional athletes in the history of Toronto.

Dwayne Johnson “The Rock” better known as “The Rock” was born May 2, 1972 in Hayward, CA. On April 17, 2009, changes to the Canadian nationality law came into effect, making all children born in the first generation abroad after 1947 to Canadian-born parent’s automatically Canadian citizens. Johnson, through his father, became a Canadian. He is an actor and a former professional wrestler who won a total of 16 championships in the WWE/WWF including 9 World Heavyweight championships.  He is now a famous movie actor, appearing in the Jumanji series.

Wesley Williams better known as Maestro or Maestro Fresh-Wes was born March 31, 1968 in Toronto, Ontario. He is one of Canada’s most successful and influential hip-hop artists. He is also a record producer and an actor. He has received 2 Juno Awards and his albums have reached gold and platinum status. In 1989, Maestro's "Let Your Backbone Slide" became the first Canadian hip-hop song to reach the national Top 40, and remained the highest selling Canadian hip-hop song until 2008. Wes is also an author and his first book “STICK TO YOUR VISION” was released in August 2010.

Dr. Guion Steward "Guy" Bluford, Jr., was born November 22, 1942 in Philadelphia, PA.  He is an engineer and NASA astronaut.  Before becoming an astronaut, he was a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force.  He participated in four Space Shuttle flights between 1983 and 1992.  In 1983, as a member of the crew of the Space Shuttle Challlenger, Bluford became the first African-American in space, as well as the second person of African ancestry in space.

P.K. Subban, born on May 13, 1989. He is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Subban was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2nd round, 43rd overall, of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. In 2013, he won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top defenceman, and tied with Kris Letang as the leading scorer among defencemen. Internationally, P.K. Subban won a gold medal for Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Mae Carol Jemison was born in Decatur, Alabama, on October 17, 1956.   She became the first black woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour , that orbited the Earth for nearly eight days from September 12–20, 1992.  Prior to being an astronaut, Mae Jemison served as general practitioner in the Peace Corps.  After retiring from NASA, Mae founded a technology research company, formed a non-profit educational foundation, wrote several children's books, and appeared on her favourtie TV show Star Trek:Next Generation.