TORONTO, Jan. 20, 2015 /CNW/ - The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) is proud to celebrate the first national Lincoln Alexander Day on January 21 in honour of a great Canadian who dedicated his life to building harmonious race relations.
A lawyer by profession, the Honourable Lincoln Alexander opted for a life of public service and, in so doing, helped transform Canada on its journey to becoming a more just society. He broke down racial barriers by becoming Canada's first Black Member of Parliament in 1968 and its first Black Cabinet Minister in 1979. He topped those accomplishments when he became the first Black Canadian to be appointed Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (1985-1991). He was subsequently appointed to serve as the CRRF's inaugural Chairman (1997-2003).
The CRRF believes the best way to honour Mr. Alexander's legacy is by furthering his work. During his tenure as Chairman, he was committed to matters of justice and equality rights, and placed a high priority on consultation with community members and decision makers.
To mark this day, the CRRF is launching a cross-Canada series of roundtable discussions, The Urban Agenda: Race Relations and Multiculturalism in Canadian Cities, at 6:00 o'clock tonight at Toronto City Hall. The panellists will be Michael Adams, president, Environics Institute for Survey Research; Nation Cheong, director, Youth Initiatives, United Way of Toronto; and Dr. Wendy Cukier, vice president, research and innovation, Ryerson University. Rahul K. Bhardwaj, president and CEO, Toronto Foundation will be the moderator.
The Honourable Lincoln Alexander is profiled in, A Man of Respect: The Honourable Lincoln Alexander, the first of the CRRF's 150 Stories Celebrating Canada's Sesquicentennial, at www.crrf-fcrr.ca.
SOURCE Canadian Race Relations Foundation
CRRF Executive Director: Anita Bromberg, [email protected], 416-508-9033
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