2 Construction Battalion, Canada’s first and only Black Battalion. Today, Sept. 15, marks the 100th anniversary of the disbanding of this unit following the end of the First World War. Across our country, in the early days of the First World War, hundreds of Black volunteers, eager to serve their country, were turned away from recruiting centres from Nova Scotia to British Columbia. They were told it was a “white man’s war” or that they were not fit to fight. But despite the repeated rejection, marginalization and racism they faced, Black Canadians from coast to coast to coast continued to fight for the right to serve their country.

Source: National Post September 15, 2020 10:07 UTC