The 13-year-old boy, Olufisayo Bakini, joined other speakers at an event organized to mark Black History Month in the round hall at the Manitoba Legislative Assembly in Winnipeg to express hope that young people, like him, see themselves better represented in their government and community.

“As a 13-year-old African youth, I have seen racism everywhere in my life,” said the eighth-grade student on Friday in front of an audience including Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, the first First Nations person to hold the position of Premier in Canada.

Dozens of people attended this event organized by Manitoba's New Democratic Party (NDP), which included dances and speeches from local Black leaders, such as Winnipeg City Councillor Markus Chambers, Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara, and her colleague Minister of Economic Development and Natural Resources Jaime Moses.

“When I was (a child), I never saw a Black person elected in the Manitoba government,” said Asagwara, born in Winnipeg to parents who emigrated from Nigeria, who was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2019 under the left-leaning New Democratic Party banner.

“I think of my nephew, who is about 16 months old now… my first nephew will grow up in completely different circumstances in Manitoba,” added Asagwara, who retained her seat in the last election in October in the Union Station riding in downtown Winnipeg.

The president of the Black History Month in Manitoba organization, Nadia Thompson, said that celebrations of the mentioned month have expanded in scope and richness since she joined the organization in 2007.

That year, the organization hosted six events. Now it organizes more than 40 events during the year 2024.

The organization was founded in Manitoba in 1981 under the name "Black History Month Celebration Committee." It has expanded the scope of its activities to include raising awareness about the history of Black people in Manitoba and beyond, according to its website.