A local human rights advocate is encouraging people to learn more about black history.

February is Black History Month, a time when people are encouraged to seek out and learn more about the contribution Black Canadians and others of African descent have made to the collective human experience.

The founder of the Black Student Association of Memorial University, and a recent recipient of the Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Award, John Mweemba says Black history is Canadian history.

“They should be intertwined,” says Mweemba who points to the great Black artists, business leaders, professionals, musicians, and athletes who have shaped their respective fields “and they’re Canadian.”