Black History Month

Ancestry.ca have issued a press release at www.ancestry.ca/about/default.aspx?section=pr-2011-01-26 marking Black History Month and throwing the spotlight on the contributions of Black Canadians in times of war.

There's an interesting back story. The accepted historical wisdom has been that Blacks served in support roles in the Canadian forces in WW1. Aided by the data now being digitized and made available online researchers are establishing that Blacks also served and died in combat roles. It's an example of how history is in the process of being rewritten thanks in part to the online availability of records.

As illustrated by US President Obama many Blacks have a mixed racial background, including ancestry from the UK and Ireland. The Ancestry.ca release reminds us of their contributions to the great causes of our past.