By Staff

The City of Toronto proclaimed June 2023 as Black Music Month. The proclamation was issued by Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie on behalf of Toronto City Council. The 2023 proclamation was made in response to a request by the Canada Black Music Archives (CBMA) to continue to honour Black Canadian musicians in Toronto. In 2019 John Tory proclaimed June as Black Music Month at the behest of Music Managers Forum.

The CBMA is the digital archives developed to research, document and preserve the history of African Canadian musicians whose contributions are often undocumented, under-reported and hidden except for a handful of artists. One of the goals of the CBMA is to make the stories of these hidden musical figures more accessible, thereby creating greater awareness and much needed sense of belonging for Canada’s Black communities, as well as sharing an incredible 100-year history of African Canadian musicians’ contributions with all Canadians.

Celebrating the musical contributions of Black musicians in June originated in the United States, like Black History Month, and is widely regarded as an opportunity to acknowledge Black musicians for their incredible contributions to society. In 1979 the City of Toronto became the first Canadian municipality to proclaim February as Black History Month. The City of Toronto’s 2023 Black Music Month Proclamation states that Black musicians have played a vital role in shaping Toronto’s musical identity.

June was formerly called National Black Music Month when the designation was first approved by U.S. President Jimmy Carter in 1979. June as Black Music Month has since crossed international borders and is being rebranded as Black Music Appreciation Month around the globe.

According to the City of Toronto’s 2023 Proclamation, “Black music has helped shape our city’s culture, carrying history in the lyrics and heritage in the melodies.” Musicians like Nana McLean, Eddie Bullen, Archie Alleyne, Connie Maynard, Sonny Greenwich, Maestro Fresh West, Jully Black, Kardinal Offishall, Michie Me, Drake, The Weeknd, Haviah Mighty and Daniel Caesar are among the artists cited in the Proclamation.

There are many more musical contributors to be added to the list and the CBMA’s goal is to amplify the names of Black musicians from Toronto and from across Canada.

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