Black Excellence
What is Black excellence?
Black excellence means staying strong and never giving up, even when facing challenges or hard times. It’s about always pushing forward to reach our goals and make progress. Black excellence isn’t just about what someone has done, but what they have achieved even though they faced tough challenges like racism, stereotypes, and being one of the first.
Black excellence celebrates the amazing achievements of Black people and their communities. It recognizes the challenges they have faced, the barriers they have broken, and the important contributions they have made in many areas. Black excellence honors the great things Black people have done in the past and today, in Canada and around the world, while also looking forward to new opportunities in the future.
Black excellence isn’t just about being famous or rich, and it’s not about being the best. It’s about being true to who you are and letting your talents shine. The true greatness is in just being you, and that’s more than enough. It’s important to celebrate the achievements of Black people around us.
We don’t have to look to famous people. We should look at the people in our own communities because there is amazing strength, resilience, and magic in the lives of everyday Black people who make a difference.
At its core Black Excellence is an unwavering belief in self-worth, insistence on equitable treatment, and rejection of any narrative that diminishes our value. Black Excellence is community. Black Excellence is the embodiment of resilience through trauma, confrontation of adversity, and perseverance through struggles while consistently pushing the boundaries of progress to achieve our goals.
—Black Leadership Council, 2023.
Challenging stereotypes
The capabilities and potential of Black people have been misrepresented for centuries by historical and media bias. Black excellence challenges Black stereotypes and highlights the diverse talents and accomplishments of Black communities.
The purpose of Black excellence is to not only acknowledge Black achievements, but to also inspire people of all racial backgrounds and empower future generations to courageously pursue their passions and reject counterproductive societal expectations.
