A statement from USW Canada’s Directors on Black History Month
2026 marks the 30th year of celebrating Black History Month in Canada and the USW shares the national theme of “Honouring Black Brilliance Across Generations – From Nation Builders to Tomorrow’s Visionaries.”
Each year, Black History Month celebrates the contributions and achievements of Black Canadians. However, the contributions of Black workers within our union, the labour movement and in society have gone beyond 30 years.
Generations of Black Steelworkers have built our union through organizing members, fighting for fair wages, safer working conditions and human rights both in their workplaces and union spaces.
This year, on March 1, Roxanne Brown will become USW International President. She will make history as both the first woman and the first Black individual to lead our union. Roxanne has overseen the union’s public policy, legislative agenda and its political work for over 20 years. She has spent more than two decades advancing policies on behalf of USW members. She has extensive experience in manufacturing, environmental and energy policy.
We encourage Steelworkers to attend Black History Month celebrations in their local unions, area councils, districts, as well as their local communities to learn about the generations of Black Canadians who have contributed much to the fabric of this country.
In solidarity,
Marty Warren
USW National Director
Scott Lunny
USW District 3 Director (Western Canada and the Territories)
Nicolas Lapierre
USW District 5 Director (Quebec)
Kevon Stewart
USW District 6 Director (Ontario and Atlantic Provinces)
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