February 13, 2026
Manitoba Government Marks Black History Month with More Than $1.2 Million in Investments in Black-Led Organizations
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The Manitoba government is marking Black History Month by investing more than $1.2 million to support Black-led organizations across the province and announcing $40,000 in new relief funding for families in Jamaica impacted by Hurricane Melissa, Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation Minister Jamie Moses and Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced today.
“When the Black community is strong, Manitoba is strong,” said Moses. “Black History Month is both a celebration of culture, leadership and resilience and a call to action. We are committed to building a province where everyone feels seen, valued and safe, and to supporting Black Manitobans as entrepreneurs, artists, leaders and families who help drive our province forward.”
Over the past year, the Manitoba government has supported Black-led community organizations, youth programming, newcomer services, housing initiatives and cultural groups across the province.
The investment includes $100,000 to support Manitoba in hosting the fifth National Black Canadians Summit from Sept. 18 to 20. The summit will bring together leaders, entrepreneurs and community advocates from across Canada to advance opportunity and strengthen connections.
Recent Manitoba government investments support Black-led organizations such as Sports Without Borders, Manitoba Women for Women of South Sudan Inc., Bilal Community and Family Centre and Pan African Legacy, among others. The Manitoba government has also provided funding to a range of ethno-cultural organizations including the Afro-Caribbean Association of Manitoba, Anglophone Cameroon Association of Manitoba Inc., Ethio-Canadian Cultural Academy Inc., Manitoba African Film Festival Inc. and Manitoba Somali Association Inc.
“Black History Month is both a celebration and a call to action. Being Black in Canada often means navigating systems that were built without any intention of meeting our needs including health care,” said Asagwara. “Our government is focused on removing long-standing barriers that have limited access to timely, culturally safe care for Black Manitobans and ensuring the health system better meets the needs of the communities it serves. That includes investing in community-led solutions and strengthening culturally responsive approaches to care.”
The Manitoba government has advanced initiatives to address inequities in health outcomes, including expanding newborn screening to include sickle cell disease, strengthening data collection to better understand disparities in care and supporting training to eliminate systemic racism in the health-care system.
Manitoba continues to position itself as a province where diversity is valued, culture is celebrated and communities are supported through concrete investment and sustained partnership, the ministers added.
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