(Photo: Wikicommons)

On Feb. 7, 1915, Canadian activist and composer Bill White III was born. White was the first Black Canadian to run for federal office.

The son of a Baptist minister, White and his siblings became well known figures in the worlds of art and social justice. In 1949, White ran for a seat in the House of Commons, and although he was not elected, his candidacy marked the first time a Black Canadian ran for a federal office.

In 1970, the Canadian government honored White with an appointment to the Order of Canada as an officer for his contributions to improving race relations in the country.  

White died in 1981.

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