Nigerian-born woman becomes first queer black person to be elected into Canadian parliament

Since the founding of Canadian province Manitoba 150 years ago, no Black person has ever been elected to the Manitoba Legislature.

Last Tuesday, three Black people broke that jinx. The three, including Nigerian-born Uzoma Asagwara, won seats in the Manitoba Legislature.

Jamie Moses won the St. Vital seat for the New Democratic Party (NDP) and Audrey Gordon won Southdale for the Progressive Conservatives.

Nigerian-born Asagwara won the Union Station seat for the NDP but what makes her victory unique is the fact that she is now the first queer Black person to be elected in Manitoba in its entire history, reports CBC News.

Asagwara is well known for her long years of activism in the communities in Winnipeg and has worked in Canada as a psychiatric nurse. The Nigerian-Canadian is not only a politician and activist but also an athlete.

Speaking on her victory, Asagwara said, “This is a historic moment for our team and our communities.”

Asagwara, a first-generation Canadian whose parents are Nigerian, is happy because she believes that she will represent the voices of thousands of immigrants and refugees in the Manitoba Legislature.

“Our elected officials in our Manitoba Legislature should absolutely reflect the constituencies … and communities that are in Manitoba,” Asagwara told CBC News.

“So making sure that our elected officials look like the communities we serve [is] fundamental in making sure that all voices and all communities are served well in Manitoba,” she added.

Last week’s provincial election “saw a more diverse set of candidates than past years, with the PCs and NDP nominating the largest number of Indigenous candidates in recent history,” reports CBC News.

The report added that among the candidates for the province’s 57 seats, the Liberals ran 14 people of colour this year, the NDP 18 and the Tories six.