Activist Dan Philip, former president of the Quebec Negro League, is dead. He was 85 years old.
“Today we lost a great one. Thank you for all your fights! », Reacted liberal MP Frantz Benjamin on social networks on Monday. You will remain in our hearts. »
Originally from Saint Lucia, in the Caribbean, Dan Philip led the Quebec Negro League for over 40 years. He joined the organization shortly after arriving in Quebec in the 1970s.
Known for speaking out against racism and discrimination, he was particularly involved in the fight against police brutality.
Under his presidency, the organization filed several lawsuits for racial profiling against the City of Montreal and its police department.
He retired in 2020, leaving his place to Max Stanley Bazin.
For decades, he has been the voice of black communities denouncing racism in all its forms. He was one of the great voices for equality in Quebec in the fight against discrimination. He has long worked within our communities for leadership assumed and carried by the members of our communities.
Frantz Benjamin, liberal deputy for the Viau constituency
Her activism has earned her several distinctions during her career, including the Rosa Parks Prize from the Human Rights Commission in 2000.
In 2019, the octogenarian received the citizenship medal from the National Assembly in the constituency of D’Arcy-McGee.
“His work is so important for members of various black communities and, in fact, for all Quebecers,” argued the Liberal MP at the time, David Birnbaum.
In 2023, the Jewish organization B’nai Brith awarded him a certificate of recognition for his work promoting Black-Jewish relations.