Black History Month kicks off
Posted Feb 1, 2011 7:26 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Tuesday is the start of Black History Month and Calgary has no shortage of stories about local African-Canadians breaking down barriers.
One such person was Virnetta Anderson.
She was the first black Albertan to be elected to a public post when she became an alderman in 1974.
She passed away in 2006.
Her ex-husband and former Calgary Stampeder Ezzrett “Sugarfoot” Anderson tells 660News she was an extraordinary person.
“I remember her being deputy mayor when Robert Kennedy and Ethel came to visit Max Bell,” he recalls. “My wife was a very smart lady.”
Virnetta was also heavily involved in the Calgary community, helping to start Meals on Wheels.
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