From the archives

On April 9, 1968, Dr. Daniel G. Hill, the OHRC’s first Director and Commissioner, spoke at the memorial service held at Nathan Phillips Square for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee five days previously. The service was held under the combined sponsorship of the City of Toronto, religious, labour and community organizations.

Dr. Hill concluded his tribute with the following words:

Martin Luther King’s death will serve to remind us that in our relationships with our fellow men we must always be motivated by the highest ideals, the finest humanitarian principles and an underlying love for all mankind.

Read Dr. Daniel G. Hill’s statement given at the memorial service for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

[PDF of original statement]

[PDF of statement (accessible version)]

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Muhammad Ali and the Ontario Human Rights Code 

On March 29, 2021, the day of the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s (OHRC) 60th anniversary, the Toronto Star ran an in-depth, multi-page photo feature story on the 55th anniversary of Muhammad Ali’s famous Toronto boxing match. This incredibly popular article, called “How Muhammad Ali’s iconic Canadian debut brought Ontario’s human rights code into focus,” showcased Ali, his civil rights activism and Canada’s first human rights statute, our very own Ontario Human Rights Code (Code).

 

In March 1966, Ali arrived in Toronto for his historic match against Toronto boxer George Chuvalo at Maple Leaf Gardens. In the days leading up to this legendary fight, Ali gave a rousing and remarkable interview about his motivation for changing his name. Ali emphasized that “Clay was not my name. We want to be called after names of our people, names that fit us Black people and Clay was a White man’s name, it was a slave name, and I am no longer a slave.” A prominent symbol displayed in that interview was the Ontario Human Rights Code, which served as the backdrop to Ali declaring his right to assert his identity as a free Black man. 

 

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Check out our annual reports from the past that help to tell the story of how the OHRC and Ontario’s Human Rights Code have evolved over the past six decades.