In the 1980s, Howard McCurdy was a feisty Member of Parliament from Windsor, the the first black NDP MP and the only black in the House of Commons at the time. He became known for his interest in civil rights, for people of all races and colors. It's a passion he inherited from many McCurdys before him.

When you talk about civil rights in Canada, sooner or later the name McCurdy will come up. The McCurdys settled in Amherstberg 150 years ago and became leaders in the struggle for equality. Nasa McCurdy Jr. was a church leader and a school trustee, a man at the center of the oldest black community in Canada. He became an important figure in the Underground Railroad movement, helping black slaves escape from America.

As a young man, Howard's role model was his uncle, George McCurdy, who eventually became the director of the Human Rights Commission in Nova Scotia. Howard and his family discuss their family's history in social activism and public service.