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Robert Small, C.M.

Robert Small has revolutionized the celebration of Black History Month in Canada
through his art.  For over a quarter of a decade, Small’s art has been featured in a poster
he creates called “LEGACY”. Distributed annually, the poster has educated millions
about the history, contributions and accomplishments of African-Canadians. Small is a
self-taught artist who has merged his artistic talent, skills as an entrepreneur and teaching
degree to demonstrate the power of art and conviction. Small graduated from the
University of Windsor with a degree in Sociology and Criminology. In 2017 he attended
York University where he obtained his teaching degree. He is also the proud father of two
girls.
Over the years, Small has made many historical accomplishments among the greatest,
being his recent induction into the Order of Canada as a member. As one of the youngest
African-Canadians to ever receive this honour and the only/first African-Canadian visual
artist to do so, Small continues to build on his historical significance to the African-
Canadian community. In 2022, Small doesn’t plan to slow his innovative momentum as
he prepares to launch “Afrotastic”, the first online trivia game focusing on African-
Canadian history.
In both 2007 and 2021, Small’s artwork was displayed in banks across the country and
the only African-Canadian artist to accomplish this. For over ten years, his art has been
featured on the side of a building in downtown Toronto. In an era of success being
measured by visibility on social platforms, Small maintains a vibrant presence there as
well with media clips on major television outlets that have been viewed over 100,000
times. Throughout his career Small has been interviewed by such major media outlets as
The Toronto Star, The Toronto Sun, CBC, City TV and Rogers. With all of these
accomplishments, Small’s artwork has even permeated the transit system in Toronto by
being displayed as part of an anti-racism campaign in over twenty subway stations. Along
with these accomplishments, Small’s artwork continues to be the centerpiece of Black
History Month celebrations by appearing in thousands of schools across the country.
Small will be historically remembered as the most significant visual artist of the last two
decades and the future offers more accomplishments to come.
What makes Small a Black entrepreneur to watch in the future is his merging of art,
education, black history and technological advancement. Small has ambitions to create
Black history-oriented Alexa skills and expand on his catalogue of Afrocentric activity
books for children. The future offers Small boundless opportunities for his limitless
ability. He is also a incredibly popular speaker during Black History Month.