The first black NDP MP, Howard McCurdy and his family explore the early history of the black community in southern Ontario and the McCurdy family's legacy of social activism. The McCurdys settled in Amherstberg, Ontario one hundred and fifty 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 centre 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 public service.