TORONTO, Feb. 25, 2016 /CNW/ - Last night at the JAZZ.FM91's studio in downtown Toronto, RBC celebrated Black History Month with an event that looked back on the musical contributions of black Canadians of the past and present, and awarded scholarships to the next generation of Canadians.

The event featured three local Toronto jazz artists, Joe Sealy, Dione Taylor, and Jackie Richardson, who showcased their talents for the invited guests. The event also showcased the winners of the 2016 RBC Black History Month Student Essay Competition, including $5,000 grand-prize winner Kikachukwu Otiono of Ottawa, Ontario, who read her essay aloud.

"Here in Canada, and especially in Greater Toronto, we have a rich population of individuals who identify as black, and it is important to highlight the achievements of all black Canadians," said Wayne Griffith, Regional Vice President, East York/Beaches, RBC. "Tonight was a beautiful combination of jazz and spoken word, and an event I won't soon forget. As Canadians, we benefit when we gain a truer appreciation and understanding for all of the threads that make up our national fabric."

Five winners of the 2016 RBC Black History Month Essay Competition were on hand to be celebrated for their success. The competition has grown from a small grassroots scholarship program to a national competition that saw winners from coast to coast. There were 25 winners from across Canada this year, and scholarships ranged from $5,000 to $500.

Scholarship winners on hand to receive recognition at the event were:

• Kikachukwu Otiono of Ottawa, Ont. ($5,000 winner)
• Lillian Green of Toronto, Ont. ($500 winner)
• Rahul Balasundaram of Toronto, Ont. ($500 winner)
• Nada Yakubu of Brampton, Ont. ($500 winner)
• Lauren Patrick of Woodbridge, Ont. ($500 winner)

You can read all winning essays, including the three top scholarship winning essays at www.rbc.com/essay.

RBC's scholarship programs are part of our RBC Kid's Pledge, our five year, $100 million commitment to kids and youth.

ABOUT RBC

Royal Bank of Canada is Canada's largest bank, and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management, insurance, investor services and capital markets products and services on a global basis. We have over 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 37 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.‎ 

RBC helps communities prosper, supporting a broad range of community initiatives through donations, sponsorships and employee volunteer activities. In 2015, we contributed more than $100 million to causes around the world.

SOURCE RBC