What Canadians Can Do to Support Black Communities and Causes During and After Black History Month

Black History Month

As we mark Black History Month 2022, we must go beyond acknowledging the occasion and think about ways to meaningfully get involved in fighting anti-Black racism and supporting Black communities all year around. Photo: Photo: Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty Images

In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 68/237, which proclaimed 2015 to 2024 to be the International Decade for People of African Descent. Not only does this declaration scarcely get mentioned by political and education leaders, but recent years — which included global anti-racism protests around the world, and in Canada, an increase in reported hate crimes — reveal that there remains a lack of understanding and empathy toward people of African descent.

Black History Month is a time to shift one’s awareness about people of African descent — our stories, experiences, triumphs, and contributions. And while Black history and culture exists beyond February, the month marks a time of recognition. It is important to know the roots of the month, and how everyone can meaningfully get involved in learning about the Black experience.

 

From “Negro History Week” to Black History Month

 

In 1926, African American historian Carter G. Woodson initiated Negro History Week in commemoration of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln — the two most instrumental figures in the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and both of whom were born in February. Then, in 1976, to commemorate America’s bicentennial, Negro History Week became a nationally celebrated month as Black History Month.

Meanwhile, Canada’s Black History Month celebrations first began in the 1950s when the Canadian Negro Women’s Association organized events around the Caribbean carnival in Toronto. In 1978, in large part due to the efforts of the Ontario Black History Society led by Rosemary Sadlier and others, the City of Toronto recognized February as Black History Month — which it formally celebrated in 1979 and then expanded province-wide in 1993. In 1995, Black History Month was recognized nationally (and first officially observed in 1996) when the Honourable Jean Augustine brought the motion before Parliament, where it passed unanimously.

Black History Month, then, is a moment to pause and recognize the contributions of Black Canadians to our national fabric. But it’s also an opportunity to engage in programming and events, contribute financially to locally operated Black heritage sites, and support Black authors and filmmakers across Canada. By doing so, you will actively participate in taking ongoing meaningful action in aid of Black communities, as well as broaden your understanding of the issues affecting Black communities — which, for example, will ensure that Black Lives Matter all year round.

Read on to learn more about how you can support Black communities and causes across Canada.

 

Western Canada

 

There are deeply rooted Black communities in Western Canada that you can support that are actively preserving and recuperating forgotten Black histories. Hogan’s Alley, Vancouver’s first concentrated Black community in the Strathcona neighbourhood — that was levelled in the 1960s to construct a freeway — is one example. Today, the Hogan’s Alley Society (HAS) is a non-profit organization working to not only preserve Black history in Vancouver and throughout British Columbia, but also to acquire and develop land and assets that will foster Black community. Here, you can learn more about HAS and donate to help keep the memory of Hogan’s Alley alive.

 

Ontario 

 

Black History is deeply rooted in communities across Ontario, from Windsor-Sussex to Grey County. The Chatham-Kent and Essex County regions in the southwestern part of the province has institutions such as The Buxton Museum, Amherstburg Freedom Museum and Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History, which marks the location of the Black settlement founded there in 1841 by Rev. Josiah Henson, a formerly enslaved man who is also the first Black person to appear on a Canadian stamp.

Without the support of the public, many of these community-based organizations will not exist. In addition to donations, you can go on virtual tours, purchase items from their websites, and attend speaker events online. This year that includes the Black Futures Black History Month Leadership Series, a virtual event running all month long that invites Canadians to learn more about Black communities, peoples of African descent and how they continue to advance the development of Canada.

Canadians who purchase a ticket will gain access to panel discussions and presentations from the countries leading thought leaders on a variety of topics including, Black and Indigenous solidarity, climate action in Black communities and the importance of African-Canadian elders.

The public can also support Toronto artist Robert Small, recently named to the Order of Canada, and his annual Black History Month Legacy posters.

 

Quebec

 

As part of the 31st anniversary of their own Black History Month celebrations, the borough of LaSalle in Montreal is hosting in-person and virtual events in English and French, including a diverse selection of local workshops, exhibitions, film screenings and musical performances. At McGill University there are also month-long events that include lectures, workshops, panel discussions and a student-produced art exhibit.

 

The Maritimes

 

In Nova Scotia, February is known as African Heritage Month, and it is an acknowledgement that African Nova Scotians are a unique community that can trace their lineage back to before the War of 1812. The African Heritage Month Information Network (AHMIN) produces a commemorative poster each year that you can purchase on their website to help support African Nova Scotian organizations. You can also read AfriCANthology: Perspectives of Black Canadian Poets edited by A. Gregory Frankson, which features Black poets and creatives from across the country, including the Maritimes.