Black History Month
Today and Everyday
February is Black History Month, to honour and celebrate achievements and innovations of Black individuals and communities. The 2023 theme within Canada for Black History Month is: Ours to tell". This represents both an opportunity to engage in open dialogue and a commitment to learning more about the stories Black communities in Canada have to tell (Government of Canada, 2023). With this recognition, comes increased awareness of the discrepancies in access, structural oppressive systems and individual biases. As an individual and within the larger community you have the power to work together to create equity.
Supporting and Being an Ally
How can you support or be an ally today and everyday?
Engaging in critical self-reflection. Allyship involves critical self-reflection and actively taking on racism and oppression as your own issue, even if you will never understand or experience the damage it causes. Education and tools to engage and guide for self-reflection can be found at https://libguides.uvic.ca/c.php?g=717828&p=5126645.
Educate yourself on issues surrounding anti-black racism: Individual focus on raising awareness and educating and immersing oneself as a member or ally to Black communities, Black cultures, and issues around anti-Black racism.
Support local black community organizations. Continuous hard work from members of the community and black community organizations to build community inclusion and togetherness through activities, allyship, participation and discussion. By volunteering or through donations creates change within your community.
To participate and support local Anti-Black racism and black community organizations, please access the links below.
Black History Month events in Barrie ON:
Organizations within surrounding areas:
Important reads: