Black History Month in the U.S. dates back to 1926, when Dr. Carter G. Woodsen wanted to honour Black history with a week-long celebration. Soon, communities began to expand the celebrations for a month, but Black History Month wasn’t officially recognized by the U.S. government until 1976.
In 1995, Jean Augustine, the first Black woman to become a member of parliament, made a motion to recognize February as Black History Month in Canada—nearly 70 years after it first began!
Black History Month is an opportunity to honour and celebrate the Black Canadians who, despite the many systemic barriers they continue to face, have contributed to Canada and the world. Throughout February, we celebrate the perseverance, ingenuity and innovation, the dedication, the resilience and forgiveness, creativity and diversity that is Black People in Canada.
To help celebrate Black History Month, we’ve rounded up some great online events happening in February.
- Feb 7th - Feb 26th - BCBHAS Black History Month Events » Vancouver Blog Miss604
- Putting Black British Columbia History to Work: Contemporary Implications of Historical Blackness
- Symposium: Black Migration and British Columbia
- The Fifth Element
- Ross Bay Cemetery Tour
- BCBHAS celebrates Music during Black History Month with Pablo Cárdenas
- Feb 16th - Virtual Event (Panel): Vancity Impact Talk | Canadian Resistance: Black Cinema and Community
- Feb 17th - Virtual Event (Symposium): Black Migration and British Columbia
- Feb 17th - Virtual Event (Panel): Community Conversation Celebrating Black History Month
- Feb 18th - Hair Love: Building a Legacy Through Representation with Matthew A. Cherry
- Feb 20th - Vancouver Black History Month 2021 Tickets at 5:00 PM | Eventbrite
- Feb 23rd - Virtual Event (Speaker): MAR Shift: BC Black Pioneers with Silvia Mangue
- Feb 25th - Virtual Event (Panel): Black (in)Visibility: Black Nurses in Canada who Paved the Way
This is the first in a series of posts on celebrating Black History Month 2021.
Photo by Simone Fischer on Unsplash
