Local Black History Month events move online
Aims to educate about contributions of local Black community
February is Black History Month and the Community Race Relations Committee of Peterborough is planning virtual events throughout the month to educate people about Black history and people of colour, says the master of ceremonies.
Black History Month is important to help people understand the ways Black history helps to contribute to the economy, said Cayo Whyte.
Holidays such as Christmas or St. Patrick’s Day are used to build the economy and traditions and community, he said.
“We contribute to the economy in a number of ways: music, dance, sports, food, carnivals and all that life we bring to the community is something that needs to be recognized,” Whyte said.
Black people have been historically marginalized, silenced and oppressed, he said.
“This is the one time of year the opportunity arises for us on a national scale to highlight some of the experiences the Black community is experiencing,” Whyte said.
Many organizations in Peterborough are getting involved, he said.
“They are doing very different things as a part of remembering and empowering the community,” Whyte said.
“Some agencies are having programs that are Black led and Black run.”
The Community Race Relations Committee of Peterborough aims to interact with people as a way of educating them to all that the Black community has experienced, he said.
“We have decided to take the road of educating by highlighting different guest speakers to come up and talk about current things going on in our community to inform people about the good things going on, what we need to empower and encourage,” Whyte said.
Due to the pandemic, Whyte said, activities will be held virtually.
“Previous years, we would have had lots of activities, where people can meet, greet, talk, dance and share stories and share a meal,” he said. “Because of the pandemic, we have to move everything to online.”
The month will be launched Saturday with a live Facebook broadcast from 1:50 to 3:30 p.m. Register to join at tinyurl.com/BHMLaunch2021. It can be seen live on the Community and Race Relations Committee of Peterborough Facebook page.
The event will feature statements from Mayor Diane Therrien, MPP Dave Smith, Coun. Don Vassiliadis and city police Chief Scott Gilbert and Deputy Chief Tim Farquharson. Historian Rosemary Sadleir will discuss the history of Black History Month while Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies CEO Nicole Brown will discuss achievements in equity by the province’s Black leaders.
There will also be drumming and dancing courtesy of Afiwi Groove, which is a dance group and music school, to bring excitement and life to the educational knowledge exchange, Whyte said.
The calendar of events for the full month are posted at racerelationspeterborough.org.