A ‘legacy of resilience, love, respect and dignity’
African Heritage Month launched at Birchtown ceremony
With the names of the original Black Loyalist settlers to Nova Scotia standing as a testament of time throughout the building, African Heritage Month was launched Feb. 1 at the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Birchtown.
Songs were sung by soloist Akaya Shand and the Hillcrest Academy Choir, the African Heritage Month Proclamation was read by leaders of the five municipal units in Shelburne County and the provincial poster was unveiled.
“Today we celebrate a month-long tribute. This is not a month-long tribute. This is 365 days of recognition of Black and Indigenous people in this community,” said Darlene Cooper, president of the Black Loyalist Heritage Society.
“We work hard every day and strive for excellence. Coming out of 2023, was a very difficult year but one that we seem to have risen above and moved on from. As we go forward in 2024 with much light, love and forward motion for the children that are here today, they are our legacy. As a descendent of a Black Loyalist, I think today of the hardships that those 3,000 souls that originally came here, those that stayed, where we are today. There’s the past, the now, the future and we hope through the society, the centre and our community partners and everyone in this room that we will go forward to keep our legacy of resilience, love, respect and dignity in the forefront,” said Cooper.
Our Smiles, Our Joy, Our Resilience as African Nova Scotians is the provincial theme for this year’s African Heritage Month.
“As we navigate throughout the month and the remainder of the year, some of the events
are quite solemn, some of them are quite sad because the history is painful and it's dark,” said Andrea Davis, executive director of the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre.
“I think what we need to do this year is focus on our smiles, focus on our future, focus on our youth. Let's move ourselves past 1783. It will never be rewritten. It is what it is but we have this opportunity now to think such wonderful change. The time is now. This is our year for smiles, this is our year for joy, this is our year for continued strength.
"Take a look around our community. We have come on pretty strong. We help each other in times of need. It's not just one community. We are a community. It's our year for celebration and prosperity. It's our year for love and most of all it's our year for community."
While this year's provincial theme aligns with the final year of the United Nations' International Decade for People of African Descent (DPAD) but “does it really?” asked Davis.
“I don't know about you guys but I've got a lot of years left and I'm of African descant and its going to continue,” said Davis. “We've been here for a long time. This African Heritage Month, we celebrate our heritage, our culture and the incredible spirit to overcome and to move forward.”
The goal of DPAD is to strengthen global co-operation in support of people of African descent, increase awareness and the passage towards presence in all aspects of society.