February is Black History Month
In Canada, the month of February is celebrated as Black History Month and in the spirit of this we are going to shortly reflect on last year and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.
In 2020, we have seen the international rise of the BLM movement, which started in 2013 in the United States. This past year we saw protests across North America and the world in support of anti-racism and eradicating violence against Black people, people of colour, and Indigenous peoples.
If you attended one of these protests or marches in 2020 (while following COVID-19 protocols at the time), you would have seen people from all walks of life; the diversity within the crowds was unforgettable. The needless violence against George Floyd and so many others sparked a massive uprising of people joining together to fight systemic racism.
A major resource that we have found for BC is the BC Black History Awareness Society. They are hosting 5 webinars covering various topics of Black History. If you are interested in learning about Black Migration to British Columbia, receiving an online tour of the graves of Black Pioneers, or celebrating with music from Cuban pianist Pablo Cárdenas, click here.
This part January 15th, a new initiative has started in the Lower Mainland communities and elementary schools: “Black Shirt Day”. This day is organized by the Anti-Racism Coalition of Vancouver and is promoting more Black history in the BC school curriculum (CBC Article).
