February has officially been Black History Month in Canada since 1995, when the Hon. Jean Augustine, the first black Canadian woman elected to Parliament, brought forward a motion to recognize the designation.
Unofficially, Black History Month had been celebrated since the mid-1920s, acknowledging the contributions and legacy of the country’s black residents in every field from business, to education, to the arts.
Canada has not always been a promised land, despite welcoming slaves escaping to freedom on the Underground Railroad. The country's history also includes slavery, prejudice and discrimination. Black History Month provides a window into that past, while celebrating the achievements, triumphs and struggles of black citizens.
This year’s focus is on black Canadian women, including Viola Desmond, who has been called Canada’s Rosa Parks because of her influence on civil rights in Canada.
In 1946, Nova Scotia businesswoman Viola Desmond attended the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, N.S. She purchased a ticket and went to sit in the main floor area to watch a movie. She was told to move to the balcony because the main floor was “whites only.” She refused.
Desmond was arrested and convicted of defrauding the government because of the one cent difference between the ticket she purchased and the cost of a main floor seat. She was fined $26 (which included court costs), and spent time in jail.
She decided to challenge the segregationist laws of Nova Scotia all the way to the Supreme Court of the province, but her conviction was upheld. It was not until 2010 the province granted Desmond a pardon – and an apology.
Desmond had moved to New York and died in 1965 – but her 83-year-old sister, Wanda Robson, accepted the apology on her behalf.
Desmond not only helped spark Canada’s civil rights movement, she became the first Canadian woman to appear on a Canadian banknote, on the new $10 bills.
The BWG Diversity Action Group plans to celebrate Black History Month at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library, starting this Saturday, Feb. 2 from 1-4 p.m. Drop by the Zima Room for a family celebration, with storytelling, crafts, games, drumming and refreshments.
On Feb. 20, the action group will host a creative exhibit marking Black History Month, an evening of visual and written art at the library, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
And on Feb. 23, the library invites families to hear TedEx speaker Babarinde Williams in an afternoon of West African storytelling through music and stories, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., bringing to life the cultural history of percussion and the traditions of West Africa. The free drop-in program is supported by the Friends of the Library.
