Black History Month: February and Forever
James Skitt Matthews/City Archives
Black History Month is the annual celebration recognizing the contributions and achievements of Black people. According to Senator Donald H. Oliver in the 2008 Motion to Recognize Contributions of Black Canadians and February as Black History month, “The celebration encourages us to honour the significant role that Black people, both past and present, have played in shaping the mosaic of Canada and its values.” Oliver was the first black man appointed to the Canadian Senate.
The House of Commons first officially recognized Black History Month in December 1995 following a motion introduced by the Honourable Jean Augustine, the first African Canadian woman elected to Parliament.
The theme of 2022’s Black History Month is “February and Forever,” which focuses on recognizing the daily contributions made by Black Canadians.
To commemorate Black History Month, two students shared in a video about their experience in the course “African Descent History in BC 12”. Madame N. Fester, teacher of the course, joined these two students in attending the VSB’s January 31 board meeting. Fester shared that the course is a way to demonstrate that “there is a lot of difficulty and strife within the context Black history, but there is also joy and resilience.”
Students expressed how much they learned throughout the course through examining the relationship between oppression and modern society. One enrolled student, Tobias, explained that “we hear a lot about how racism is systemic, but this course actually provided insights to what systems are in place and the origins of the systems.”
Another student named Quincy elaborated that “in this class, we have productive discussions about race and it will be something that I will take with me in the future.”
The provincial government and the VSB took the month as an opportunity to highlight and honour the life of Barbara Howard. Howard was born and raised in Vancouver and was the first Black female athlete to represent Canada. She later became the first racialised teacher to be recruited by the VSB.
Various institutions across Canada hosted events for Black History Month. UBC held an online “walk-through” commemorating the accomplishments of black nurses throughout history. The public may also visit the physical display case in the School of Nursing and watch a video on the nursing website.
The BC Black Awareness Society also held events in February and continues to do so through March. On Sunday, March 27, a free online event titled “Black History Here, Now, Then, Always” will be held. Panellists are curators of the exhibits Hope Meets Action: Echoes Through the Black Continuum at the Royal BC Museum; and Sankofa: African Routes, Canadian Roots at the Museum of Anthropology. Viewers can register on the BC Black Awareness Society’s events website.