BCBHAS Black History Month Events

Add a Comment by Rebecca Bollwitt Sunday, January 31st, 2021 — 2:49pm PST

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For its 25th annual Black History Month program, the BC Black History Awareness Society (“BCBHAS”) is hosting five online events to recognize and celebrate the achievements and contributions of historical and contemporary people of African descent.

BCBHAS Black History Month Events

Putting Black British Columbia History to Work: Contemporary Implications of Historical Blackness

When: Sunday, February 7, 2021 from 2:00pm to 3:00pm
Where: Register online
About: “In this talk I try to address the persistent “absent presence” of Blackness largely in terms of history but also in terms of geography. More specifically, I take up named (and for the most part, somewhat known) historical figures (Mifflin Gibbs, Sylvia Stark and, if we dare colour him Black, Sir James Douglas) and use them to try to explain the strategy (racist erasure) by which Blackness has come to be rendered almost fully absent from the conception of BC and to assert the contemporary presence of a rich diversity (e.g. in terms of gender, sexuality, diaspora) of Blackness that belies and resists that erasure.” – Prof. Handel Kashope Wright, Director of the Centre for Culture, Identity and Education and co-editor of African and Diasporic Cultural Studies Book Series.

Symposium: Black Migration and British Columbia

When: Wednesday, February 17, 2021 from 2:30pm to 4:15pm
Where: Register online
About: In 1858, an estimated 800 men, women and children of African descent came to British Columbia. Questions include why they came, what was their impact, why many left, where they traveled and many others. In this symposium Canadian and American scholars present their recent research that reveals informative insights on this period of Black history. Speakers include Dr. Adam Arenson, Sherry Edmunds-Flett, Dr. Stacey Smith, with moderator Dr. Dana Elizabeth Weiner and commentator Dr. John Lutz.

The Fifth Element

When: Saturday, February 20, 2021 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm
Where: Register online
About: Learn the rich history of the 5 Elements, and of the lands we live on today. This is the 5 Elements of Hip Hop program where you will dive in and explore each of the elements: Knowledge, Djing/Lyricism, Breakdancing/African dance, and Graffiti. The goal is to use Hip Hop pedagogy to embed themes of identity, power, resistance and creativity in the sessions to re-engage Black and Indigenous youth in this society. The first element is Knowledge, uncovering black Victoria, Indigenous land awareness; followed by special guest speaker, Ernie Paniccioli, legendary Hip Hop Photographer and member of the Hip Hop Hall of Fame.

Ross Bay Cemetery Tour

When: Sunday, February 21, 2021 from 2:00pm to 3:00 pm
Where: Online (Zoom link forthcoming)
About: An online guided tour of the graves of Black Pioneers and others who were influential in the migration of Blacks to the British Colony. The hosts for this online tour are John Adams, Old Cemeteries Society and Valin Marshall, BC Black History Awareness Society.

BCBHAS celebrates Music during Black History Month with Pablo Cárdenas

When: Friday, February 26, 2021 from 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Where: Hermann’s Jazz Club website or YouTube
About: In a career spanning more than 60 years, Canadian jazz pianist and composer Oscar Peterson released over 200 recordings, won eight Grammy Awards, and received numerous other awards and honours. He is considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time and continues to inspire and challenge new generations of jazz musicians. The sensational Cuban pianist Pablo Cárdenas brings his top trio and reproduces many of Oscar’s most famous and beloved performances. Rob Johnson on bass, Cyril Lojda on drums.

The British Columbia Black History Awareness Society celebrates the achievements of Black people in British Columbia by creating an awareness of the history of Blacks in BC, stimulating interest in the contributions of persons of African ancestry to BC and Canada today, and celebrating historical and current achievements in the arts, education, government, sports, science and beyond.