By Canute Lawrence
When 37-year-old Brianna (not her actual identify) arrived in Toronto in 2023, she had no concept that her first week could be spent sleeping on the streets beneath the celebrities. The closest expertise she has ever needed to that was when she attended an all-night Reggae Sunsplash competition in her residence nation, Jamaica.
She remembers how thrilling it was partying beneath the golden solar all day, all through the evening, and into the fragile daybreak moments earlier than dawn. The distinction between that have and the expertise in Toronto is that she had an possibility on the former.
“For this reason Black Historical past Month can not simply be celebrated with the compulsory acknowledgement of Black individuals,” affirms Ian McKnight, Director of Applications and Providers, Toronto Individuals With AIDS Basis (PWA). “It has to take a critical take a look at the myriad of points going through Caribbean Black individuals as they navigate to Canada” McKnight reaffirms.
“It’s with this in thoughts that the PWA is taking a deeper dive into Black Historical past Month 2024 actions and making certain that we transcend the superficial; not simply highlighting remoted tales of resilience and triumph confronted by migrants, however to have a look at among the systematic boundaries which might be stopping individuals from thriving on this nation” McKnight emphasizes.
He assures that the actions will have fun Blackness, and that they will even goal to foster group amongst and inside various Black communities in Canada.
It’s not a secret that Caribbean individuals immigrated to Canada through the Nineteen Sixties and have contributed considerably to the expansion of the Canadian economic system and panorama in lots of spheres; arts, leisure, meals, media, banking, training, healthcare, simply to call a couple of.
Caribbean immigrants, over the a long time, have added richness, wealth, and taste to the tapestry of Canadian life, and should be handled equitably, particularly those that are weak or marginalized.
On World AIDS Day 2023, PWA and 14 of its different AIDS providers organizations concluded that one of many main points going through the communities served is the present housing disaster notably for newcomers to Canada. With this actuality in thoughts, PWA continues their reflection in and thru Black Historical past Month actions beneath the theme, “Ubuntu: I’m due to you.” All through February, PWA is internet hosting a sequence of occasions to seize this very particular state of affairs highlighting the philosophy of humanity’s shared accountability towards our fellow residents.
Each Monday at 12 Midday, there are lunch and displays on music, dance, and style. On February 12, there may be A Culinary Tribute to Black Historical past (Artwork Exhibition) titled Soulful Flavors,” and on February 26, Magnificence in Ebony (Artwork Exhibition) titled “A Trend Odyssey Celebrating Black Historical past” will likely be showcased. There are alternatives to sit back and socialize after work to the sound of Black music each Friday at 4:45 PM at its 163 Queen Road East headquarters, in downtown Toronto. The general public is invited to attend every exercise.
Black Historical past Month actions will climax with a grand Trend Extravaganza the place Visitor Speaker, Member of Provincial Parliament Dr. Jill Andrew is predicted to formally deliver the ultimate week of celebrations to an in depth.
