Every February people in Canada recognize, honor and celebrate the lives and work of Black Canadians with Black History Month. This year’s theme, “The Future is Now”, includes a poster with “Adinkra visual symbols originating in West Africa, that represent concepts which can vary in meaning. These symbols can also can be used to communicate a unique expression of African heritage.” (Canada, 2021). You can access the poster and symbols here.
At UBC, we celebrate Black History Month with events, acknowledging and highlighting the work and research of Black students, staff and faculty. We also see it as an opportunity to “– both as individuals and as a university community – reaffirm and critically reflect on our commitments and efforts to acknowledge and tackle anti-Black racism, and to better recruit, retain, and support Black students, faculty, and staff. […] As a university, we can play an important role in advancing awareness and understanding of Black history and experience, and together, improve Black representation and build a more inclusive UBC.” (Ono, 2021) One of UBC’s initiatives is the new Anti-Racism page.
You can check out some of the events and information at the following pages:
EVENTS UBC: https://events.ubc.ca/black-history-month/
Grad students: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/black-history-month
Regarding Black people in British Columbia, Beyond UBC brings the fantastic text To understand B.C.’s Black history, connect past and present, with inputs from Dr. Handel Wright, Director of the Centre for Culture, Identity & Education (CCIE) and Senior Advisor to the President on Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence. To learn more about the History of Black Canadians in British Columbia, visit the BC Black History Awareness Society.
Koerner Library selected materials by and about black Canadians.
Black Canadians : a long line of fighters, by Headly Tulloch
North of the Color Line: Migration and Black Resistance in Canada, 1870-1955, by Sarah Jane Matthieu
Policing Black lives : state violence in Canada from slavery to the present, by Robyn Maynard.
The Library encourages and support UBC researchers and Faculty, is always pleased to highlight Works produced by UBC community. We selected a few of the many works by our prolific authors.
Taking back control : African Canadian women teachers’ lives and practice, by Annette Henry
Toward a global idea of race, by Denise Ferreira da Silva
Reproduction: a novel, by Ian Williams
Your eyes are tired from all the mid-term readings? You can still engage with this important celebration! The National Film Board of Canada tailored a list of movies by and about black Canadians and allies.
REFERENCES:
Canada. (2021). Black History Month poster. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/black-history-month/poster.html
ONO, S. J. (2021, February 2). Weekly Update, February 1, 2021: Black History Month. Santa’s Blog. https://president.ubc.ca/blog/2021/02/01/weekly-update-2/
