The Newmarket African Caribbean Canadian Association (NACCA) has partnered with the Town of Newmarket to present Black History Month with the theme of The Black Family: Source of Perseverance and Resilience.
There will be a number of events throughout February to educate about and celebrate Black Canadians. This year's programming is developed around the idea of the Black family.
There is no one type of Black family and there are many intersections within it, according to NACCA chair Jerisha Grant-Hall, but she said, "We realize that the Black family has undergone so much in terms of the historical pieces."
This includes enslavement, historical disadvantages and institutional racism.
"It's almost like it was designed, the way that the movements occurred, it wasn't meant for the Black family to survive," Grant-Hall said.
The purpose of this year's Black History Month is to "examine that, to sort of focus on that and help our community understand what that journey has been like."
However, it's not just historical, as the Black family and individuals within those families continue to face challenges today, she said. This is often in the context of systemic racism, oppression and inequalities.
"In all areas of our society we see disparities, whether it's health care, housing, whether it's education, graduation," Grant-Hall said.
In Newmarket, she said there is a general awareness of the challenges facing Black people, especially in the last two or three years with a surge of discussions about anti-Black racism following the murder of George Floyd.
"I think because of that surge of conversation, there has a surge of some some sort of awareness locally," she said.
The work of NACCA has also helped raise awareness as part of the organization's mandate is to provide opportunities for people to learn and reduce the negative effects of racism.
"I think that there has been a level of awareness. Is it where it's ought to be? Probably not yet but we will get there," Grant-Hall said.
Black History Month includes a flag raising, illumination at Riverwalk Commons, an exhibit on local Black history at the Elman W. Campbell museum, a marketplace, speaker series, storytelling events, a youth panel on Black Excellence, and a film screening.
The full schedule of events and registration information is available on NACCA's website.
"What we have lined up, it's more than an opportunity. It's an experience," Grant-Hall said. "When you attend these events the hope is that folks will walk away with more questions, that they will walk away with an appetite to seek out and learn more and have more conversations."
She added that she hopes people will have a greater understanding and respect for the contributions of Black Canadians and what they have contributed to Newmarket and building this community.
