During Black Heritage Month, people in Canada celebrate the many achievements and contributions of Black Canadians and their communities who, throughout history, have done so much to make Canada the culturally diverse, compassionate, and prosperous nation it is today. Black Heritage Month is about celebrating Black Excellence.
Our Virtues of the Month for January and February are Unity and Wisdom respectively. Later in the month we will be having a virtue celebration tied in with a Black Heritage Month Prayer Service. Indeed, these virtues are highly reflective of the virtues exhibited by many Black Canadians who have contributed so much to our history and culture.
In addition to various classroom activities where students will learn and celebrate the achievements and contributions of Black Canadians, the library will be hosting the classes throughout the month with a look at the historical significance of patchwork quilts. Students will read The Patchwork Path – A Quilt Map to Freedom. The book speaks about the significance of quilts and the messages that were passed with the patterns. Collectively through the month of February, every student will be contributing through various mediums a patch to our large Heart Quilt displayed in front of the library as a message of hope, fortitude and unity.
On Tuesday, February 8th at 9:30 am, all classes in our school will be joining a live video conference hosted by Hip-Hop artist and speaker Duane “D.O.” Gibson. Gibson is a Guinness World Record- setting rapper celebrating his twentieth year of visiting schools in 2022. He will be presenting his Black Canadian 365 program, which has been profiled in The Globe and Mail, City TV, Entertainment Tonight Canada and more. In this program, Gibson talks about Viola Desmond, who stood up for her rights by sitting down at a movie theatre in Nova Scotia. Recently her image was added to the ten-dollar bill. He talks about freedom fighter Josiah Henson – an enslaved person that travelled the Underground Railroad for freedom in Canada, became a landowner and helped others free and empower other blacks. The presentation is interactive, and he gets the students rapping along – even in a virtual space. You can view Duane’s website here: http://www.blackcanadian365.com/ .
We look forward this month to celebrating Black Heritage – resilience, innovation, and determination to work towards a more inclusive and diverse Canada!