Hello friends,
It’s a day of celebration today. It’s the beginning of Lunar New Year and Black History Month begins today. I’ll be sending out a separate message for Lunar New Year, but I did want to say that both of these occasions are a time of celebration and of reflection, a time of both joy and, today, also solemnity and action. This balance is crucial.
To celebrate Black History Month, I ask that you are intentional and focused about celebrating the rich culture, heritage, history and contributions of Black Canadians, whilst recognizing that the strength and resilience of these communities is borne of the ongoing confrontations with oppressive systems of power here in Canada.
That was a long sentence, but I hope it drives home my point that it is both a celebratory and solemn time.
On January 21, Canada announced this year’s Black History Month theme: February and Forever: Celebrating Black History today and every day. The announcement came on Lincoln Alexander Day, a day that celebrates the man who was Canada’s first Black Member of Parliament, first Black Cabinet Minister, and the first Black Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.
Friends…the theme is fitting, eh?
It asks us to understand how the over 400 years of history of Black Canadians is the history of Canada, and yet, has been given but a few pages in history textbooks about our country. How, without this rich history we cannot fully understand our collective present. How this history cannot be relegated to 28 days, but for these 28 days, we can be intentional in our celebration and reflection.
For the next month, once a week, I will be building on this message and sharing with you facts, tools, resources, events, and posing questions and sharing ideas for engagement. So that we can DO something. So that we take action.
To kick off this month, I would like to share with you the six-part CBC Massey lecture series by Esi Edugyan, a two-time winner of the Giller Prize and a recipient of UFV’s Honorary Doctorate (2019). She is a powerful voice and her lecture series on the importance of identity and belonging via storytelling is especially apropos given this year’s Black History Month theme. Please take some time out this week and have a listen. That’s my one suggested action for this week. Listen:
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/history-is-a-living-thing-says-2021-cbc-massey-lecturer-esi-edugyan-1.6302662
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-23-ideas
If you know of any UFV or Fraser Valley groups or organizations that are hosting events or programs please do share with me. I will make it a point to amplify these in my messages.
Until next time.
Thanks,
Sundeep
For more information, contact Sundeep Hans at sundeep.hans@ufv.ca
03/01/2022