Black Brilliance Across Borders: My first Black History Month in Canada
Nikki Adebiyi, Founder, Bounce Black
This February marked my first Black History Month in Canada, and my first Canadian winter!
Aside from the fact that I’ve never seen this much snow in my life, nor have I ever been so cold that my face hurts…it’s been wonderful, I promise.
In the words of one speaker at an event I attended, “I’m all blacked out”.
As a speaker and event producer myself, that is a sentiment that applies everywhere because I typically feel the same during October, which is Black History Month in the UK. It’s busy and exhausting, but all in the best of ways!
This year, Canada celebrated 30 years of Black History Month with the theme: ‘Honouring Black Brilliance Across Generations — From Nation Builders to Tomorrow’s Visionaries’.
There was no shortage of events, to say the least. There were certainly much more than I was able to attend. But the ones that I did go to have left a profound impression on me, and I’d love to tell you about them…
Black people play hockey? On ice!?
I kicked off my February at the A Different Booklist store in the Blackhurst Cultural Centre. In the middle of the historically Black neighbourhood of Bathurst, people of all ethnic backgrounds gathered in a gorgeous Black bookstore for the launch of Black Aces by The Athletic’s NHL staff writer Julian McKenzie.
Black Aces is McKenzie’s debut book, featuring a collection of stories about renowned Black hockey players, which, as you can imagine, is a huge part of winter sporting in Canada.
As curious and as open as I can be, ice hockey is a sport that I have yet to acquaint myself with. Unless you count PE at school, where we sometimes ran around the sports-and-lunch hall, whacking plastic pucks into makeshift goalposts.
Still, different gear, different climate and a different arena makes for a different experience entirely.
After the book launch, and a few conversation primers on the rules of the game, it’s now on my list of essential things to do in Canada.
Side note: I love that people who look like me have ventured into activities that I probably wouldn’t even think to try. Not only do you have to be excellent at hockey, you have to be competent at skating on ice! That’s an impressive level of hand-eye coordination, so kudos to them for doing it well enough to merit recognition. I love that for us!
Further side note: How much Julian knows about Black British culture tickled me, and further confirmed my belief that Black London and Black Toronto are much like identical twins who were separated during childhood, but when later reunited, it’s uncanny how alike they are.
I also later returned to the Blackhurst Cultural Centre for the free headshots they were offering to young Black creatives. Here’s my favourite one:
Word, Sound & Power Showcase
Next, I visited York University for its Word, Sound & Power event which showcased, and paid homage to, an array of Black talent in the arts, including musical composition, singing, dance, poetry and dramatic monologues.
To my great surprise, we were honoured to be joined by Toronto’s poet laureate Lillian Allen (pictured), as well as Canada’s first Black female MP, the Hon. Jean Augustine herself, who is responsible for passing the law that made Black History Month officially recognised across the nation.
Overeall, it was an eventful night of warm reflections, riveting stories and powerful calls to action. I especially enjoyed Ms. Augustine’s reflections on her life, career and social progress in Canada. The question she centred her speech on, “are we there yet?”, remains with me even now.
Living In Colour Symposium
Downtown at the University of Toronto, the Black Legal Action Centre (BLAC) held their Black History Month Symposium on ‘Black Life, Law and Belonging in Canada’.
The organisation itself is remarkable, being the only legal clinic in the province of Ontario that is dedicated to tackling anti-Black racism through legal advocacy.
Their additional focus on public education and community engagement resulted in an impactful itinerary of powerful speech after speech interspersed with thoughtful panel discussions.
The sessions covered a range of topics, including:
- Black history in Canada
- The role of legal advocacy in advancing justice and equity for Black comunities
- The complexity of belonging and integration in immigration
- The work required for Black longevity and equity in Canada
- The changing landscape of advocacy in the age of AI
Speakers included MPs, lawyers, other legal professionals, and grassroots activists.
Although, unfortunately, I missed out on most of the talks due to commute time and weather-related delays on public transport, what I did gain during my time there was an insight into how similar the issues of racial justice are across the Black diaspora.
As ever, as always, this is both comforting and infuriating.
That there is a shared language of racialised experiences across borders and cultuers is helpful as I could immediately make sense of the discussion despite not being a Black Canadian.
However, it is not fun learning that people who look like me struggle in similar ways wherever we are in the world.
Still, I left the event encouraged by the work being done and the shared understanding of the cultural, spiritual and intellectual shift that is going to be necessary for us to move forward collectively.
The Power of Community Symposium
On the penultimate weekend of Black History Month, I returned to the City Hall area for the Black Founders Network Power of Community Symposium. This was a whole-day affair, that I missed a lot of due to commuting issues again, but what I caught of it was powerful.
The theme was ‘The Next Era: Sustaining the Momentum’ as a nod to the last three years of the Symposium’s gathering of Black founders, investors, professionals and other ecosystem partners.
Having attended only once and left with a profound impression of the lesson that I need to bet on myself more, I certainly hope to see more from the BFN team.
Their BeHer Summit on March 6th, too, was spectacular and inspiring. I made sure to be there on time as I could not risk missing out on the wisdom and networking opportunities with powerhouse women from all over the GTA. And sure enough, it did not disappoint!
BFN events embody the message of refusing to play small because they certainly know how to do it big.
Both events fed me more than just physically, but the food, too, was wonderful, with Caribbean cuisine at the Symposium, and soul food at the Summit.
It was also wonderful to meet some of the team behind the Black Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Map (BEEM), and learn more about both the background and the future of the project.
Overall, I was inspired to bet on myself and see this entrepreneurial journey through, and not only for my good but for the good of the community I serve.
Legacy was a running theme, and I have begun thinking more about what it would look like for my work to outlast me.
Black Talent Initiative’s Ignite Conference
My Canadian Black History Month concluded with the Black Talent Initiative’s Ignite conference, which I had heard about before arriving in Canada, and I was grateful that I won a sponsored ticket to attend.
Between the keynotes, the firesides, the panels and the workshops, gem after gem was shared by the speakers. I took pages and pages of notes, both paper and digital.
Weeks later, I am still meditating on the insights and reflections of the sessions.
In particular, Suzannah Kelly’s workshop on intentional leadership and legacy left a profound impression on me.
She led a powerful session that inspired much reflection, with questions based on the premise that legacy is built through our daily choices, not by chance.
A good leader’s legacy is less about results and more about the culture, access and opportunities we create for others.
Our legacy shows up in the small moments, such as what we challenge, who we elevate, and how people feel after encountering us.
Every interaction leaves an impact, and the impact that we leave behind is our legacy.
True leadership, she also stressed, is measured by what changes because we were present. That is, who grows, what shifts, and what becomes possible for others.
This requires clarity of values, courage to use our voice, and a willingness to be visible.
Ultimately, legacy is what remains because we chose not to stay silent.
This, in addition to the other talks, guaranteed that I came away with much to think through, much to hope for and much to be proud of.
I also enjoyed the RBC photo booth, which had one of the best lighting setups for candid photography of Black skin that I have seen in a long time. All the photos came out great!
Lastly, as with most of the events I attended, there were a number of Black-owned businesses on display, from beauty and jewellery brands to authors and coaches.
One particular brand that made an impression on me was Blaque Wellness, whose Matriarch of the family-run business drew me in.
A beautiful Black grandmother who showered me with care and compliments, seeking to understand my skincare needs, and offered me a hands-on demonstration of how their products could be embedded in my regimen.
It reminded me of how warm and wonderful it is to be seen and thought of from start to finish, including in product design.
Final Thoughts
The previous sentiments are exactly how I would summarise my experience of my first Canadian Black History Month, namely that it catered for and catered to me. I was the target audience for whom an experience was specifically designed and curated, and I came away from it with abundance.
I received so much more than I expected, and I am inspired to implement my learnings, so that other people can benefit from them too. The first being sharing what I learned with you all here in this blog.
Although it is March, we celebrate Black history all year-round. I hope you found something useful in this post to help you champion Black futures!
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