Black History Month 2024 Premise
Disrupting the tenets of Euromodern colonialism has been a central practice among Black scholars, writers, community leaders and artists for decades. Many reports have been written and global protests launched which challenge longstanding colonial structures. In the context of Black History and the Black experience in Canada, mass media and school curricula predominantly cover south of the 49th parallel, focusing less on Black Canadian contributions to Canada’s growth, development and nation building.
When we look across our community, province and country, we see that Black Canadians everywhere are telling their stories and reshaping Canadian history. Whether it’s Black-led agencies strategizing to support African resettlement in the Greater Toronto area or Black youth defying institutional barriers in their rise to success, Black Canadians are on the move. According to Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.” Agency is an important vehicle for change.
This Black History Month, we will delve into conversations about how Black Canadians are using storytelling as a mode of resistance to counteract the systemic erasure, silencing, and marginalizing of Black Canadian history and experience. Storytelling, in all its forms, presents a counter-narrative in the change movement. Black Canadians are “talking back” to large narratives of benevolence.
Ultimately, the band-aids have come off in the wake of George’s Floyd’s murder and what we are witnessing as resistance are the very acts that will rewrite the nation-story, potentially cast in a future where we are all our ancestors' wildest dreams.
Jerisha Grant-Hall
Chairperson
Newmarket African Caribbean Canadian Association
When we look across our community, province and country, we see that Black Canadians everywhere are telling their stories and reshaping Canadian history. Whether it’s Black-led agencies strategizing to support African resettlement in the Greater Toronto area or Black youth defying institutional barriers in their rise to success, Black Canadians are on the move. According to Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.” Agency is an important vehicle for change.
This Black History Month, we will delve into conversations about how Black Canadians are using storytelling as a mode of resistance to counteract the systemic erasure, silencing, and marginalizing of Black Canadian history and experience. Storytelling, in all its forms, presents a counter-narrative in the change movement. Black Canadians are “talking back” to large narratives of benevolence.
Ultimately, the band-aids have come off in the wake of George’s Floyd’s murder and what we are witnessing as resistance are the very acts that will rewrite the nation-story, potentially cast in a future where we are all our ancestors' wildest dreams.
Jerisha Grant-Hall
Chairperson
Newmarket African Caribbean Canadian Association
Calling All Vendors!
In collaboration with the Town of Newmarket, NACCA 5th Annual Ujamaa Black-Owned Marketplace is back, and we want you to be a part of it! Join us on Saturday, February 3, 2024, at the Old Town Hall, as we celebrate Black History.
Our #BHM24 theme is "‘Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now’:Telling our Story, Writing our History," and we're excited to feature Black Owned businesses at the Ujamaa Marketplace.
This marketplace is a cornerstone of our social enterprise, uniting the African Canadian community around the goal of economic development through cooperative economics. By offering youth and entrepreneurs of African descent access to the resources they need to build their businesses, we strive to support and mentor the next generation of African Canadian business leaders.
We encourage early applications as space is limited. Applications will be considered on a first come, first served basis, so submit yours today!
Applications are due by the end of business day, Friday, December 8, 2023.
Our #BHM24 theme is "‘Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now’:Telling our Story, Writing our History," and we're excited to feature Black Owned businesses at the Ujamaa Marketplace.
This marketplace is a cornerstone of our social enterprise, uniting the African Canadian community around the goal of economic development through cooperative economics. By offering youth and entrepreneurs of African descent access to the resources they need to build their businesses, we strive to support and mentor the next generation of African Canadian business leaders.
We encourage early applications as space is limited. Applications will be considered on a first come, first served basis, so submit yours today!
Applications are due by the end of business day, Friday, December 8, 2023.
Call for Artists!
Art Exhibit Submission Guidelines
"Black History Month 2024 Art Exhibition: A Call for Artists"
- Eligibility: Open to self-identifying Black artists.
- Art Forms: Accepting photography, painting, sculpture, dance, dub poetry, instrumental, and digital art.
- Submission Period: November 15 to December 31, 2023.
- Categories: Black Youth (14 and Under), Young Black Adults (14-21), Black Adults (21+).
"Black History Month 2024 Art Exhibition: A Call for Artists"
- Artist’s name, work title, medium, dimensions, production date, value, and sale availability.
- Artist's statement (up to 120 words) on the piece's relation to the theme.
- JPG image of visual artwork or digital file for performing arts.
- Artist's preferred contact information.