Museum, Association partner to mark Black History Month
Museum, Association partner to mark Black History Month
Source: Creemore Echo by Trina Berlo Posted February 4, 2021
Dufferin community partners kicked-off Black History Month Monday with the raising of the Pan African flag at Museum of Dufferin.
“It’s quite an accomplishment,” said Dufferin County Canadian Black Association (DCCBA) founder and chair Alethia O’Hara-Stevenson. “It’s a proud moment simply for the fact that here we are in Dufferin County recognizing the contributions of, not just great leaders past and present in Dufferin, but all of the Black leaders who have helped to shape Canada.”
Reflecting on the past year, with the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter marches that took place across Dufferin County, she said, “It’s a proud moment to see the community coming together to support and recognize Black History Month.”
The DCCBA officially launched in November. Coming off a year of seeing people standing up together during Black Lives Matter marches locally and all over the world is the inspiration for making solidarity the theme of Black History Month.
“We can’t do this alone,” she said. “The issue of racism and discrimination is not just a Black issue. It affects our entire community. It affects our entire society. So it is critical that we all work together in solidarity to combat racism.”
O’Hara-Stevenson said Dufferin is changing demographically to be more diverse. She said in 2016, at three per cent, the black population was the largest minority group across Dufferin County.
As a representative of the DCCBA, O’Hara-Stevenson was a member of Shelburne’s Anti-Black Racism and Racism and Discrimination Task Force that met from June to September 2020 before presenting its recommendations to council.
One of the things that came out of it is the establishment of an ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion committee.
The town has a growing and diverse population. The total visible minority population in Shelburne is 20.1 per cent, with Blacks totalling 9.5 per cent, South Asians totalling 4.9 per cent and Indigenous (Metis and First Nations) totalling 2.2 per cent of the overall population.
“When you look at how the face of Dufferin County has changed… it was essential for us to be able to establish space where individuals would feel safe, where people could get pertinent information that is culturally relevant and at the same time where people who do not identify as Black can still come and gather educational information, different resources, to help understand the broader aspects of diversity and inclusion and what it means to be Black in Dufferin County,” said O’Hara-Stevenson, adding the need for such an association was heard loud and clear during the task force’s outreach.
She said the response to the creation of the DCCBA has been overwhelmingly positive from individuals, school boards, and local government.
The association has a number of programs and events scheduled, including ‘Ask Our Experts’ featuring industry leaders sharing their expertise on a wide range of topics, student scholarships, financial literacy. (Tutoring and drop-in programs are on hold during the pandemic.)
It is also breaking down barriers to municipal politics by encouraging voter engagement and candidacy.
Shelburne Deputy Mayor Steve Anderson will be offering foundational knowledge about politics, especially for young people in the community, who may become good representatives.
“Often our young people, they shy away from these spaces simply because it’s not familiar to them so we want to be able to break down some of those barriers and open up the doors so they understand what’s involved and how they too can stand up and have a voice,” said O’Hara-Stevenson.
On Feb. 20, Museum of Dufferin and Dufferin County Canadian Black Association are hosting a virtual live panel discussion on “Solidarity for our Community” with politicians, musical artists, and the winners’ work from a National photography/art initiative hosted by MoD in partnership with DCCBA. Panelists include MP Kyle Seeback, Ontario’s Solicitor General Sylvia Jones and the Godfather of Canadian Hip Hop Maestro Fresh Wes, Canadian rapper, record producer, DJ, and record executive Kardinal Offishall, actor Kevin Hanchard, and poet Nadine Williams.
They will discuss opportunities for the Dufferin community to come together as a unified force, and what these actions mean for the future. This is a wonderful opportunity for the Museum (MoD), Dufferin County Canadian Black Association (DCCBA) and Dufferin County’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee to have this important discussion of solidarity.
The community is asked to submit their questions for the panel to info@dufferinmuseum.com. The event starts at 1 p.m. by video conferencing and will be live streamed on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/DufferinOne. For details, visit www.dufferinmuseum.com/event/bhm.
DCCBA is a volunteer-run organization and is inclusive and welcoming to all groups. For more information, membership info and to donate, visit dufferincountycba.org/home.