How the U of T community is celebrating Black History Month this year
February is filled with various events celebrating Black history, including UTMSU’s “Buy Black,” OISE’s Black Education Symposium, and Hart House’s annual Black History Month Luncheon.
Since 1976, February has been recognized as Black History Month (BHM), a commemoration of the legacy, history, achievements, and contributions of Black people, particularly in North America. To celebrate the month this year, copious events are being held throughout the University of Toronto (U of T), some of which have been described below.
In downtown Toronto, on January 28, U of T’s Ontario Institute of Studies in Education (OISE) hosted its Black Education Symposium, a full-day learning experience exploring the history and future of Black education in Canada and featuring various Black leaders and scholars.
Meanwhile, at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), the campus’s student union (UTMSU) hosted a variety of events for BHM, beginning with their BHM Welcome Ceremony, which took place on January 31. The Opening Ceremony featured cultural games, a cultural clothing fashion show, and food. It also served as an opportunity for Black-identifying students, staff, faculty, and alumni at UTM to connect.
On February 6, the Union hosted “Buy Black” in the Student Centre’s Presentation Room, a marketplace featuring Black-owned small businesses. According to the Union’s Instagram page, the event allowed UTM students to “browse, shop and uplift Black entrepreneurs while discovering unique products and services.”
On the same day at noon, The Blackwood and Black at UTM performed Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste’s “Y’All Don’t Wanna Hear Me (You Just Wanna Dance).” The performance took place on UTM’s walking route and concluded at the Communication, Culture, and Technology Atrium. The presentation incorporated a long-range acoustic device, which is primarily used for crowd dispersal, and alternatively employed it to create “an opportunity to gather through Black music, conversation, and dance,” according to Black at UTM’s website.
Also hosted by the OISE in collaboration with the U of T Department of Applied Psychology & Human Development was the Frantz Fanon 100th Year Anniversary Symposium, which took place on February 21. The symposium was held in celebration of Frantz Fanon, an influential Afro-Caribbean psychiatrist, philosopher, and anticolonial thinker.
On February 8, U of T’s Faculty of Music Gospel Choir, directed by Dr. Darren Hamilton, performed “A Celebration of Black History through Music.” The event featured traditional and contemporary gospel pieces and took place at the Meridian Arts Centre in Toronto. The performance was composed of two sets and twelve pieces and featured the West African Drumming and Dance Ensemble, directed by Kwasi Dunyo.
On February 22, U of T alumni and friends participated in “a self-guided tour of the richly layered work of Firelei Báez” at the Vancouver Art Gallery in Vancouver, British Columbia. According to U of T’s Alumni website, the exhibition dived “into the historical narratives of the Atlantic Basin, exploring colonial histories, the African diaspora, and cultural mythologies.”
Later this month, on February 28, the Division of University Advancement, in partnership with Hart House, is hosting the annual BHM Luncheon. The event will feature keynote speaker and former television personality Tracy Moore, University of Louisiana student guest speakers Calcea Johnson and Ne’Kiya Jackson, and a performance by spoken word poet and Toronto’s inaugural Youth Poet Shahaddah Jack.
On February 20, U of T’s Innis College hosted a special screening of “Kanaval”, which tells the story of a young boy, Rico, and his mother, who were torn from their home in Haiti and relocated to Quebec in 1975. The film’s Director, Henri Pardo, will also join the screening for a discussion and Q&A.
More information on these events can be found on the U of T’s Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office’s website.
