THUNDER BAY - The public will have an opportunity to learn more about Black History Month from youth who have chosen materials they feel best represents what it means to be a Black or Caribbean Canadian.
“When it comes to Black History Month and youth, it is so important because the youth are the people who are going to continue the history,” said Julianna Hoekstra, program facilitator with Our Black Youth. “We have to really set a stage as to what history they see and feel like they identify with.”
On Saturday, Our Black Youth hosted a community get together at the Waverley Resource Library where youth identifying as Black or Caribbean Canadian celebrated their culture and worked on creating a display for the library for the month of February.
“We have a lot of literature celebrating culture and activities and we are going to be setting up a display at the library to see what the youth have picked for our community,” Hoekstra said.
The youth will pick a book that they feel best represents what it means to be a Black or Caribbean Canadian living in Northern Ontario. This is the second year Our Black Youth has worked with the Thunder Bay Public Library in creating a display for Black History Month.
“We had lots of youth show up and we created lots of really cool things,” Hoekstra said. “It kind of opened the door and set a stage. There are lots of books here for youth and they can say: it relates to me or my family or things I have gone through.”
It’s crucial that the display and what the kids learn is also a celebration of culture, Hoekstra said, and does not focus solely on the hardships Black and Caribbean Canadian’s have faced.
“We don’t want to put just the negative pieces of history in their minds and say this is it, this is you, you’re oppressed,” Hoekstra added. “We want to show all the celebrations of culture and excellence.”
Our Black Youth will be hosting a panel discussion celebrating Black excellence on Feb. 23 at the Creative Studio that will include leaders and professionals from the Black and Caribbean community and youth will be encouraged to participate and ask questions.
“It’s amazing that they get to see that and compare themselves and say, I can do that, too,” Hoekstra said.
But the display and the panel is meant for everyone and Hoekstra said she hopes people in the community will take a moment to learn more about what Black and Caribbean Canadian culture is about. Even the youth who designed the display are still eager to learn more and share their story.
“I think they want to learn more,” Hoekstra said. “I think when they get together, they enjoy being in a room full of people they feel a deeper connection to. A lot of youth in the Northwestern region can feel isolated sometimes when it comes to being culturally diverse, so I think when they get together they like to celebrate that.”
The display celebrating Black History Month will be at the Waverley Resource Library for the month of February. To learn more, visit the Our Black Youth website.