This is Us

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.

– Marcus Garvey

Black history month seems too bothersome. But for who? Who is complaining about all the events that are made to commemorate our black community? OK, everybody is entitled to their own opinion, and I am definitely not saying otherwise. How about we open our minds this is a month and commemorate a population that has been suffering from injustice, prejudices and lack of humanity from others. This month, is for some of us very important, and I do count myself in the lot. As a young black woman who grew up in Montreal, I do take this month as an opportunity to learn about my roots, to meet like-minded individual and elevate our successes.

The shortest month of the year, but we do take each day of it to celebrate and educate one another about all black everything. We also have to keep in mind that the conversation does not need to finish at the end of the month. It’s more of an invitation, in my opinion, to open our eyes, to learn and discover. All with the purpose bring our brothers and sisters together. Unanswered questions are being heard by our voices. It is an opportunity for EVERYONE to learn about us. What we did, what we do and what we want to do moving forward.

Last Friday, I was attending a very informative conversation between Deborah Forde, Pat Dillon-Moore and Claire-Anse Eloi held by Lynn Desjardins and Marc Montgomery. A message that has been echoed before was repeated: the voices of black women have been hidden for so many years while the white women have had their voices documented.

Viola Davis-Desmond, a woman whom almost a decade before Rosa Parks memorable bus ride, had herself been subject to serious consequences for seating in a reserved white-only area in a theatre. The theme of Black History Month this year being Voices of Emancipation is about reclaiming the history of the hidden voices of black women. It is unquestionable like Deborah was saying, that the future is the youth and events that are happening during this month are meant to give us the visibility needed in order to be and stay informed. Yes the change is happening, and we are moving forward, but we are always reminded how much more needs to change.

To continue with Mrs Desmond,  let’s take a moment to honour that she is not only of black descent and has made history by her previous actions, but she is also the first woman ever to be on  a Canadian dollar bill, as of November 2018.

In conclusion, I want to say thank you to all the people behind the scenes who take the time to organize gatherings, events and more during this special month and each year I cannot wait for the next one.