The Community Race Relations Committee of Peterborough is pleased to share a recording of the local online launch event of Black History Month 2021.
Our theme this year is Healing of the Mind, Body and Soul: Drop Everything and Dance! This event was live on Zoom and livestreamed on CRRC’s Facebook page where it can now be watched on demand here.
The launch includes traditional African drumming and dance performances (by Afiwi Groove); a formal Proclamation by City of Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien; messages of support from local diginitaries; and remarks from two guest speakers, Rosemary Sadlier and Nicole Bonnie, who invited us into history, celebrated accomplishments by Black Canadians, and challenged us to participate in creating a more just and equitable society for the future.
Full Program for January 31st:
(Times on the video may vary by a few minutes.)
- 1:50 pm: African drum performance with Afiwi Groove
- 2:00 pm: Welcome by Cayo Whyte, CRRC board member
- 2:05 pm: Black History Month 2021 proclamation by City of Peterborough Mayor Therrien and statements by dignitaries, including City Councillor Don Vassiliadis, Peterborough Chief of Police, Scott Gilbert, MP Maryam Monsef, and MPP Dave Smith.
- 2:25 pm: African dance performance by Afiwi Groove
- 2:30 pm: A short history of Black History Month by Rosemary Sadlier, is an historian, author, educator and Black History expert based in Toronto. From 1993 to 2015, she was president of the Ontario Black History Society. Among her publications are Harriet Tubman Rosemary (Dundurn Press), and The Kids Book of Black Canadian History (KidsCanPress).
- 2:40 pm: Guest speaker: Nicole Bonnie, CEO of the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies, speaking on celebrating achievements in equity by Black leaders in Ontario and a call to action for future challenges followed by a question-and-answer period.
- 3:25 pm: Closing, with more African drum and an invitation to other upcoming Black History Month events