February is Black History Month! ETT recommends the following resources and events to promote Black History Month.
Check back for updates from now and throughout February.
Events
Book Draw
Events
- Black History Month Events & Exhibitions – City of Toronto – Each February, the City of Toronto is proud to produce and support events and exhibits during Black History Month, inviting the public to explore and celebrate the heritage, traditions and culture of Black Canadians.In 1979, Toronto became the first municipality in Canada to proclaim Black History Month through the efforts of many individuals and organizations such as the Ontario Black History Society.Black History Month is an opportunity for the City of Toronto to recognize the contributions that Black Canadians make to the life of Toronto in such areas as education, medicine, art, culture, public service, economic development, politics and human rights.The City annually marks Black History Month and works continually throughout the year on the goals defined by the Toronto Action Plan to Confront Anti-Black Racism, which was endorsed by City Council in 2017.
- Date: Throughout February 2024
- Time: Various
- Location: Various
- Pricing: All exhibits and events are free unless noted
- Get details: Click here
- Cultivating Mental Wellbeing and Building Community – Harmony Movement Educators Anti-Racism Conference –Educators have a critical role to play in creating classroom communities that not only challenge racism but also build a learning environment that is explicitly anti-racist and cultivates positive mental wellbeing for all the students in their classrooms and school communities.To support K-12 educators, this one-day in-person conference will build knowledge of practices to increase cultural competency and student wellbeing and explore how racism impacts mental health. Conference participants will develop their understanding and learn practical tools to create anti-racist classroom spaces.This event will be delivered in English with live translation via a cell phone headset to French. There will also be workshops delivered in French.NOTE: Scholarships and reduced pricing are available if cost is a barrier, and bulk ticket discounts are available. Email info@harmony.ca for more details.
- Date: Wednesday, February 21, 2024
- Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
- Location: Old Mill Toronto Hotel (9 Old Mill Rd, Etobicoke, ON M8X 1G5)
- Ticket Details: Click here
- Registration Link: Click here
- Black Youth Fellowship Launch 2024 – In honour of Black History Month, the Urban Alliance on Race Relations invites you to join the upcoming Black Youth Fellowship Launch event taking place on Wednesday, February 21st, 2024 at City Hall (Committee Room #3)This event is a celebration of the incredible work being done by past graduates of the program and present fellows. We will also be recognizing all councilors who have taken on a fellow this term. Alongside recognitions, we will have a networking reception, special performances and more!
- Date: Wednesday, February 21, 2024
- Time: 6 – 8 p.m.
- Location: Committee Room #3, Toronto City Hall (100 Queen Street West – Toronto, ON M5H 2N2)
- Admission is free
- Registration link: Click here
- National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM): Muslim Afrofuturism – In collaboration with the Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement, this session explores ideas of joy and belonging through the lens of Muslim Afrofuturism. Students and their families are invited to come and learn and explore the strengths, hopes and dreams of Black Muslim communities.
- Date: Thursday, February 22, 2024
- Time: 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
- Location: Synchronous virtual
- Registration link: Click here
- TTC Black History Month Tour and Subway Ride – On Saturday, February 24 beginning at 10 a.m., the TTC is doing its final Black history month tour, this time it will be a subway ride.The tour will meet near the Dr. Carl James mural (done by the talented Mya Salau) and end at St. Andrew Station Beverley Salmon mural (made by the talented Shashann ” Indiigo Cocoa” M.T.).The tour will be making stops at all the BHM murals on Line 1 University Spadina side of the line. Feel free to invite family and friends to this joyous occasion!
- Date: Saturday, February 24, 2024
- Time: 10:00 a.m.
- Location: York University concourse level near the Dr. Carl James mural
- Letitia Fraser – This Is My Fabric – Letitia Fraser is an emerging Black female Nova Scotian artist who uses collage, quilting and figurative painting to create portraits of members of her family and of her community. She explores archives, biography, and memory, as well as representation and affiliation. Her work addresses what it means to be from a particular place with a very distinct history and sets out to document, preserve, and make known that collective past. This exhibition features portraits by Fraser that incorporate remnants of fabric, drawing inspiration from the quilting traditions of her family and her community. The knowing intimacy of these portrayals of members of her immediate community celebrate the figures not only as individuals but also renders them as important parts of a shared past.Her images make visible the intensity, dignity, and fearlessness with which she asserts the vibrant presence and strength of the individuals and their community. Fraser depicts her subjects with warm respect, empathy, and with a sense of their complex interior lives.A short film by acclaimed film director David Hartman will accompany the exhibition and explore Fraser’s stories, her practice, the people, and places from which she draws inspiration.
- Date: Saturday, February 24 — Saturday, June 15, 2024
- Time: 8:00 pm
- Location: Woodstock Art Gallery (449 Dundas Street, Woodstock, ON N4S 1C2)
- Get details: https://letitiafraser.portraitcanada.ca/
- Samara Joy – Koerner Hall 2023-24 Concert Series – The 2023 Grammy Award winner for Best New Artist and Best Jazz Vocalist makes her Koerner Hall debut. Samara Joy’s voice, rich and velvety yet precociously refined, has already earned her fans like Anita Baker and Regina King, appearances on the Today Show, and millions of likes on TikTok – cementing her status as perhaps the first Gen Z jazz singing star.
- Date: Sunday, February 25, 2024
- Time: 8:00 pm
- Location: Koerner Hall (273 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M5S 1V6)
- Get tickets: https://www.rcmusic.com/events-and-performances/samara-joy
- Black Entrepreneurship Program – The Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP) is a partnership between the Government of Canada, Black-led business organizations, and financial institutions. With an investment of up to $265 million over four years, it will help Black Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs grow their businesses and succeed now and into the future. Click here for more details.
- Making (Black) History: Reflections on the UN’s International Decade for People of African Descent – During this Black History Month event, we will reflect on the strides made toward recognizing, empowering, and defending the rights of the 200 million people of African descent living in the diaspora.
- Date: Tuesday, February 27, 2024
- Time: 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 pm
- Location: Virtual
- Register: Click here
- Webinar Wednesdays – The Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement is hosting its second session of the 2023 – 2024 Webinar Wednesdays series. The aim of this virtual series is to provide space for Black parents and caregivers, and families raising Black children to support their children’s success, academic achievement and overall well-being as they transition from high school.Through collaborations with various post-secondary institutions, the Webinar Wednesdays series shares information and resources on various topics, including, but not limited to graduation and post-secondary pathways.This session, we focus on Pathways to Skilled Trades. Parents, caregivers and families please join us as we chat with representatives from post-secondary institutions about the application processes and career pathways.
- Date: Wednesday, March 6, 2024
- Time: 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 pm
- Location: Virtual
- Register: Click here
