Last night, nearly 100 community members, partners, and leaders gathered with us for a powerful evening of celebration and reflection in honour of Black History Month. The event created space to uplift Black excellence, deepen collective understanding, and advance meaningful dialogue on equity and systems change.
We were honoured to welcome Lana Bentley, Executive Director of the Women’s Centre of Calgary, who delivered a compelling keynote address titled “Black Brilliance: Celebrating Black Women.” Her remarks highlighted the strength, leadership, and transformative impact of Black women in our communities, reminding us that celebration and recognition are essential to advancing justice and equity.
Dr. Nevicia Case from the University of Calgary presented on “Black Community Experiences and the Health Care System.” Her presentation shed light on the systemic barriers Black communities face when accessing health care and outlined concrete actions that institutions and leaders can take to build more equitable, culturally responsive systems. The discussion emphasized that addressing disparities requires both policy change and sustained community engagement.
We were also pleased to be joined by Deputy Chief Asif Rashid of the Calgary Police Service and Regina Shakirova, Chief of Staff to MP Amanpreet Singh Gill (Calgary Skyview). In addition, we were grateful to receive a letter of recognition from Mayor Jeromy Farkas, acknowledging the importance of this celebration and the ongoing work to advance equity in our city.
Black History Month is both a celebration and a call to action. As we honour the contributions, resilience, and leadership of Black communities, we reaffirm our commitment to dismantling systemic barriers and building a future rooted in dignity, equity, and justice.
Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to making the evening meaningful and impactful.