“30 Years of Black History Month: Honoring Black Brilliance Across Generations — From Nation Builders to Tomorrow’s Visionaries”
This year’s Black History theme is an invitation to critically examine contributions of Black people across all spheres of human lives and across generations. For several years, and across several generations, academic, economic, political and cultural contributions of Black people have been largely ignored, minimized or outrightly discounted. Black people have been framed as beneficiaries of scientific breakthroughs and economic prosperity-a narrative that has shaped understanding of Black people and suppressed the truth of their immense contributions to Canada and to the rest of the world.
This year’s theme offers us an opportunity to reflect on the many contributions of Black people to the world and to solemnly reflect on what this means for our society. Honouring Black Brilliance is allowing ourselves to emerge from the false narratives that have long shaped our understanding of Black brilliance and to embrace the reality that Black people have, over several generations, made significant contributions in literature, arts, science, medicine, architecture, leadership, music, etc., amid several barriers.
In the face of systemic, institutional and structural racism, Black brilliance continues to thrive even if not acknowledged. Resilience in the face of these sustained systemic barriers continues to inspire generations of Black people and stands as a foundation for critical hope that must never be underrated. ActionDignity joins others to celebrate this year’s theme by examining the different facets that make up Black brilliance through different activities that reflect the multidimensional contributions of Black people to the world. ActionDignity is proud to be a voice that amplifies Black contributions and an organization where critical hope is nurtured and sustained for generations to come.
Please join us in the month of February to celebrate this important theme.