Photo courtesy of the Grande Prairie Intercultural Association

By Liam Verster

Black History Month

Intercultural Association, public library work together on Black History Month campaign

Feb 8, 2021 | 10:53 AM

February is Black History Month, and the Grande Prairie Intercultural Association (GPIA) has partnered with the Grande Prairie Public Library (GPPL) to provide more information on black history, culture and black people’s roles throughout history.

Throughout the month, the two organizations will put up posts on their respective social media platforms, as well as up on the Intercultural Association’s website, in an effort to engage with and educate the public.

The days have various themes to attract more people to the posts, including the ‘Get Lit Challenge’ that are issued each Monday of the month.

“The Get Lit Challenge is to [get people] to post or share pictures of what you are reading, watching, or making to learn more about the black experience,” says Maureen Edomwonyi, the coordinator of the Intercultural Association.

She says they have launched the hashtags #getlit4BHM and #blackhistoryherstoryourstory and encourages people to share what they are reading and doing to learn more of black cultures. She adds that partnership with the library is extremely beneficial for this campaign, as they have a number of valuable resources available to the public and are compiling a book list for people to access.

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Other themes that repeat through the week are ‘Black in Time,’ which looks at the roles black people played through history and goes with the hashtag #timehoptuesday; ‘Black Around the World,’ which looks at different black communities; and ‘FYI Fridays’ which looks at different aspects of black cultures.

The organizations are also hosting events on each Saturday, including a video event on Saturday the 13th entitled ‘Privilege: Let’s Talk About It’ with Someh and Jada Lea. The video will be available on the GPIA and GPPL Facebook pages.

Work is also underway to air a documentary through the GPIA and GPPL social media pages on Saturday the 20th, but they haven’t been able to secure the rights to the film as of yet.

The groups will end the month on Saturday, February 27 with a wrap-up celebration held over Zoom. The event will open with an elder’s blessing, and feature a number of speakers and presentations, though Edomwonyi could not confirm exactly who would be participating.

Edomwonyi says she hopes these events and social media posts will provide the public with a learning opportunity.

“The message we want to get out is that this is an opportunity to learn what the contributions that black (people) have (made), and to learn more about the Canadian stories and the contributions of many Black Canadians through the settlement, growth and development of Canada, and about the diversity of black communities in Canada and their importance to the history of this country.”

A full schedule of the Black History Month celebrations can be found at the GPIA website.