Celebrate The Past And Empower The Present For A Better Future For All

Every February, people across the country celebrate the achievements of Black Canadians whose perseverance, courage and persistence help shape the world we live in today.

The 2023 theme for Black History Month in Canada is Ours to Tell. This means sharing the many stories of success, sacrifice and triumph of Black individuals over the years who have left their mark on history.

“I actually don’t like the term ‘Black History’ because what we call ‘Black History’ is a very important part of history in general, and therefore shouldn’t be segregated or separated from what is generally referred to as history,” comments Leslie McCurdy, Chair of the Black Council of WindsorEssex (see: BlackCouncilWindsorEssex.ca). “All history should be more inclusive to include the Native people who inhabited this land originally, the African people who developed it, plus all the other people from around the world that helped build this society. Truth about history can help us move forward with a clear vision, which means we need to recognize the traumas and ills of society to move on from it. If we only tell stories from a white-maleheteronormative perspective, we will never learn from history and it’s doomed to repeat itself.”

There are many Black heroes from the past whose determination, courage, and success stories need to be shared with young learners. However, history wasn’t all pretty! The more children of all races learn about what really happened in history, the more they will understand the past injustices and be more likely to change the future.

To help celebrate Black History Month, we feature several organizations in Windsor and Essex County that support the Black community and celebrate their culture.

We also let you know about local events to attend with your family in February so everyone can learn about the contributions Black Canadians have made to our society.

Get Empowered By The Black Youth Empowerment Program

Located at 3905 Seminole Street in Windsor, the Black Youth Empowerment Program (BYEP) is a non-profit organization funded by the Ontario Trillium Federation’s Youth Opportunities Fund

It offers youth in Windsor/Essex County, aged 12 to 19, an opportunity to participate in leadership workshops on racism, oppression, bullying and entrepreneurship.

They also host an end of year summit for all youth that have participated in the program, and for new youth as well.

“We empower Black and racialized youth by creating awareness and education on racism and oppression, re-directing focus on positivity and productivity, investing in the youth and the community to strengthen, connect, and unite the Black and racialized youth,” states Tayshaun Dao and Lladaneyah Gayle, who became Co-Founders of BYEP in 2018. “Through experiential learning, skill-building and leadership development opportunities, the youth will be able to create their own project and work with local organizations to address racism in their communities. They will learn to facilitate these activities for use in local schools as well.”

BYEP has recently been awarded additional funding by Employment and Social Development Canada to renovate their space to meet the needs of their youth via virtual workshops and new activities.

“Black History Month is important to celebrate because it is when we commemorate the past and reflect on the difficulties and challenges Black people have faced throughout history,” Dao and Gayle express. “We can celebrate all the accomplishments, discoveries, and innovations of people of African and Caribbean descent, as well as highlight the fact that without the successes by Black politicians, civil rights activists, inventors and many others, we wouldn’t be where we are today. It also gives youth and adults the opportunity to learn more about Black history and to gain knowledge on diversity and inclusion.”

The program is free, so if you’re interested, you can find more on their social media page: Facebook.com/byepwindsor.

In the near future the website: BYEPWindsor.com is slated to be up and running. Be sure to check it out as well!

Build Family Connections With Family Fuse

Launched in 2019, Family Fuse offers free workshops and coaching to Black parents, guardians and caregivers interested in strengthening the bond between themselves and their children, participating in their children’s education, increasing their confidence in navigating the school system, increasing knowledge, gaining tools to provide better support for their children, accessing information independently, and advocacy.

“Family Fuse supports Black parents, guardians and caregivers who want to help their school-aged children to excel in all areas of education and in life in general,” says Christie Nelson, Program Manager of Family Fuse. “We work together with parents to raise equity and provide valuable insight into how their children can be encouraged by parent involvement, starting in elementary school, through college and university, or as entrepreneurs.”

Located at 3735 King Street inside the Sandwich Teen Action Group, Family Fuse and their team of three employees and two volunteers, partner with many local organizations in the region, including Providence CSC, Windsor Family Homes & Community Partnership, WindsorEssex Children’s Aid Society, Family Services Windsor-Essex, Sandwich Teen Action Group, Rapha Youth Outreach Services, Contact North and University of Windsor Career Development and

Experiential Learning alongside The Athletics and Recreation Department.

According to Nelson: “It is important to celebrate Black History Month to recognize diversity, to commemorate the past, to reflect, and to learn about the difficulties faced by Black people. It helps people realize there is more to Black history than slavery, which is essential to illustrating that Black history is balanced. That is why it is necessary to recognize the success stories and the positive contributions to the world that Black people have made — from kings and queens to pharmacists, inventors, doctors, nurses, scientists, astronauts, entrepreneurs and more.”

In her professional opinion she feels that education is not only the key to the success for the Black community, but for everyone.

“The more we understand one another, the more we should respect one another,” she states. “This is key to creating inclusive communities that we all want to love, work, play and raise our children in.”

To see upcoming dates of workshops and events, visit: FamilyFuse.ca.

It’s Show Time With Black Kids In Action Performing Art Group

Started in February 2019, Black Kids In Action (BKIA) Performing Art Group, is a not-for-profit organization consisting of seven people.

The people behind BKIA are dedicated and committed to enhancing the well-being of Black youth in Windsor and Essex County through the three Ds of art: Dance, Drama and Dialogue. This allows them to bring their rich cultural heritage into practice.

Located at 1168 Drouillard Road, Unit 1 in Windsor, BKIA is hopes to inspire Black children aged six to 18 by educating them to be creative. This helps develop their talents and skills through mentorship and learning opportunities that are rooted in Black history, which in turn both helps promote diversity and brings out their greatest potential.

“As a Black organization, we focus our attention on our rich cultural heritage,