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Black History Month occurs every February in Canada and I can remember it occurring (sometimes too faintly in the form of an awareness poster) for most of my schooling. As a teacher-candidate, it’s existence and operation within the school system simultaneously makes explicit two things: one – that Black history is an important topic, and two – it’s a topic that often isn’t properly addressed throughout the curriculum year round. It is a sad reality that we need a month to focus on Black history – as Canadians it is our duty to understand that Black history is ALL of our histories, regardless of our own racial identities.

Art Featured: Black Thrones; Mama Calabah’s Chop Bar; London Mob — All by Godfried Donkor. Photo Credit: Toni Hafkenscheid

Curators of 28 Days: Reimagining Black History Month (an exhibit which just finished-up at the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery @ Hart House), Pamela Edmonds and Sally Frater reflect on the significance of the month for artists in their description of their current exhibit:

Celebrated in the US and Canada in February, and in October in the UK, the annual observance has sparked increased debates in recent years about the value of a designated month committed to the history of one particular race. While some artists refuse to show their work during Black History Month exhibitions as a political stance against the marginalization of their practices, others feel it is one of the few opportunities they have to participate in the broader cultural landscape, particularly with work that addresses issues of Black identity and visual culture.

I went and checked out the exhibit myself and was immediately struck with the accessibility and diversity of the collection itself. Different mediums such as print, photographs, video, sculpture and mixed media were all used to capture the varied experiences and messages that each piece (and each representative experience(s)) embodied. Much like Black history itself, the art featured could not be reduced to one medium or message.

Of particular interest to me was a video captured in May, 2011, featuring Camille Turner’s Miss Canadiana’s Heritage and Walking Tour: A Hidden History of the Grange. Turner visited sites in the Grange area of our city documenting the places and people that attest to the oft-overlooked histories of Toronto’s Black community, and their major achievements as they relate to slavery and movement towards equality.

Unfortunately the exhibit has finished now @Hart House, but I strongly suggest you check it out at it’s next location at the Georgia Scherman Projects gallery. It will run until February 29^th so you still have some time.

Additionally, this clip allows you to explore more about Black history at U of T:

If you haven’t been to the Justina M. Barnicke Gallery, I suggest you do! March 9^th marks the beginning of the gallery’s next exhibit, which will feature two video premieres of artist-in-residence Melanie Gilligan’s work – namely, Crisis in the Credit System (2008) and Popular Unrest (2010).