Nanaimo African Heritage Society kicks off Black History Month
Gantt said the gala is important because it allows the community to come out and be together. Photo: Nanaimo African Heritage Society
February first is the start of Black History Month and the local Nanaimo group, Nanaimo African Heritage Society (NAHS) is kicking off the celebration and honouring the history of black pioneers from Vancouver Island.
Shalema Gantt is the president and founder of the Nanaimo African Heritage Society. The society was created 24 years ago when Gantt first moved to Nanaimo and did not find any representation of black history. After she was able to find resources on some of the black pioneers that were from Vancouver Island she decided to create her own group.
“So felt like we needed to share that and embrace that with the community and share a lot of information that wasn't told about the pioneers that lived here and helped pioneer the line,” Gantt said.
She said starting the group was easy because it seemed like something a lot of the community felt was missing and wanted
“When we had a core group at the time, it was at the Malaspina University,” Gantt said. “We had 99 people show up for the very first meeting that we had denouncing that we wanted to have the black history in the community.”
Gantt found that the society had gotten a lot of interest from the community who came from all walks of life.
“Black culture comes in all colours, and we have mixtures of families and people who adopted children, mixed parenting. So we had a host of all kinds of people that showed up and that wanted to know more about the black history”
Since then the society has put on many events and programs that celebrate and teach about black history and the pioneers in the area. As well they started a magazine, NAHS Magazine, that covers fashion, beauty, culture and lifestyle, and highlights models of African and Indigenous descent.
One of the main events NAHS hosts is the Black History Finale Gala which they host each year at the end of February. This year will feature keynote speakers, a fashion show, reggae music, and a marketplace for shopping.
Gantt said this event is important because it allows the community to come out and be together.
“It gives them an opportunity to be with their fellow man. It gives them an opportunity to meet and greet and wipe out some of the stereotypical things that people might think or have in their minds or have been taught,” Gantt said. “Give them a chance to learn about their history, because black history doesn't belong to one people and belongs to all people.”
Gantt also said that reflecting on history is important to help create an understanding of the culture and people.
“Within our world right now, there's so much conflict about racism and I think it's one of those things that bring us together as a community and have us foster understanding and appreciation for our pioneers and the people that contributed to Canada,” Gantt said.
Vancouver Island has a large history of black pioneers including Sir James Douglas who was born in 1803 in what is now Guyana. According to the BC Black History Month Society, Douglas became the Chief Factor for the Hudson Bay Company in Vancouver. After getting the Hudson Bay Company to move their headquarters in what is now Washington State to the southern tip of Vancouver Island, he then became the Governor of the Crown Colony of Vancouver Island.
During this time, according to the BC Black History Month Society, Douglas became aware of the discriminatory laws and racial situations black people in California were facing. In 1858 Douglas sent an invitation to the black community in San Francisco inviting them to come and settle in what is now Victoria, BC. This led to flourishing lives for the settlers and became reconized by the Canadian government as an Event of National Historic Significance.
As well in the Nanaimo area, Emma Stark helped pioneer the way for black teachers.
Emma Stark was born Emily Arabella on February 17, 1856, in California. According to the BC Black History Month Society, she and her family moved to Salt Spring Island when she was a toddler. After going to school and studying to become a teacher, in 1874, Stark was hired to teach at the North Cedar School in the Cedar area outside of Nanaimo. This made her the first black teacher on Vancouver Island.
To learn more about the black pioneers from around Vancouver Island, Gantt recommended the book Go Do Some Great Thing: The Black Pioneers of British Columbia by Crawford Kilian which along with other black pioneers, features the history of Sir James Douglas. She also said that the Vancouver Island Regional Library has many books on black history and there will be some books on display at the Downtown Nanaimo Branch.
Gantt said understanding black history will allow those to strengthen their connections to the culture and the people in the community.
“It fosters more understanding and good friendships and relationships when we have more understanding of what the reason behind black history and what the reason that we celebrated,” Gantt said. “It's not to be the special people out there, it's just that a lot of history was not told about the culture and the contributions that they've made to Canada and worldwide. So it's really important to understand how we all played a part in our world.”
More information on black pioneers from the Vancouver Island area and where to buy tickets to the NAHS Black History Finale Gala can be found on their website at nanaimoafricanheritagesociety.com.
Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.