February is Black History Month (BHM) and Richmond Public Library has a series of virtual events to mark the occasion.
Every February, Black History Month is celebrated around the world to mark the contributions to society from people of Black descent.
This time around, the library and its stakeholders will be focusing on the contributions of people of African descent to British Columbia.
Starting next week, there will be a number of online activities, such as presentations, book clubs and story times.
Richmond advocate for the Black community Mary Wilson is once more at the forefront of the celebrations and she is urging Richmondites of all ethnicities and backgrounds to join in the fun.
“Share with us in celebration of the history and stories of some of our historic unsung local heroes who helped make B.C. the extraordinary province that it is. Get to know Sir James Douglas, John Sullivan Deas, Sylvia Stark, and others,” said Wilson in a press release.
The City of Richmond has once again proclaimed the month of February as Black History Month.
Registration is required for all of the library’s programs listed below:
• On Thursday Feb. 10, join Fran Morrison of the BC Black History Awareness Society for an informative presentation on BC’s Black Pioneers: Economic, Political and Social Influences https://yourlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/61edbbebbb153536003fe739.
• On Sunday Feb. 13, contribute to public knowledge and awareness of BC Black history by participating in the Unsung Heroes Wikipedia Edit-a-thon https://yourlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/61f092f9adc4372800c21f00.
• On Thursday Feb. 24, take part in the first meeting of a new book club that will continue throughout 2022 called “Each One, Teach One”, that focuses on books by Black Canadian authors. The first event will discuss “Washington Black” by Esi Edugyan https://yourlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/61e856f0e2c14342008cd94e.
• Storytimes on Feb. 3, 7, 10, 14 and 17 will be featuring books by Black authors and illustrators with guest readers from the Richmond Black community. Visit the library’s events calendar at https://www.yourlibrary.ca/events-calendar/ to find out more and to register.
If you are looking for more reading options this month, watch for the mid-February book review in the Richmond News, featuring an in-depth look at the newly published fiction book “How the One-armed Sister Sweeps Her House” by Cherie Jones, which explores themes of race and class.
Or, explore at https://www.yourlibrary.ca/ this Black History Month book list:
Canadian Books for Children
Canadian Books for Teens
Canadian Fiction & Poetry for Adults
Canadian Non-Fiction, Biographies & Memoirs for adults
