Celebrating Black History Month
On Friday, February 24th 2023, the John Humphrey Centre (JHC) partnered with Shiloh Centre for Multicultural Roots (SCMR), the Telus World of Science Edmonton (TWOSE), and Edmonton Public Schools to put together a Documentary Screening event in celebration of Black History Month.
We invited nearly 200 junior high students from all over Edmonton from schools like Major General Griesbach, Bessie Nichols, Dickensfield, and Edmonton Christian West, to watch two documentaries directed and produced by the SCMR at the IMAX theater in the recently-renovated TWOSE. Our morning was opened by TWOSE resident-elder, Elder Gilman to ground us for our day.
Grade seven and eight students watched Alberta: Growing Up Black which presented the unique narrative and encounters of Black youth in Alberta through their own perspective and words. The documentary also highlights that Black youth have unexampled stories and experiences to share while living in Alberta.
Grade nine students on the other hand, watched Black Lives in Alberta: Over a Century of Racial Injustice Continues which depicted the racial barriers faced by five generations of Black Albertans. It also shared the perspectives of the descendants of African-American migrants who settled in Alberta and Saskatchewan to evade persecution and racism in the US. They openly narrated their family legacies and reflected on how their racial identities have influenced their existence in Alberta.
After the students watched the documentaries, they headed to the Ziedler Dome for a workshop facilitated by Deborah Dobbins. Deborah Dobbins is the president/CEO of Shiloh Centre for Multicultural Roots and is a third generation African-American Albertan. Deborah generously shared her knowledge on the early African-American settlements in Alberta. Students gained a deeper understanding of the history of Black settlers in Alberta and the historical and present day impacts of racial injustice. Black artistry and success was celebrated, including art, film, writing, and in other areas of achievement in areas of human rights and justice. Students had opportunities to ask questions to further develop their own journeys of understanding.
We provided some light snacks for the students before sending them off for lunch and they had the rest of the afternoon to explore the many exhibits and galleries at the Telus World of Science.
Overall, it was a fun and educational day with engaged and excited students, as well as a sense of strengthened collaboration with our partners at the Shiloh Centre for Multicultural Roots, Telus World of Science, and Edmonton Public Schools. We hope that we can continue to uplift
If you’re interested in watching the documentaries we screened, they are available for viewing at Shiloh Centre for Multicultural Root’s website, as well as educational resources.
We are sincerely thankful to the City of Edmonton and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation for making this event possible.