Black History Month roundtable launches ninth edition
Black History Month roundtable launches ninth edition of celebrations
Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
editor@qctonline.com
The Table de concertation du Mois de l’Histoire des Noirs de Québec (TCMHNQ; Quebec City Black History Month Roundtable) launched a busy month of festivities on Jan. 31 at Université Laval, with a cocktail reception, a concert by the group AfroVibes and a roundtable discussion featuring members of the city’s Black community who have excelled in a variety of fields.
Event spokesperson Samuel Audet-Sow is a former professional basketball player turned lawyer who now holds a senior management role at Desjardins. During his keynote address, he looked back on his student days at Collège de Lévis, where he was one of only three Black students at the time. “When I was approached by the president [of the roundtable] to be the spokesperson, my first reaction was, really? I mean, it’s true that I used to be a good basketball player; OK, I passed the bar; but my impression was that you had to be a superhero to be the spokesperson for such an important event. I didn’t think I fit that definition of a superhero … but through resilience, as Black people, we discover that our colour can be a superpower. It gave me an opportunity to discover an inner strength I didn’t know I had, to face all the obstacles that came before me, in my career and in life.”
Théodore Leuwat, president of the roundtable, presented the program of the month- long event, under the theme “Histoire des Afro-canadiens: Éduquer et inspirer” (Afro- Canadian History: Educate and Inspire).
“If you are an adult arriving in Canada, you need to tell yourself that anything is possible,” Leuwat said during his address. “You need to have goodwill and be involved every day. We need to talk about education because … some of our parents have brought their youngest children. What do we need to know about young people? We know that a parent has a lot of responsibilities – a young person who isn’t well educated is a problem waiting to happen. If we educate them early enough and give them the tools to understand the problems they’re going to face and to get involved, that’s how we ensure [the success of] the next generation. That’s why we chose our themes.”
Leuwat said the committee had received a “record number” of project proposals for the ninth edition of Black History Month. They chose 40, pitched by 24 different community groups. The activities include free art exhibits and films at public libraries around the city, the seventh edition of the Festival d’arts Afro- Québécois, soccer and fitness events, culinary workshops, roundtable discussions, networking events for entrepreneurs and a Black history heritage tour of Old Quebec. For music lovers, Billie du Page and Fernie will perform at the Grand Théâtre on Feb. 21, Samba Touré will perform on Feb. 24 at the Grand Théâtre and a Motown heritage revue at the Palais Montcalm will close the festivities on Feb. 28. Other highlights include a celebration of French-language African literature on Feb. 28 at the Maison de la Littérature and activities for kids and teens at the Maison des Jeunes Saint-Sauveur. Most activities are free, although some do require advance reservation. For more information and to reserve your spot at ticketed events, visit mhnquebec.ca/programmation.
Black History Month roundtable launches ninth edition Read More »