Looking to the past to understand the present
In cooperation with the Student Help and Advocacy Centre (SHAC) and the Office of Intercultural Affairs under Student Life, the Guelph Black Students Association (GBSA) kicked off their month-long Black History Celebration in the University Centre on Wed, Feb. 1.
Flanked on either side by posters of stories of renowned black Canadians, the GBSA hosted an afternoon of spoken word poetry. After a territorial acknowledgment and a brief introduction, GBSA president Naomi Adams asked that Black History Month be a time to “recognize and empower” black students.
In an interview with The Ontarion, Adams commented that, due to systemic racism, “Black Canadian history, culture, and literature have not been included in the education system.”
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Black History Month allows Canadians, and especially Canadians of colour, to recognize themselves in the “historical context” of Canada.
“It’s a reminder of our culture, it’s a reminder that we are a part of Canadian history. It’s easy to see African Canadians as an Other because of the erasure that’s happened throughout history,” said Adams.
“It reminds you that you are here, that you were here, that your ancestors made amazing contributions.”
Black History Month serves as a way for Canadians to see marginalized figures in the narrative of history; figures who otherwise may not be recognized or celebrated.
“It’s a way of giving information to black students about their history and about the ancestors that they might have had,” Adams continued, discussing later events in the month. “With the food, the art, and the culture, it’s a part of the history of black people as well because that’s something we have given to Canadian and American culture.”
For the month of February, events will be hosted on campus to celebrate and educate on different aspects of black culture and history.
Cam Litchmore, legal coordinator at SHAC, explained the idea behind February’s planned events.
“One of the main ideas was to get a very diverse set of events that would speak to different people,” said Litchmore.
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To attract students, the GBSA has planned business events, poetry readings for the artistically-inclined, and even food-tasting events for foodies.
Connecting all the planned events is an overarching theme: a knowledge of oneself.
“If you don’t have a knowledge of what your culture has brought, you don’t have a knowledge of who you are. All those things allow people to explore those aspects of themselves and of their ancestors, and allows them to connect and relate to them as well,” said Adams.
Both Adams and Litchmore agreed that there is an erasure throughout history and that the month of February allows this history to come to the forefront.
“People are sort of blind to the fact that it’s not there, because if it’s not your history, you don’t notice it. We notice that it’s not there,” said Adams.
The main event of the opening celebration was a reading by Faduma Mohamed.
Mohamed, a celebrated Toronto-based writer, spoke tenderly of her mother and younger brother who lives with autism and the difficulties they have had navigating the world. She spoke of their resilience, and she celebrated their tenacity with every word. She also discussed her work with RISE, which stands for Reaching Intelligent Souls Everywhere, an artistic youth initiative based out of Scarborough, Ont.
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Mohamed encouraged the students assembled before her to support one another and thanked the GBSA for their work and for having her. She also acknowledged the need for more support for students of colour.
The GBSA is the main source of support for students of colour at the University of Guelph. The GBSA, based out of the C.J. Munford Centre, functions as “a safe space for students of colour on campus,” explained Adams. Completely student-run, the GBSA has a lending library, a study space, and a social space. It also hosts discussions every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
Adams and Litchmore discussed some of the main issues confronted by students of colour.
“The main issue that most of us face is that, when you come to Guelph, you expect to see more of yourself on campus,” said Adams, noting that, while this isn’t anyone’s fault, “It still has an effect on you.”
Being a visible minority can affect grades and social interactions, and microaggressions can create frustration and tension.
Litchmore added, “We had a lack of resources. After the [Black Lives Matter] rally [in November of 2015], we had to push for mental health resources. We started talks with various members of the administration and Student Life for support and the Wellness Centre for counselling.”
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“Because the black population is very small compared to the majority, it sends this message that we don’t need it. But it doesn’t matter if it’s one person or 10 people or 100 people—those people deserve attention specific to their needs,” explained Adams.
While the GBSA does provide a lot of support for students, they can only extend themselves so much.
“We aren’t professionals,” said Adams. “It would be nice to have more counsellors of colour who can understand more of the issues that students might be going through that are associated with their blackness. If you share those lived experiences as a counsellor, you have a better understanding of how to help. That context plays a role in understanding.”
At the launch event, as Mohamed finished her poetry reading to enthusiastic applause, Adams took to the stage again, thanking the co-organizers and audience for their support and encouraged everyone to take part in the remainder of the celebrations.
“The Black History Month Celebrations are open to everybody. We want to get to a place where everyone celebrates black history and wants to understand black history,” Adams concluded.
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Feature image by Mariah Bridgeman/The Ontarion.