SNIWWOC invites you to celebrate Black History Month at our annual event!
MEDIA CONTACT
Dominique Jacobs
Communications & Resource Development Coordinator
Support Network for Indigenous Women and Women of Color
203-2722 Fifth Street
Victoria BC V8T 4B2
domi@sniwwoc.ca
250-277-2545
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Support Network for Indigenous Women and Women of Color invites you to celebrate Black History Month at our annual event on Monday, February 22nd.
Victoria, B.C., Canada. Wednesday, February 17th, 2021: SNIWWOC celebrates “her stories” this year with a month-long social media campaign to highlight the brilliant Black women that have shaped society with their determination, bravery and good works. Our Black History month celebration culminates with a virtual event on Monday, February 22nd at 6 pm PST, Black Women in History: Excellence Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
SNIWWOC’s guest speakers Annie Djiotsa, Alison Mclean and Nancy Nyandika are Black women who exemplify excellence and will be discussing notable women in history and the importance of keeping their legacies alive through storytelling and good works of their own that emulate the sheroes of the past.
Black history is human history. But shamefully the Canadian public school system has erased the majority of it. This erasure is so pervasive and spans country-wide, that it’s common to go through an entire K-12 education without ever learning about Canada’s legacy of slavery, or its legislation of Black segregated schools, or the incredible Black women who have contributed massively to our society. That’s why it's important to celebrate Black history month, so we can learn these untold stories.
A Canadian charity, called the Ontario Black History Society (OBHS) — who is dedicated to “the study, preservation and promotion of Black history and heritage” — released an ad for a campaign called #BlackedOutHistory. The video illustrates that when you remove all the non-Black history from a Canadian textbook, only 13 of 255 pages remain.
The importance of this month is to highlight the contributions of Black people, because People of African descent have been a big part of shaping Canada’s heritage and identity since the early 1600’s but this is not common knowledge. And by celebrating Black History month we counter the system that has sought to erase Black identity.
Please join us for an evening of Black history taught by Black women and help us pay homage to the ancestors on whose shoulders we all stand. The event is free and open to the public.
Background:
SNIWWOC's mission is to support and help Black, Indigenous women, women of colour, youth and children take greater control of their lives, providing culturally appropriate services in different languages. All of the programming is developed and delivered by BIPOC women. SNIWWOC offers: One-on-one free therapy, career planning, virtual workshops, seminars, wellness classes, peer support and much more