The 18th Annual Black History Month Concert: The Embrace of Black Women

BY: ELLEN ROCKSON 

“It is nice to enrich ourselves with our culture and enlighten other people with our heritage”

Growing up as a black girl in Vancouver BC which is a predominately South Asian and Oriental city, I never truly felt comfortable in my own melanin skin. It didn’t help that Black History Month wasn’t something celebrated or even talked about. The month of February was just a month for couples, red roses and heart-shaped chocolates. I never understood why this was since Canada takes pride in being multicultural. I always asked myself, “Why weren’t my people Black History Month celebrated the way Chinese New Year or Diwali was?”

Fast forward to today. I now live in Brampton and have been for the past five years. Seeing black people from different ethnicities, having access to Afro-Caribbean restaurants and black hair products has allowed me to further grow my confidence as a young woman of colour. The longing to see the representation of black people and culture is now a reality.

I have only participated in one black history event and that was during my senior year of high school. When the opportunity came for me to attend the 18th Annual Black History Concert in Brampton, I knew I had to go! The concert was held from 5 pm to 9 pm at the Century Gardens Recreation Centre. The purchase of a $10 ticket was all you needed to get in the door. When I entered the room, it was filled with mainly beautiful brown-skinned faces of all different ages. I took a seat in the front row and anxiously waited for the concert to begin.

From amazing high notes, killer dance moves, intriguing PowerPoint slides, strong acting skills and motivational speeches, the concert was filled with many empowering and educational performances. The majority of the performers being female helped embrace not only the impact and strength that our black men had and still have on shaping our history but our black women as well. One of my favourite performances was done by students from the Durham region who drove all the way down to give us a taste on the real Wakanda also known as the African country of Congo.

Twenty-one-year-old performer Madieson Victoria, who was raised by her black mother and white father enjoys celebrating her blackness each year at this event. She says, “It’s an opportunity to enhance myself love as a black woman.” Since 2012, she has been singing at this concert. For her, it is something special that in which she looks forward to doing every February. Victoria tells me, “As I gotten older, I’ve drifted away from singing for fun, so I am happy to be singing for an event that has deep meaning and empowers our community.”

Christine Cargill; president of the Brampton’s branch for Congress of Black Women of Canada was in attendance. The national non-profit organization was founded in 1973 by Kay Livingstone, a London, Ontario native and black activist. Today, CBWC helps black women and their families through the development of events and programs. One of their larger events is the Carabram Multicultural Festival. Cargill is thrilled to be a part of a team that works together to encourage, support and uplift the core of the black family and community. She tells me, “As a strong black woman I wanted to involve myself in an organization that supports women who don’t feel like they have a voice.”

As black females, we sometimes struggle to find a way to genuinely appreciate who we are. Concerts such as this one are so important for the ultimate growth of our young black children so they too can learn to be proud of their heritage and even more proud of the skin they’re in. It also helps the people in our communities to learn more about and appreciate our culture as much as we do. As a community, we need to work together to not only cherish our white daughters but to cherish our black ones just as much.