A busy month is about to get underway in Chatham-Kent for the local black historical organizations.
Black History Month kicks off on Friday, January 31 with a flag raising at the Civic Centre in Chatham, then continues on Saturday, February 1 with the Black Youth Expo, a free event at the WISH Centre.
"But it's for all youth," said Doug Robbins, Executive Director-Curator of the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society & Black Mecca Museum. "We want to make sure that we have some representation within there, and you'll find that you might find more black vendors there, as well as some black youth that are looking to find navigation to where they want to go. So it's an exciting event, it's the inaugural year for it, so we're hoping that Chatham comes out and really supports this."
That runs from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. and features a fireside chat with Miranda Ayim, a three-time Canadian Olympian and founder of Cultivate Co., as well as an Authors' Corner featuring guest authors Craig Shreve, Yejide Kilanko, and Marie Carter.
On Saturday, February 22, "Jubilant!" a celebration of the soul will be held at the WISH Centre.
"So it's a soul food dinner, there is a live band, a DJ," said Michelle Robbins, Curator of the Buxton National Historic Site & Museum. "So it's just really a great event that anybody can come to, to really get embraced into the culture, into the food. That is happening on February 22 at 6 o'clock."
Tickets are $40 and are available online through Eventbrite.
The month-long events will wrap up on Saturday, March 1 with the Black Excellence Awards and Gala at Retro Suites.
"We had an incredible response when it came to nominations," said Doug. "We were just blown away with the amount concern and care that people put into making their nominations to us. Then it went to a panel, who then decided who would be worthy of this year's nominations to stand."
The nominations were just released earlier this week. To see the full list of nominees, or to purchase tickets, visit the Black Excellence Awards Facebook Page.
More events are planned throughout the month, including a concert at St. Andrews United Church in Chatham on February 15, and a book launch and signing at the Josiah Henson Museum of African Canadian History in Dresden on February 8.