‘I’m nothing.”
Mary Wilson was about as modest as they come when asked who she was and what organization she belonged to.
Having for years traveled to neighbouring cities around the Lower Mainland to take part in and celebrate Black History Month (BHM), Wilson wondered why Richmond had never marked the occasion.
After asking around late last year, the Stevestonite quickly realized that no one appeared to have considered hosting it, so she grabbed BHM by the horns and set about getting it off the ground.
And this Thursday, after receiving a great deal of help from Donna Wilson at the West Richmond Community Centre and Beverly Walker and her staff at the Richmond Public Library, Wilson will be front and centre at Richmond’s first ever BHM event.
“Everyone is welcome, this is not just for black people,” said Wilson, who is mainly of American-Caribbean descent — but laughs about how many other roots may add up to her ethnicity as an American who moved to Steveston more than 20 years ago.
“I noticed over the years all these other cities were marking and celebrating Black History Month and Richmond was not. I just thought, wouldn’t it be nice to have one of these in Richmond?
“I got talking to the West Richmond Community Centre and then they put me in touch with the Richmond Public Library and they loved the idea. They agreed to provide the space among other things.
“It’s actually the 20th anniversary of Black History Month in Canada, which started in Ottawa, so this is great timing.”
Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month in the U.S., is an annual observance in the U.S., Canada, and the UK for remembrance of important people and events in the history of Africans dispersed from their original homeland.
BHM in Richmond actually kicked off last week with an Ethiopian children’s book reading, but more events take place on Feb. 18, 21 and 27.
On Feb 18, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., there will be a youth film screening and discussion, with two films, Speak it: From the heart of Nova Scotia and Joe Fortes, Vancouver Hero, both suggested by youth from the library’s Media Lab.
On Feb. 21, from 3:30 to 5 p.m., there will be a moderated discussion, with four panel members from an Ethiopian, Caribbean and African American background talking about where they were born, the influence of their background on their families, and discussion about their lives in Canada and the work they do in the community.
On Feb. 27, from 10:30 to 11 a.m., Julian Wilson, along with his three-year-old daughter, will talk about the stories he tells her about their culture.
“I guess it’s about educating people about the black community, in so much that we come from many different places, not just the U.S. and the Caribbean,” said Wilson, when asked what she would like to achieve by helping to host BHM in Richmond.
“We want to share our stories and build a better community.”
Wilson says she’s not sure how big the black community is in Richmond, but knows it’s much larger than when she first arrived in the city two decades ago.
“I think that number has increased dramatically, especially from Caribbean descent, all over the city. And even if I’m wrong about that, I still think this is a very valuable thing to do.”
According to the 2011 National Household Survey, there were 1,245 black people living in Richmond.
