Black History Month is coming to Richmond this weekend for only the second time in its 21-year history.
A full calendar of events is lined up for Richmond, starting this Friday at 5:30 p.m. with an opening ceremony with Mayor Malcolm Brodie and special guests in city council chambers at city hall.
Among them will be Lt. Col. Robert Alolega — of the 39th Service Battalion, stationed on No. 4 Road at Alderbridge Way in Richmond — who will be giving a tribute to black African vets in Canada to highlight their contribution to the country.
And as part of the Black History Month (BHM) festivities, Phylis Adelyne States will be singing gospel and jazz for the audience.
“It’s a very rich history and there have been many contributions to Canada and its culture,” said the organizer of Richmond’s BHM events, Mary Wilson.
“We want to share our stories with the rest of Canada and everyone is welcome to attend any of the events.”
On Sunday, Feb. 5 “Hogan’s Alley: A Look at an Early Black Community in Vancouver’s Strathcona Neighbourhood Then and Now” will be shown from 2-4 p.m. at the Brighouse Branch of Richmond Public Library.
On Thursday, Feb. 16, from 6:30-9 p.m. in the Brighouse Branch, award-winning film Selma will be shown, followed by a discussion.
On Wednesday, Feb. 22, from 6-7 p.m., at the same branch there will be a talk on the Early Black Pioneers in B.C., including Sir James Douglas, John Sullivan Deas, Rosemary Brown, Selwyn Romily, and Harry Jerome.
All events are drop-in. For more details, go online to YourLibrary.ca/Events or call 604.231.6413.
To mark the month across the country, Canada Post will release a Black History Month stamp in February.
The News reported last year how Wilson, having for years traveled to neighbouring cities around the Lower Mainland to take part in and celebrate BHM, decided to take matters into her own hands and organize events in her home town.
According to the 2011 National Household Survey, the most recent available, there were 1,245 black people living in Richmond.
