Black History Month needs to focus on more joyful moments, Kitchener students say
What's missing now 'is the celebration of Black joy,' Jaleel Debs says
Black History Month isn't just about the distant past and it's not just about the trauma the Black community has gone through, four members of the African Heritage Club at Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School say.
In a panel discussion with CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's The Morning Edition host Craig Norris, the students say the month should feature more celebration of achievements and joyful moments.
Imani van Gaalen says Black History Month as it is right now can be a "frustrating and exhausting" month because it often involves Black members of the community planning events to teach white people why they should be recognizing the month.
"It should turn from a place of Black people doing those things to everybody contributing to Black History Month and everybody celebrating Black people," she said.
The month also often focuses on trauma Black people have faced, she said.
"I think that we can do a better job of focusing more on celebrating the accomplishments of Black people, celebrating things that are going on in our community," she said.
Jaleel Debs agrees, saying many people focus on the "wrong things" during Black History Month, "thinking the only parts of Black history is the parts we've struggled through."
"What's missing, I think, is the celebration of Black joy," he said.
Layla Hashi says she wants to see more people participating in discussions around the month and celebrating the high points of Black history.
"I also hope to see everyone focusing more on spreading the word," she said.
Zahra van Gaalen, Imani's sister, says there are a lot of aspects of Black history that Black students don't know about because it's not taught in schools.
"I think there is a responsibility to keep talking about it and bringing it up so that everyone can be educated," she said. "But I do think it's so important to remember, it's not the job of Black people to educate white people and that everyone can take the initiative to do that research and find out that information."
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
