Do More Mondays - #117 - Ontario Black History Society

I wanted to give to an organization that promoted black history in celebration of this month.  It was a reoccurring thought each Monday but one thing or another took its place despite remaining diligent with researching the topic.  The men's hockey Olympic gold medal match yesterday made me recall "A Fly in a Pail of Milk: The Herb Carnegie Story" ~ a profound biography about one of the greatest black hockey players ever.  It was settled then.

Personally I am partial when it comes to Black History Month.  On one had it's great because it affirms and creates awareness of a group of peoples' contributions and darker legacies.  On the other hand its celebration would not be necessary if the history was better integrated into education, media and society - that singling out a racialized group goes against the multiracial/multiculturalism in Canada.  I was raised in a very diverse community where everyone deserved an equal sense of belonging.

That is why this week I'm making a donation to the Ontario Black History Society (OBHS) ~ a non-profit registered charity dedicated to the study, preservation and promotion of Black History and heritage.  The Society aims to foster public interest and encourage the interest of Black History in three ways:

• Recognition, preservation and promotion of the contributions of Black peoples and their collective histories through education, research and cooperation.
• Sponsorship and support of educational conferences and exhibits in this field.
• Promoting the inclusion of material on Black History in school curricular.

In 1978 the OBHS successfully petitioned the city of Toronto to have the Black History Month formally recognized.  The believe in the needed for its celebration in order to help us to arrive at an understanding of ourselves as Canadians in the most accurate and complete socio-historical context that we can produce.  As a nation with such diversity, all histories need to be known, all voices need to be expressed.  Black history provides the binary opposite to all traditional histories.  One needs traditional history to engender a common culture; one needs Black history to engender a clearer and more complete culture.

Feel empowered to do more.

I challenge anyone to do more.