It's Black History Month, a time to remember the past contributions and sacrifices of the Black community, while also honouring the current movements that are shaping the present and future.
"History is very important, to know where you're coming from so that you can see how much you've actually progressed, how much we've actually changed," said Michael Farkas, the president of the Round Table on Black History Month.
Due to the pandemic, this year's events have been reduced and are mostly online.
Some of the events being highlighted this year include Canada's one and only Massimadi Afroqueer film & arts festival, which runs Feb. 11 to March 11, as well as 0rijin Village – 28DaysUP, which encourages entrepreneurs from Black communities by buying “Black” for the whole month.
"We've come a long way and the struggle goes on today... but to refer ourselves to history, to really measure how far we've come and how far we still need to go, I think is the right thing to do," said Farkas. "Sometimes, we still have a feeling that we're regressing, that things are getting worse, that racism is actually increasing... Don't deny your past to try to make what you're reinventing something right now. No, we come from somewhere and we're all in this thing together."
To see the full program for Black History Month, click here.
