Black History Month Celebration in Ajax

DURHAM — Durham Region’s biggest Black History Month celebration features singers, dancers and a storyteller.

The free event, themed Back to the Future: Reclaiming our Heritage, is Feb. 3 from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at J. Clarke Richardson Collegiate, Ajax.

It is presented by Cultural Expressions Art Gallery Inc. in partnership with the Durham District School Board, the Durham Black Educators’ Network and the Congress of Black Women (Ajax/Pickering).

A press release states organizers in 2018 are encouraging those of African descent “to reclaim elements of their history lost to the passages of time and societal influences.” Those who attend are urged to celebrate their background by wearing their national dress or colours.

“We want everyone to reflect on aspects of our culture that have fallen to the wayside,” says event chair Esther Forde of Cultural Expressions. “Back in the day, getting ‘the look’ from parents was enough to straighten kids out. Today, we seem to have lost respect for our elders, forgotten simple manners and knowing how to conduct ourselves in public places and lost our folk stories that provided life skills and wisdom.”

Award-winning author and storyteller Itah Sadu of A Different Booklist Cultural Centre will deliver the keynote address.

Whitby MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes will receive the Madiba Award.

The event’s community fair, with refreshments and networking, is from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and the doors to the theatre open at 6:30 p.m. for the performances and keynote address.

Taking the stage are singers Roger Gibbs and Kimya Hypolite, storyteller Sandra Whiting and performing artists C-Flava and AFIWI Groove School of Durham.

To learn more, follow Durham Black History Month on Facebook or contact Cultural Expressions at 905-427-2412.