Lethbridge College is recognizing the diversity of its student and employee population with a Black History Month celebration on Thursday. The celebration will cap off a month filled with events and learning opportunities for everyone in the college community.
The college’s Black History Month celebrations are organized by a group of instructors and students of African and Caribbean descent, with support from the Lethbridge College Students’ Association (LCSA), the Buchanan Library and the Centre for Justice and Human Services. The goal is to celebrate and raise awareness of the different cultures and backgrounds of those who make up the college community.
“What excites the most is seeing the active role played by staff and students of non-African descent in this year’s celebrations of Black History Month,” says Ibrahim Turay, an instructor in the School of Justice Studies and event organizer. “I think that is what our celebration of Black History Month is all about at Lethbridge College - inclusivity.”
Thursday’s event at 11:30 a.m. in the Cave will feature speakers, a potluck lunch of ethnic foods, and students and employees are encouraged to wear their culture’s traditional attire for the event.
Other events throughout the month included showcasing stories of employees and students on the LCSA Facebook page; a Humans of Lethbridge College event, where community members were able to speak to people of African and Caribbean descent about their backgrounds; featured books in the library by black authors; and offering drop-in sports such as soccer, basketball and clean touch – an American football type game, without an actual ball, popular in Northern Sierra Leone, West Africa.
“To see our faculty and students lead the way in promoting their culture on campus is very heartening to our entire community,” says Dr. Paula Burns, Lethbridge College President and CEO. “We are working to promote Lethbridge College as being open and inclusive to all people, and events like Black History Month help to break down barriers and open dialogue while bringing our community together.”
Black History Month has been officially recognized in Canada since 1995 and celebrates the accomplishments and contributions of people of African and Caribbean descent to the development and cultural diversity of Canada. The Government of Alberta officially recognized Black History Month for the first time in 2017. According to the 2016 census, Alberta has more than 129,000 black residents, the third-largest black population in the country.
Lethbridge College held official Black History Month celebrations for the first time in 2017.