There's a "pop quiz" from the Guerilla Girls, an anonymous group of feminists artists, and it goes a little like this:
Q: If February is Black History Month and March is Women's History Month, what happens the rest of the year?
A: Discrimination.
All the more reason to get out this weekend and celebrate Black History Month in Burnaby, with the National Congress of Black Women Foundation. The charity is celebrating at Byrne Creek Secondary on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and admission is $10.
There will be a panel discussion on the book Jamaica in the Canadian Experience, featuring authors Andrea Davis and Carl James. Annette Henry, Kevan Cameron and Avis Glaze, all contributors to the book, will also be on the panel. The book is an anthology recognizing the contributions Jamaicans have made to Canada, and it was published in 2012 to mark the 50th anniversary of Jamaican independence from Britain.
There will be a second panel discussion in the afternoon focusing on the relevance of Black History Month, and the featured speakers are Bernard Piprah, Julie Okot Bitek, Nadine Chambers and Nadia Mallay.
On Monday, Feb. 11 - B.C.'s first Family Day - there will be another event with lots of activities for kids from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In the morning, there will be an interactive computer program highlighting the history of Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave who helped smuggle fellow African-Americans into Canada, via the underground railroad. Byrne Creek students will be performing a drama piece about Harriet Tubman as well. Admission is free, and there will be lunch for sale. If you are planning to attend with children, register ahead of time by calling Nalda Callender, executive director of the National Congress of Black Women Foundation, at 604-527-0477 or emailing [email protected].
