Black History Month, Black Joy
It’s that time of year when winter is fierce with its negative temperatures and Valentine’s Day is in view with its seemingly acceptable clash of Reds and Pinks. It’s also time to look back at all of the accomplishments and ways Black people have overcome AND a time to look forward to all that God has planned for us while thanking God for the places we’re currently in. Yes, that’s right, it’s Black History Month at Knox!
Black History Month is not just for mourning Black suffering nor just for Black people, it’s a month for all people to remember Black achievement. Isaiah 55:1 says, “Come everyone that thirsts.” We can have a similar attitude toward learning and celebrating all things Black History Month as we do the word of God. There is much to learn, lament, grow in, and especially celebrate.
During the month of February, in our worship and online media, we’ll hear stories from Black community members about God’s faithfulness through good times and hard times. Because God is good, we will celebrate #BlackJoy in our midst while we acknowledge difficulties of the past two years.
“...the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
In addition to stories of #BlackJoy, we want to elevate our Black neighbours through celebrating their words and wisdom. Stay tuned for prayers and liturgical excerpts from Black men and women of God interwoven through our livestream services. We want to add some of these examples to our regular Worship rhythms long after February is gone, because as Pr. Nestor has often reminded us, the body of Christ is the Global church where we all belong; all have something to offer because of the uniqueness of where we come from and where we’ve been.
This month we’ll also celebrate Black products, music, foods—and we need your help to do that! Do you have a favourite Black-owned restaurant or business that you frequent that we should know about? What about a Black-owned product you just cannot go without? Your favourite song by a Black artist? A great book? Share it with us! You’ll see some prompts on Facebook and instagram this month, but you can also make quick work of that and just send e an email, too.
So, consider this your invitation to participate in any and all of these Black History Month moments. See you on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, in the weekly emails, or in-person.
#BlackHistoryMonth—See you there!
—Pr. Temeka Williams
Black History Month at Knox at a Glance
Black Joy Moments
Each Sunday this month in our worship we'll share a conversation with Black brothers and sisters in our church community. We'll hear about hardships, God's faithfulness, and points of joy they've experienced over the pandemic. Week to week, we’ll post the videos at youtube.com/knoxtoronto.
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Writers and theologians
Our Sunday prayers and worship will include words from Black writers and theologians and our kids' moments will share sweet reads from Black authors. The bulletin and livestream video description will name the resources we're drawing from.
Voices of praise
If you're a Spotify user, check out our Black History Month Worship playlist at knoxtoronto.org/bhm-worship
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Celebrating local Black leaders and businesses
Do you have a favourite Black-owned restaurant or business? A Black-created product you love? A favourite song by a Black artist? A great book by a Black author? Keep an eye on our Instagram and Facebook for prompts to share—or use your own social media feed to lift up your favourite Black leaders your network. Let's celebrate the good things Black leaders are doing!
A few background notes prepareD for the City of Toronto by Fay Grange, Knox worshipper and daughter of Ms. Merle
Celebrating Black History Month in Toronto
Black History Month has been celebrated in Canada since the 1950s, by groups like the Canadian Negro Women’s Association who brought the celebration to Toronto
The City of Toronto officially proclaimed February as Black History Month in 1979 largely due to the efforts of the Ontario Black History Society.
In Toronto, Black History Month is an opportunity to recognize and share the significant contributions African Canadians have made to the life in Toronto in areas such as education, medicine, art, culture, sports, recreation, public service, economic development, politics and human rights,
Since 1993, the City of Toronto, has commemorated the contributions of Canadians of African decent with a poster series entitled: “Contributions of African Canadians.” Each poster profiles the contributions of 5 African Canadians, past and present, who have distinguished themselves in diverse endeavors. To view the poster series, visit www.toronto.ca/blackhistory. To purchase a poster, call 416-392-0436.
The Origins of Black History Month
Dr. Carter G. Woodson, originally established Black History Month in the United States as “Negro History Week” in 1926. The words Afro and Black were rarely used in the early twentieth century. His aim was to encourage a greater awareness and understanding of the African experience in America, Africa and throughout the world.
Dr. Woodson, was keenly conscious when he chose for Negro History Week the period of February, which contains the birthdays of Fredrick Douglass, a leader of the abolitionist movement and Abraham Lincoln.
In 1972, Negro History Week was changed to Afro-American (Black) History Observance. The name change focussed on the new thinking by Black Americans that indicated both a new recognition of African background and the Black person’s appreciation of himself as an individual, a citizen and contributor to the American scene.
In 1976, the week expanded into a month celebration to commemorate through community activities, observances and celebrations a more balanced and accurate picture of Black history.
During the 1980s, Rev. Jessie Jackson proposed the term African American (Canadian).
