'There's a lot of education that needs to be done': Strong support for Black History Month flag raising in Chatham
A larger than usual crowd turned out for the Black History Month flag raising event in front of the Chatham-Kent Civic Centre on Wednesday.
The event was held to kick-off Black History Month celebrations across the municipality.
“To see the turnout here is amazing,” said Steven Cook, curator of the Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History in Dresden. “We had people here from all walks of life and different businesses and few of the different churches here in the town as well. It's really, really encouraging to see that support that we had.”
According to Cook though, more education is key after several recent events.
“When we renamed our museum from Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site, we soon were made aware that there's a lot of education that needs to be done because people just didn't understand the harm and the racial undertones in the name Uncle Tom. And similar with the Blackbird, the name of a baseball team that was dropped recently this week,” Cook explained.
“There's these racial undertones that unless people are made aware of it, they don't know how it's perceived within different communities and within the Black community. It really was words that hurt us and harmed us and we wanted to make sure that that change was brought about.”
He continued, “we really are impressed with how quickly and decisively the executive made the change for the name and we were going to work with them to hopefully bring about a name that's going to be welcoming and all-encompassing for the community.”
Cook encouraged residents and visitors to check out the Josiah Henson and Buxton National Historic Museum sites along with the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society and Black Mecca Museum.
“I have to tell you, though, and this is probably a first that all three sites, we are fully booked for the month of February,” Cook said. “That's how strong the interest is that continues to grow and grow every year. So we do encourage people to come out to hear the history firsthand, because I'll challenge you that probably throughout the entirety of Canada, you're not going to find the same kind of Black representation that you'll find here in Chatham-Kent.”
“Historically, we have so many firsts that came right out of here in Chatham-Kent. So let's be proud of them and let's shine a light on it and let the world know what we have to offer.”
“Celebrate our history. Celebrate the future. Make people aware. Education is powerful,” said Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff.
Caniff said he hadn’t seen that large of a crowd at a flag raising in a long time.
“I want people to get out and celebrate that history and learn about that history. Get out to the amazing places and events that we have planned over the next month.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.