The BC Black History Awareness Society is partnering with the Royal BC Museum on an exhibit that peers into the lives of Black British Columbians in the past, present and future.
Hope Meets Action: Echoes Through the Black Continuum opens Aug. 14 and runs through March 1, 2022 in the museum’s Clifford Carl Hall as a free pocket gallery, sharing the complex history and notable contributions of Black individuals in B.C.
ALSO READ: Surge of ducks bob down Saanich waterway to keep Gorge clean, students in school
“With this exhibition, we not only want people to learn about the history of Black settlers and their legacy, we want people to know contemporary Blacks in B.C. are very proud of this legacy,” said society president Silvia Mangue Alene in a release.
| Photos and artwork relating to the lost Vancouver neighbourhood of Hogan’s Alley forms part of a pocket gallery on B.C. Black History starting Aug. 14 at the Royal BC Museum. (Courtesy of the Royal BC Museum) |
The gallery will share widely unknown stories about Black women such as Sylvia Stark, who was born a slave in Missouri, taught herself to read and moved to Salt Spring Island to birth Emma Stark, Vancouver Island’s first Black teacher.
The exhibit includes audio recordings of Black residents from around the province and artwork from young Black artists that addresses the historical Hogan’s Alley community in Vancouver, which was lost due to development.
“Right now, many British Columbians are re-examining the province’s history and challenging its longstanding bias toward European settler history,” said RBCM acting CEO Daniel Muzyka. “We’re indebted to the BC Black History Awareness Society for leading the way on this long-overdue retelling of Black history in B.C.”
For more information, visit bcblackhistory.ca.
Do you have a story tip? Email: vnc.editorial@blackpress.ca.
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.