For Black History Month we filled a hall in Barrie with the thing that makes this work worth doing: people who had never met, in the same room, eating the same food.
The programme ran from a welcome address into a community panel, then into performances, youth speakers and a marketplace of local Black-owned businesses. Families came with children. Teenagers came with friends. Neighbours came because a flyer caught their eye.
What happened on the day
- A community panel on culture, identity and belonging in Simcoe County
- Youth speakers at the podium, several of them for the first time
- Live cultural performance and drumming
- A full marketplace of local caterers, skincare makers, bakers and stylists
- An official proclamation presented by the City of Barrie
The measure of the day was not the turnout. It was the number of conversations that carried on in the car park after the room emptied.
Photos from the day are in our gallery.
