Celebrate Black History Month with Richmond Public Library

Home  »     »   Celebrate Black History Month with Richmond Public Library

Richmond, BC – February is Black History Month and Richmond Public Library is committed to uniting the community in celebration and raising awareness about this important global event. Together with Mary Wilson, a passionate local advocate, and the City of Richmond, we will be welcoming the community virtually all month long to a series of events.

“This year’s focus is the amazing contributions of people of African descent to the province of BC,” said Mary Wilson. “Share with us in celebration of the history and stories of some of our historic unsung local heroes who helped make BC the extraordinary province that it is. Get to know Sir James Douglas, John Sullivan Deas, Sylvia Stark, and others.”

The City of Richmond has once again proclaimed the month of February as Black History Month, an important step for the municipality and for Black community members. View the proclamation here https://www.yourlibrary.ca/black-history-month/.

The library is acknowledging Black History Month with virtual events for children, teens, adults and seniors. Registration is required for all programs.

  • On Thursday February 10, join Fran Morrison of the BC Black History Awareness Society for an informative presentation on BC’s Black Pioneers: Economic, Political and Social Influences https://yourlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/61edbbebbb153536003fe739.
  • On Sunday February 13, contribute to public knowledge and awareness of BC Black history by participating in the Unsung Heroes Wikipedia Edit-a-thon https://yourlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/61f092f9adc4372800c21f00.
  • On Thursday February 24, take part in the first meeting of a new book club that will continue throughout 2022 called “Each One, Teach One”, that focuses on books by Black Canadian authors. The first event will discuss “Washington Black” by Esi Edugyan https://yourlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/61e856f0e2c14342008cd94e.
  • Storytimes on February 3, 7, 10, 14 and 17 will be featuring books by Black authors and illustrators with guest readers from the Richmond Black community. Visit the library’s events calendar to find out more and to register.

If you are looking for more reading options this month, watch for our mid-February book review in the Richmond News https://www.richmond-news.com/, featuring an in-depth look at the newly published fiction book “How the One-armed Sister Sweeps Her House” by Cherie Jones, which explores themes of race and class. Or, explore these thoughtfully prepared Black History Month book lists:

We invite the entire community to participate, engage and learn! For more information, visit the library’s website or speak to a library staff member.