Wow!
It’s been about a year since I have written here….
But I’m back – and of course it’s my favourite month to gripe about. Black History Month.
If you’ve followed me for a while you know that there are so many reasons I dislike “special months”.
Yes, they can raise awareness and that’s important.
AND they can often be an excuse to not do anything the rest of the year.
This year, however, I have something that I can get behind.
It’s called The Black Heritage Experience (BHX), and it’s a series of digital games produced by The Urban Guide that help us to better understand Black history and heritage in Southern Ontario.
They are amazing!
I learned so much, and am proud to be part of the leadership team that creates them.
Learning and Unlearning
What struck me most was how little I knew, and how much more there is to learn about Blackness in Ontario.
We tend to know (and share and learn about) the fact that the Underground Railroad ended in Southern Ontario. But many of us don’t know the Black settlements that cropped up, or how the last segregated school in Ontario closed in 1965 (1965!!!).
Black History Month can serve to help us learn new narratives, new histories, new experiences that – if we let them – can shape and reshape our understanding of the world, and each other. They also ask us to unlearn some of the things that are no longer accurate, or complete.
Play the BHX
Whether you live in Ontario or not, you can play the games in the BHX and expand your awareness.
Simply register here, and then explore and play (in person and/or online) until March 3.
Notice more.
Leave a Reply