Celebrate African Heritage Month 2018

The 2018 African Heritage Month theme “Educate, Unite, Celebrate Community” honours and pays homage to African Nova Scotians and their long legacy of uniting a passion that has provided a base to educate and celebrate an important part of Nova Scotia’s culture and heritage. The theme embraces education and encourages all Nova Scotians to learn about African Nova Scotian history. Together, we can unite and ignite the culture and heritage we share as a community as we observe the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent from 2015-2024. This observation focuses on three pillars: Recognition, Justice, and Development.

The province of Nova Scotia has over 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities, dating back over 400 years. These communities have a unique and rich legacy of resistance, resilience and triumph that needs to be shared with all of Nova Scotia. It is for this reason we must Educate, Unite and Celebrate African Heritage Month.

 

African Heritage Month in Canada

The commemoration of African Heritage Month in Canada can be traced to 1926 when Harvard-educated black historian Carter G. Woodson founded Negro History Week to recognize the achievements of African Americans. Woodson purposefully chose February for the birthdays of Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln, both key figures in the emancipation of enslaved blacks. In 1976, as part of the American Bicentennial celebrations, Negro History Week was expanded to Black History Month.

The African Heritage Month Information Network is a partnership with African Nova Scotian Affairs, The Black Cultural Society (Organizational Lead), African Nova Scotian Music Association, African Nova Scotian North-Central Network, African Heritage Month Southwest Network, Africville Heritage Trust, Black History Month Association, Cumberland African Nova Scotian Association, and Valley African Nova Scotian Development Association, the Halifax Regional Municipality’s African Nova Scotian Integration Office, and the Guysborough, Antigonish Strait African Regional Network.

Visit the African Nova Scotian Affairs website for more information or to download the poster!