Black community groups in southern Ontario town unite to mark Black history

Phiona Durrant, president of Aurora Black Community, says a ‘Black history 365 approach’ is needed

AURORA – Aurora’s Black community groups are holding Black history events beyond the month of February, with a plan to host a Black history gala in April.

Aurora Black Community (ABC) president Phiona Durrant said the goal is to “be intentional about a Black history 365 approach.”

The group has partnered with Aurora Black Caucus, a separate community group. The groups have codified their relationship, to help avoid confusion, due to the group’s similar names and acronyms, and duplication of efforts.

Durrant said one of the legacies of slavery was sowing division within the Black community, adding that “unity is important.”

She added that Aurora Black Community is taking the lead on programming around Black History Month, while the Aurora Black Caucus is spearheading efforts around Emancipation Day.

Last year, Aurora Black Community hosted the second annual Black history gala in February, at the Salvation Army’s Northridge Community Church, while Aurora Black Caucus hosted its Emancipation Day celebration on Aug. 1 at Aurora Town Hall. Emancipation Day marks the end of slavery in Canada and across the British Empire, as the day when the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 came into effect.

“We want to make sure that people know what Emancipation Day is, what are we being emancipated from and whether or not emancipation only involves Black people,” said Milton Hart, chair of the Aurora Black Caucus. “The idea is that it involves all of us, because nobody is free until everybody is free, and that’s the idea that we need to emancipate a lot of people.”

“When we know that some people might still be impeded by some of the situations of the past, I think it behooves us to ensure that we talk to those people and that we educate and that we empower,” said Hart.

“If some people do things out of ignorance, we ensure that we talk with them and we clear up whatever misunderstanding is out there because often times people do things just out of ignorance and not out of knowledge.”

Durrant echoed those comments, saying allyship and showing up was important.

Black History Month events in February include a flag raising at Aurora Town Hall.

By Bailey Moreton, Village Report