Black History Month – February 3, 2021

Black History (or African Heritage) month began on February 1st. Officially recognized in Canada since 1996,  Black History month has its origins in the 1920’s United States.

In the United Church of Canada we take time during this month to focus on the contributions and experiences of Black members of the Church. Stories from across the Church are being shared on the SPUC blog page throughout the month and I encourage you to watch or read them and to do some exploring on your own. Black history is Canadian history and it’s something we all need to learn more about.

Today I invite you to read a 2020 blog post from Rev. Andrew Kinoti Lairenge, Vermilion-Mannville Pastoral Charge, Northern Spirit Regional Council, Alberta titled “Learning to Be Black.”    As stated in the blog’s introduction “Rev. Andrew Kinoti Lairenge writes that growing up in post-colonial Kenya, he did not know what it was to be a person of colour. It is in Canada that he is learning to be Black.”

To access the blog post, please click on https://united-church.ca/blogs/round-table/learning-be-black