A month of celebration and education about London's African-Canadian community is about to kick-off.
The opening event for the city's Black History Month will be held Saturday at Museum London. Several more events will be held throughout the month, including a film festival, a performance of the classic play "A Raisin in the Sun," and the Lewis Coray Trailblazer Awards for Youth. Coray was the first black police officer in London.
This year marks the 15th Black History Month in London and the 20th in Canada.
Christina Lord of the Black History Coordinating Committee says she hopes Londoners of all backgrounds take part.
"We're hoping that, through celebration, we're also educating," she said. "We do have opportunities for both the celebration and the education pieces," she said.
Lord says, while more education about the contributions Londoners of African descent have made to the city is needed, there has been more awareness in recent years.
"I think we have more and more historians that are putting together information. We certainly have learned more about things like the Fugitive Slave Chapel project. There is quite a big history here in London and it's always interesting to find out more," she said.
For example, Lord says it's likely few people are aware that, in addition to hosting an army barracks, Victoria Park also was home to many of the first black families that came to London. Housing was set up for escaped slaves that came to London on the Underground Railroad. Lord says they later built a school in the park.
"The families weren't allowed to send their children to regular schools. In fact, what then happened was some of the white families wanted to send their children to that school so it became one of the first integrated schools in London," she said.
More information and a list of events can be found here.
Lord says she hopes many Londoners will take in at least one of the events.
"Hopefully, having these kids at events will give us the opportunity to connect with each other because Black History Month isn't just for the black community, it's for everyone," she says. "It's an opportunity to celebrate, but it's also an opportunity to learn some more about each other."