City of Mississauga hosting events to celebrate Black History Month

Thestar.com
Feb. 8, 2022

From museum tours to author talks and more, the City of Mississauga is hosting several in-person and virtual events this month to celebrate Black History Month.

Museum tours: Bradley Museum and Benares Historic House will be offering guided tours this month to educate guests on Black history in Ontario.

The Bradley tour will explore the Black experience in Upper Canada in the 19th century and local connections to enslavement and the Underground Railway.

Benares’ tour will guide visitors through the lives and experiences of Black families in Peel region through the 19th century.

Museums of Mississauga will also host a virtual session exploring the experience of Black United Empire Loyalists on Wednesday, Feb. 9 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Library events: Mississauga Library is offering several virtual events to celebrate Black History Month, including author talks led by Myriam Chancy ("What Storm, What Thunder," "Spirit of Haiti," "The Loneliness of Angels") on Feb. 9, George Elliott Clarke ("Where Beauty Survived") on Feb. 16 and Lawrence Hill ("The Book of Negroes," "The Illegal," "Beatrice and Croc Harry") on Feb. 23.

There will also be book clubs for those who would like to discuss "Angry Queer Somali Boy: A Complicated Memoir" by Mohamed Abdulkarim Ali on Feb. 10 (7 p.m.), "The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead on Feb. 16 (10 a.m.), poems by Hanif Adburraqib on Feb. 23 (6 p.m.) and "Beloved" by Toni Morrison on Feb. 24 (7 p.m.).

Participants can register online.

Those looking to learn more about Black history can also borrow from the library’s collection of Black History Month reads.

Lifestyle and wellness: Mississauga Recreation will be hosting two virtual Black History Month special classes featuring Pilates: An Experience of History and Movement, to discover how Pilates opened doors for inclusion and paved the way for Black leaders. The 45-minute classes will be held on Feb. 9 (12:15 p.m.) and 16 (5:30 p.m.).

As well, in collaboration with the Museums of Mississauga, participants can join the Black United Empire Loyalists virtual session on Feb. 24 at 11 a.m. to learn how Black Loyalists made important contributions to history through the 19th century.

Celebration Square playlist: Mississauga Celebration Square has curated the Black Excellence in Sauga playlist to showcase the diversity of musical talent in Mississauga, featuring a wide range of styles from punk rock to hip-hop, jazz and pop. The playlist will be featured all month long at the Celebration Square ice rink and is included on Apple Music and Spotify.