‘Warms my heart:’ Regina woman encouraged by Black History Month celebrations

Saskatchewan officially recognizes February as Black History Month, but that wasn’t always the case.

When Pamela Brown first came to the province more than 30 years ago, there weren’t any celebrations of Black History Month. That came as quite a shock to her and her husband, both of whom had spent time in Ontario and the U.S.

Since the areas they lived in had more people than Saskatchewan, Brown said there were often large celebrations for Black History Month and even larger ones for Emancipation Day in August.

The celebrations often included history lessons, art, dance symposiums and panels discussing issues of the day.

“When we came here, we wanted that for our children and because there was nothing here, we began reaching out to all the different organizations that represented the different nationalities here in Saskatchewan,” Brown said.

Brown said she reached out to and worked with people in the Caribbean and African diaspora to create a schedule of events that happened during Black History Month.

Brown helped run an event that featured plays, dances and other programs — ones that got children involved.

“Even children as little as four and five years old would just have a line to say about someone famous that had made a difference in history,” she said.

That event went on for years and although it is no longer around, Brown said she’s encouraged by other events that have been started by younger people, such as weekly Teach-In’s at Hampton Hub that were hosted every Tuesday.

Brown’s work didn’t just stop there – she was a founding member of the online Saskatchewan African Canadian Heritage Museum (SACHM).

“We found when we came here that there were not a lot of areas where children could go to learn about the Black experience, or to learn about the history and contributions of Black people and so we really wanted to just start a museum,” she said.

“We talked about all of the different museums they have here and we thought that it was important not only for our children but also for other mainstream Canadians, if you will, to learn about the contributions of Black people here in Saskatchewan.”

SACHM researches, documents and preserves the history of people of African descent in Saskatchewan.

One of the people highlighted on the virtual museum is Dr. Alfred Shadd, a doctor and farmer who was the first-known Black resident in Saskatchewan after arriving in 1896.

The museum also highlights Lewis and Lillie LaFayette, who immigrated to the province in 1906 from Iowa.

Their granddaughter, Carol LaFayette-Boyd, is the SACHM’s volunteer executive director. She was originally invited to be part of the SACHM due to being a descendent of one of Saskatchewan’s earliest Black settlers.

As her family historian, LaFayette-Boyd said she finds it interesting learning about others who have come to the province, which is why she stayed with the SACHM.

“I didn’t know about Dr. Shadd until 1984, even though my father was born right here in Regina and probably was the first person of African descent to be born in Regina in 1907,” LaFayette-Boyd said. “So it’s just really interesting to me to try to get that history out.”

LaFayette-Boyd said the SACHM has been doing more this year to celebrate Black History Month, including being involved in the teach-ins at the Hampton Hub.

The SACHM also collaborated with the Regina Symphony Orchestra for live performances of the children’s book “Lil Shadd: A Story of Ujima,” which is a story about Dr. Shadd’s son.

“I think it’s really important for young children of African descent to know that there were people who came before them that were able to be successful and contribute to the province and that that’s something that they could do too,” LaFayette-Boyd said.

LaFayette-Boyd said she hopes that someday, Black history will become part of mainstream history.

Brown said she loves Saskatchewan and felt very welcomed by the province when she first arrived.

“Saskatchewan is one of the first places ever where I met people who genuinely didn’t care that I was brown, and they treated me like they would anyone else,” Brown said. “They didn’t call me Black. They would say, ‘Oh, I saw this person, they had a dark complexion,’ and they were sincere.”

However, she said systemic racism in the province is still very real.

“It’s combined with ’friends and family,’ I call it. (A) lot of nepotism goes on here in this province so it’s really difficult for newcomers, especially to get into a position where they can really support their families,” Brown said.

Although Brown is still involved in the community, she said she is happy to let the younger generations take over.

“I firmly believe that the work now should be done by the youth. It’s their future. I’m coming down the other side of the mountain now …,” she said while laughing.

“You get to a point where you’re teaching and you’re bringing people along and it’s then time for them to set the pace and come up with the strategies to move things forward.”

Brown said she’s also happy with some of the progress that’s been made, especially since Black History Month is recognized by the province.

“When you learn about your contributions, and you hear other people talking about the richness of your history and the bright future, it really builds confidence and helps our children,” she said. “Not just brown children but all of our children understand that we’re in this world together and we need to work together to make it the best that we can.

“It warms my heart.”