Project aims to educate Guelph residents about local Black history
Posted September 27, 2023 2:02 pm.
After realizing she knew little of local Black History in Guelph despite living in the city her entire life, Denise Francis has teamed up the Guelph Black Heritage Society to launch a new project to ensure this history is being told.
“The Black Heritage Reclaimed project is something I dreamt about 10 years ago,” said Francis. “When we think about Black heritage so many people think about stories in the [United] States, but I wanted to highlight the Black heritage here in Wellington County.”
The projects aims to shed light on a history that its creator said is not talked about and amplify it throughout the community.
They hope to do that with many events and activities and also through a new website.
“We’ve repurposed our website called changestartsnow.ca. It is our new digital archive. It show you videos and pictures of past GBHS events and also video essays of Black history and our Nicki Dredd Archive,” explained Francis.
Francis wants to ensure no one else grows up without knowing the history of the community around them.
“It really struck me, ‘Why we are not teaching local school kids of our history, but we learn about Martin Luther King?’ We need to tell these stories before they are forgotten,” she shared.
On October 27, the Guelph Black Heritage Society will be hosting a launch event for the Black Heritage Reclaimed project.
Not only will it be a celebration of the efforts of the Guelph Black Heritage Society over the past 10 years, but will also showcase digital archives and an augmented reality exhibit highlighting Guelph’s Black history.
