On Feb. 4 at 11:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., the Canadian Caribbean Association of Waterloo Region is hosting their annual Black History Month Launch at the Ken Seiling Region of Waterloo Museum.
Thursday, Feb. 1 marks the beginning of Black History Month. The theme for the month this year is, “Black Excellence: A Heritage to Celebrate; a Future to Build,” as announced by the Government of Canada.
Since its inception in 1957, the Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region (CCAWR) has advocated for people of colour in the Region.
“[CCAWR] was founded by immigrants from the English-speaking Caribbean who were working at either Laurier or the University of Waterloo so that they could keep connections to their roots,” said Lannois Carroll-Woolery, president of CCAWR.
“Our mission is to promote the social, the cultural and economic interests of the Caribbean community in the Region of Waterloo,” said Carroll-Woolery.
Every year CCAWR contributes to the community by giving out university and college scholarships alongside hosting events for Black History Month or, as Carroll-Woolery puts it, “anything with that Caribbean flavor.”
The theme of the CCAWR event this year is “Black History, Black Heritage, Black future”, said Carrol-Woolery. “There’s entertainment, music, spoken word and food vendors – it’s a party. We talk a little bit about black history, and we also speak about what we’ve inherited from our forefathers.”
Among members of the community who will be attending, local public officials are also invited to the event.
“We invite all the mayors, MPs, counselors, the chief of police and the school boards,” said Carroll-Woolery.
For students and members of the community looking to get involved, CCWAR provides many volunteer opportunities on their website.
Current volunteer vacancies include events as well as serving on one of the organization’s committees.
Interested members of the community can also advertise their own events and ask for assistance with school assignments or other projects.
CCAWR can provide financial sponsorship, and even modeling services (as they did for one event).
“We’re a cultural organization, but we also do a lot of things in the education and economic space. There are many ways that we can support them,” said Carroll-Woolery.
More information about CCAWR alongside upcoming events in the region can be found on their newly updated website ccawr.ca under the events tab which is consistently updated throughout the month.