MONTREAL- Montreal’s Black History Month celebrations officially kicked off Monday night at the Grand Bibliothèque.
The event was just the start of what will be over a month full of music, art, culture and history.
“I celebrate black history when I wake up everyday, but this month is an occasion to share it with the rest of the world,” spokesperson Eddy King told Global News.
Gilles Duceppe, the former leader of the Bloc Québécois, said the event is a time to talk about important issues.
“If we’re not discussing things that are uncomfortable, then we aren’t solving problems,” he said.
Michael Farkas, president of the Black History Month Roundtable, said he has a soft spot for a particular movie being shown during Black History Month.
It’s a story about the struggles of black Canadian military men.
Honour Before Glory tells the tales of black Canadians who enlisted in Canada’s first and only all-black military battalion in the First World War.
The play Race, which is about a racialized sexual assault case and the lawyers caught in the middle, runs at the Théâtre Jean-Duceppe from Feb. 17 to Mar. 26.
The annual Black History Month blood drive will be held Feb. 20 at 2515 Delisle Street near Lionel-Groulx metro station.
The blood drive aims to get black people to donate, since there are health issues unique to Montreal’s black community.
The full list of events can be found on the website.