Black History Month
Addressing Youth Homelessness to Enhance Black Dignity
February, a month dedicated to showering love on all humanities on the planet, coincides with Black "History Month," a commemoration of Blacks' historical contributions to the development of the world. Although it predates 1926, when Negro History Week was celebrated, it was later renamed Black History. It is important to acknowledge the commitment of Carter G. Woodson (1875–1950), an African American and Harvard educated historian, who in 1926 endorsed dedicating the month of February to honoring African American accomplishments and raising knowledge of Black history in the United States.
For the past 27 years, Canada has been celebrating Black History Month ever since retired Liberal MP Elizabeth Augustine, in 1995, enacted it in the legislature. The Canadian theme for the 2022 Black History Celebration is "February and Forever: Celebrating Black History today and every day". REST Centres see this as an unending process to highlight the achievements of Black people. We connect and resonate with the achievement of all Blacks whose perseverance and endurance has created the opportunity for the growth of the Black community. REST Centres recognizes Donald Oliver, Canada's first Black senator, and Lincoln Alexander, Ontario's first Black Lieutenant Governor and Member of Parliament for their contributions and inspiration towards Blacks’ upliftment. As we celebrate Black heritage and contributions; it is pivotal to eliminate all forms of barriers that curtail Blacks from living a dignified life to support and contribute to world development.
REST Centres is proud that the 2022 Black History Month coincided with its rebranding as the first organization with a specialty in serving BIPOC youth who have aged out of the foster care system and are at risk of becoming homeless. Thanks to Dagma Koyi, the CEO and Founder, whose dream to address observed inequities in the social-economic system of the country carved out the priority and passion to address Black youth homelessness. We are forever grateful and believe that together we stand to promote the dignity of Black youth.
We also celebrate the accomplishments of the youth who have graduated from the REST Centres’ support and are currently living an independent life and contributing to the socio-economic development of the country. Last year we witnessed 10 youths successfully completing REST Centres’ support and hope that the over 60 youth currently under our Bridge of Hope and skill development support will all complete the program which will culminate in their independent living.
To REST Centres, the provision of a place to lay one’s head overnight with dignity is the foundation block for building future celebration. While we recount the contributions of Blacks, it is equally important to deeply reflect on the scars of slavery, poverty, discrimination, and other social inequities that continue to create vulnerability and slippage for Black youth development. It is noted that about seventy percent (70%) of Black Canadians continue to face discrimination, whilst for indigenous people it is about 49% and for whites it is about 18%. Racialized individuals account for 60% of the 7,324 people that experienced homelessness in 2021, out of which 31%, accounting for 9% of the entire Toronto population, were Black (City of Toronto, 2021).
The interesting fact is that Black youth make up a substantial proportion of the Black population and ensuring that the basic needs that serve as a springboard for their growth and development are provided cannot be over-emphasized. Ignoring the provision of this support now implies planning to fail in celebrating their achievement in the future. This is what at the REST Centres we do, providing the springboard that provides the right cultural experience and transitions for youth to live an independent life worthy of celebration. We stress culture and life experiences because a life without history is not worth living. We believe in a life trajectory where happy moments can be recounted for a youth that connects to achievement and fulfillment.
Happy experiences are worth remembering, and fortitude and resilience have their roots in what Black people have had to undergo throughout history, which necessitates our working together to address. The significance of a home for our children is critical to the healing process and the lasting removal of the deep scars of Black history. We shall continue to encourage everyone to celebrate Black History Month in a dignified and culturally responsive manner for the rest of their lives.
References
Association for the Study of African American Life and History. (2022). Retrieved February 14, 2022, from Annual Themes: https://asalh.org/black-history-themes/
City of Toronto. (2021). Streets Needs Assessment 2021, Attachment 1. City of Toronto. Retrieved January 26, 2022, from file:///C:/Users/bsobe/Downloads/backgroundfile-171729.pdf