​2019年2月21日，230名学生参加了西加拿大高中第二届黑人历史月活动。试图找到一种方式向如此多元背景的学生表达这个月的价值和相关性总是一种挑战。随着我们社会不断转变和发展的正直感，尊重和真实的文化代表在这些文化时刻中处于前沿，西加拿大高中邀请了几位本地表演者向学生们展示他们的声音和经验。在没有其他焦点，只是传播共同文化理解的前提下，三位朗诵诗人和一位音乐家登台，分享了他们在加拿大社会中的变化身份，失去之痛，自我反思之旅以及与他人分享自己文化的热情。

由西加拿大的Courtney W.主持，表演者Priscille Bukasa，Amanda Okafor，Zaire Sealy和Patrick Clifton受到学生们的热烈欢迎，学生们在表演过程中鼓掌，欢呼和鼓掌。朗诵诗的体验需要一定形式的互动，当学生们沉浸在艺术家们的声音和故事中时，观众们开始逐渐消除对互动的初步犹豫。Patrick Clifton两次用歌曲向学生们打招呼，探索了音乐作为宣泄出口的力量。Amanda Okafor探索了自己作为非洲裔子女的身份，她温柔地探索了在一个仍在探讨加拿大身份本质的社会中感受不到欢迎的痛苦。Zaire Sealy以温暖的声音和存在感走上舞台，挑战观众过滤找到自己信仰和与他自己所处世界的关系的复杂故事。Priscille Bukasa站在舞台上向观众们解释自己此刻里涌动的紧张情绪。然而，当她表演时，她的声音的力量在观众中回响，学生们目睹了她作为一个纯粹形式的自信。每位艺术家都利用了舞台来展示自己真实的形象。这种经历的力量不在于黑人历史的传递，而在于这些表演和演员们传达了他们对自己文化和身份的深度理解。

在共享文化的主题下，黑人历史月的活动聚焦于黑人在加拿大社会中的交织性概念。与其试图孤立一些伟大人物的成就，这个特别的活动试图在身体、思想和文化上分隔的不同人群之间建立理解的桥梁。尽管这个月的其他方面侧重于了不可言说的神奇黑人加拿大人的故事，但这个特别的活动试图在努力使之变得更小的文化鸿沟中架起一座多少有些小的桥梁之上，以此表达了无论差异如何，对他人的共情理解对于弥合曾经如此广泛的文化鸿沟是必要的。

特别感谢所有参与并使这次活动成为可能的人员：Jenin Ahmad，Katherina Davenport，Maddis Loo，Aideen Reynolds，Martin Poirier，Christopher LeVann，Caitlyn Gallichan-Lowe，Courtney Walcott和Nancy Prentice。

感谢真正让这个节目成功的人们：Zaire Sealy，Priscille Bukasa，Amanda Okafor和Patrick Clifton。

​On February 21, 2019, 230 students took part in Western Canada High School’s second annual Black History Month event. Trying to find a way to express the value and relevance of this month to students of such diverse backgrounds always poses a challenge. As the sense of integrity in our society continually shifts and develops, where respectful and authentic representation of culture is at the forefront of these cultural moments, Western Canada High School invited several local performers to present their voice and their experiences to the students. With no focus other than spreading the understanding of a shared culture, three spoken word poets and one musician graced the stage and shared reflections on their changing identities in the Canadian landscape, the pain of loss, journeys of self-reflection, and passion for sharing their culture with others.

Hosted by Western Canada’s own Courtney W., the performers, Priscille Bukasa, Amanda Okafor, Zaire Sealy, and Patrick Clifton were warmly welcomed by the students who clapped, cheered, and snapped throughout the performances. The experience of spoken word requires some form of interaction, and the initial hesitance from the crowd to interact slowly dissipated as the students sank into the voices and stories of the artists. Twice Patrick Clifton greeted the students on the microphone with two songs that explored the strength of music as a cathartic outlet. Amanda Okafor explored her identity as part of the African Diaspora. She warmly explored the pain of not feeling welcomed in a society that is still grappling with the nature of Canadian identity. Zaire Sealy approached the stage with a warmth of voice and presence where he challenged the audience to filter through complex stories of finding his own faith and its relation to how he views his place in the world. Priscille Bukasa stood on stage explaining to the crowd the nerves that surged through her in that moment. However, when she performed and the power of her voice reverberated across the audience, the students witnessed confidence in one of its most pure forms in her piece “16 Shots.” Each of these artists used the stage to present as authentic an image of self as they were able. The strength of this experience is not in the transmission of black history, but rather in the complex nature of these performances and the performers conveying the depth of their understanding of their own culture and identity.

Marked by a theme of shared culture, the Black History Month event built around the concept of the intersectionality of Blackness throughout the Canadian Landscape. Rather than trying to isolate the accomplishments of some great people, this particular event sought to bridge a gap in understanding between groups of people that are often separated physically, ideologically, and culturally. While other aspects of this month focused on the unspoken stories of amazing Black Canadians, this particular event attempted to build on the idea that regardless of differences, an empathetic understanding of others is necessary to bridge a cultural gap that was once so widespread in an effort to make it just that much smaller.

Special thanks to all who participated and made this event possible: Jenin Ahmad, Katherina Davenport, Maddis Loo, Aideen Reynolds, Martin Poirier, Christopher LeVann, Caitlyn Gallichan-Lowe, Courtney Walcott, and Nancy Prentice.

To the people who really made the show, we thank you: Zaire Sealy, Priscille Bukasa, Amanda Okafor, and Patrick Clifton.