Nearly 200 people attended the opening ceremony for African Heritage month this morning.
It started at the Black Cultural Centre in Cherry Brook with performances from the Drummers from Home group and several songs sung by Adina Fraser Marsman.
The theme for this year is Legacy in Action: Celebrating Black Brilliance.
Russell Grosse, the executive director of the Black Cultural Centre, says it’s important to have a designated month.
“The idea is, is that the general public becomes more accepting and more understanding during that time and eager to learn more,” he says.
The community gets the chance to share their contributions, what they’ve struggled with and how they’ve persevered, he says. That’s all part of the long history of African Nova Scotians in the province, going back 400 years, he says.
One of the things Russell is looking forward to is their annual gala at the Halifax Convention Centre. There’s usually an audience of more than 1000 people, and he says it’s a great celebration. This year’s gala is on Feb. 22 at 5 p.m.
Russell Grosse, the executive director of the Black Cultural Centre of Nova Scotia, is pictured on Jan. 22, 2025. (Jacob Moore/Acadia Broadcasting)
There are also several events happening through the cultural centre. Their website has a calendar with a list of events.
The Halifax Central Library will host more opening night celebrations later this evening.
Premier Tim Houston also attended the event. He also announced the province would extend the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent to 2034. It originally began in 2015 and ran until 2024.
Twila Grosse, the Minister of African Nova Scotian Affairs, also attended the event. She says the crowd shows how far we’ve come.
The Black Cultural Centre was the first place she got a job after leaving university, so it holds a special place in her heart, she says.
Twila adds that the month is also about celebrating.
“But not only it’s a is it a celebration, it’s also a call to action to continue the work and move forward.”
