February is Black Histories and Futures Month, an opportunity for us to reflect on the experiences and acknowledge the accomplishments of our Black community members. It is important to note, teaching and learning about Black history in addition to recognizing Black communities is not constrained to the month of February. This can be done throughout the year.
February 1
Event: ReelOut 2025 Film Festival
成人大片: Celebrate the annual ReelOut queer film festival with three feature films starring Black Queer leads and a community discussion with Kingston鈥檚 Black Luck Collective (before/after Seraphim).
Featuring: Circo, Seraphim & We Forgot to Break Up
Host(s): Reel Out Film Festival
Open to: All
February 3
Event: Black Histories and Futures Month Opening Ceremony
成人大片: Join us for the 2025 Black Histories and Futures month campus kick-off event hosted by the Black Student Clubs Caucus in collaboration with the Human Rights & Equity Office, under the theme 鈥淭hreads: Weaving Black Joy & Experiences at Queen鈥檚.鈥 Connect and learn more about Black inclusion and thriving both on and off campus, featuring a panel discussion with students, staff, faculty, and local community members on 鈥淭he Method to the Magic鈥 of Black Joy at Queen鈥檚. Stay after the panel for refreshments, networking and an exploration of this year鈥檚 BHFM Global Event Calendar, highlighting the spectacular suite of events and initiatives happening across Kingston this February.
Host(s): Queen鈥檚 Black Clubs Caucus and Human Rights & Equity Office
Open to: All
February 4
Event: Queen鈥檚 Black Medical Student Association Opening Ceremony
成人大片: This event is intended to celebrate Black history within medicine and reflect on the importance of advocacy. The ceremony will feature faculty speakers Dr. Oyedeji Ayonrinde, Dr. Eugenia Piliotis, and Dr. Wiley Chung. There will also be several student performances, including a piano piece from our PGY-2 Psychiatry Resident Dr. Omer Hamour. Cultural food/refreshments will also be provided.
Host(s): Queens Black Medical Student Association
Open to: All
February 5
Event: Limestone District School Board Black History Month Opening Ceremony
成人大片: This student led event is open to all LDSB students, staff, families, and community members.
Host(s): Limestone District School Board
Open to: All
February 6
Event: Collage & Black History Month Trivia Night
成人大片: Collage and connect with new friends and win prizes during Black History Month Trivia. Materials will be provided. Email info@pedalworkscafe.com to pre-order snack boxes.
Host(s): Pedal Works Caf茅 & Studios
Open to: All
February 7
Event: HYVE & Afia Beauty takeover of the Yellow House
成人大片: We are kicking off Black Histories and Futures Month with the Second Annual Hyve Takeover for Black students! Come by and check out Black student businesses, do an oil-making workshop with Afiya Beauty, and grab yourself a patty and Ting! Food and refreshments will be served.
Host(s): HYVE, Afia Beauty, The Yellow House
Open to: All
Event: Entrepreneur Networking & Social with Micah Imomotebegha
成人大片: Connect with other industry professionals at the annual Pedalworks networking event, which features Micah Imomotebegha, a creative marketing professional specializing in digital transformation and strategy. As the lead for the Canada Digital Adoption Program at Kingston Economic Development, he helps local businesses improve their digital presence. With expertise in Management Information Systems and Digital Marketing Communications, Micah has worked with brands like Maybelline and Hennessy in Nigeria and supported businesses through Spark Creative Agency at St. Lawrence College.
Host(s): Pedal Works Caf茅 & Studios
Open to: All
Event: Annual BHM Basketball Game
Event: Afri-centric Drumming Wellness Workshop
Host(s): UMOJA, Family and Children Services Frontenac
Open to: All
Event: An Evening with Branford Marsalis
成人大片: The NEA Jazz Master and three-time Grammy Award-winner returns to the Isabel with his formidable quartet. From his initial recognition as a jazz performer, Branford Marsalis has expanded his vision as an instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, and educator, crossing stylistic boundaries while maintaining an unwavering creative integrity. Marsalis formed his own quartet in 1986 and it remains his primary performance vehicle. Known for its unrivaled spirit in both live and recorded performances, the Branford Marsalis Quartet has long been recognized as the standard to which other ensembles of its kind must be measured.
Host(s): Presented by Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts
February 8
Event: Black Business Expo
成人大片: Learn more about the diverse range of Black-owned businesses operating within the city of Kingston. Enjoy food, fun, and community networking opportunities.
Host(s): Pedal Works Caf茅 & Studios
Open to: All
Event: Swimming In Circles Fashion Show
成人大片: Join us for an evening celebrating creativity, fashion, and the intersection of art and mental health. Featuring designs by talented Black creatives and a keynote speaker that will inspire and challenge perspectives, this is a night you won鈥檛 want to miss.
Host(s): Queen鈥檚 Black Fashion Association
Open to: All
February 9
Event: Soundtrack to a Coup D鈥橢tat
成人大片: United Nations, 1960: the Global South ignites a political earthquake, jazz musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crash the Security Council, Nikita Khrushchev bangs his shoe, and the U.S. State Department swings into action, sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to Congo to deflect attention from the CIA-backed coup. Director Johan Grimonprez captures the moment when African politics and American jazz collided in this magnificent essay film, a riveting historical rollercoaster that illuminates the political machinations behind the 1961 assassination of Congo鈥檚 leader Patrice Lumumba. Richly illustrated by eyewitness accounts, official government memos, testimonies from mercenaries and CIA operatives, speeches from Lumumba himself, and a veritable canon of jazz icons, Soundtrack to a Coup d鈥橢tat interrogates colonial history to tell an urgent and timely story of precedent that resonates more than ever in today鈥檚 geopolitical climate.
Host(s): Black Studies at Queen鈥檚 University
Open to: All
February 13
Event: Black Writers Book Signing & Sale
成人大片: Support Black authors within Kingston at this year鈥檚 Black Writers Book signing & Sale event.
Host(s): Pedal Works Caf茅 & Studios
Open to: All
February 15
Event: Old School Dance Party
成人大片: Celebrate Black History Month with an old school dance party! Fee includes a drink ticket and a raffle ticket for fun prizes.
Host(s): Pedal Works Caf茅 & Studios
Open to: All
Event: Tales of Transatlantic Freedom by Andrea Baker with Howard Moody
成人大片: Andrea Baker, one of the most prominent mezzo-sopranos of our times, collaborates with Howard Moody, an award-winning international composer. This performance will be a glorious exploration of Black musical heritage. Out of the pain of the diaspora narrative comes the richness of spirituals, jazz, blues, gospel, opera, and the songs of Robert Burns.
Host(s): Presented by Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts
Open to: All
Event: A night of Poetry & Music
成人大片: The evening will showcase three incredible acts: The Bentley Collective, a dynamic and soulful musical ensemble, Juliana Okot Bitek, a celebrated poet and writer whose work examines the intersections of culture, identity, and the African diaspora, and DJ SmoothMix's unforgettable sounds.
Host(s): Kingston African Caribbean Collective
Open to: All
Event: Self-Made Canadians
成人大片: Self-Made Canadians, a compelling, two-part television docuseries, produced by Caribbean Vibrations TV, will shed light on the untold successes of four Black Canadians, addressing what was historically omitted from history books, while recognizing the resilience, ingenuity, and entrepreneurship of individuals who triumphed despite systemic racism. In the episode The Man Who Saved Queen鈥檚 University, Robert Sutherland, the first known Black (Jamaican) graduate of Queen鈥檚 University, will be featured.
Channels and Airtime: OMNI TV, OMNI BC, OMNI AB, Bell Fibe TV, and Shaw TV
Episode 1
Saturday, February 15 and 25, 6 pm
Sunday, February 16 and 25, 9:30 am
Friday, February 21 and 25, 8:30 am
*Dates and times are for Ontario
Episode 2
Saturday, February 22 and 25, 6 pm
Sunday, February 23 and 25, 9:30 am
Friday, February 28 and 25, 8:30 am
*Dates and times are for Ontario
Presented by:
February 16
Event: Self-Made Canadians
成人大片: Self-Made Canadians, a compelling, two-part television docuseries, produced by Caribbean Vibrations TV, will shed light on the untold successes of four Black Canadians, addressing what was historically omitted from history books, while recognizing the resilience, ingenuity, and entrepreneurship of individuals who triumphed despite systemic racism. In the episode The Man Who Saved Queen鈥檚 University, Robert Sutherland, the first known Black (Jamaican) graduate of Queen鈥檚 University, will be featured.
Channels and Airtime: OMNI TV, OMNI BC, OMNI AB, Bell Fibe TV, and Shaw TV
Episode 1
Saturday, February 15 and 25, 6 pm
Sunday, February 16 and 25, 9:30 am
Friday, February 21 and 25, 8:30 am
*Dates and times are for Ontario
Episode 2
Saturday, February 22 and 25, 6 pm
Sunday, February 23 and 25, 9:30 am
Friday, February 28 and 25, 8:30 am
*Dates and times are for Ontario
Presented by:
February 19
Event: Re-Imagining Academia Speaker Series 鈥 鈥淏eyond Admission: The Need for Policies and Practices to Ensure Black Students鈥 Success at University.鈥
成人大片: Although access to higher education has improved, Black students often encounter structural inequities that impact their academic success, sense of belonging, and overall university experience. In this session, Dr. Carl James will highlight the need for institutions to move beyond symbolic diversity initiatives and implement comprehensive policies and practices that actively support Black students.
This is a five-part speaker series, organized by the Office of the Vice-Principal (Culture, Equity, and Inclusion), is titled 鈥淩e-Imagining Academia.鈥 The series is designed to highlight critical themes in Indigenization, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Anti-Racism (I-EDIAA), focusing on their application in Canadian higher education.
Featuring: Dr. Carl James, Professor, Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora, York University
Host(s): Office of the Vice-Principal (Culture, Equity, and Inclusion)
Open to: All
February 20
Event: Afri-centric Drumming Wellness Workshop
Host(s): UMOJA, Family and Children Services Frontenac
Open to: All
February 21
Event: Step Afrika!
成人大片: Founded in 1994 by C. Brian Williams, Step Afrika! is the first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping. It blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African-American fraternities and sororities; traditional African dances; and an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience. Performances are much more than dance shows; they integrate songs, storytelling, humor and audience participation. The blend of technique, agility, and pure energy makes each performance unique and leaves the audience with their hearts pounding.
Host(s): Kingston Grand Theatre, Grand OnStage
Open to: All
Event: Self-Made Canadians
成人大片: Self-Made Canadians, a compelling, two-part television docuseries, produced by Caribbean Vibrations TV, will shed light on the untold successes of four Black Canadians, addressing what was historically omitted from history books, while recognizing the resilience, ingenuity, and entrepreneurship of individuals who triumphed despite systemic racism. In the episode The Man Who Saved Queen鈥檚 University, Robert Sutherland, the first known Black (Jamaican) graduate of Queen鈥檚 University, will be featured.
Channels and Airtime: OMNI TV, OMNI BC, OMNI AB, Bell Fibe TV, and Shaw TV
Episode 1
Saturday, February 15 and 25, 6 pm
Sunday, February 16 and 25, 9:30 am
Friday, February 21 and 25, 8:30 am
*Dates and times are for Ontario
Episode 2
Saturday, February 22 and 25, 6 pm
Sunday, February 23 and 25, 9:30 am
Friday, February 28 and 25, 8:30 am
*Dates and times are for Ontario
Presented by:
February 22
Event: Afro House Spinning Class Stretch & Social
成人大片: Join us on an indoor cycle ride to celebrate Black History Month! Music from Tekniq, Lizwi, Ismael Lo, Sona Jobarteh, and more! Ride for 30 minutes and stretch for 20, then hang out to socialize!
Host(s): Pedal Works Caf茅 & Studios
Open to: All
Event: Self-Made Canadians
成人大片: Self-Made Canadians, a compelling, two-part television docuseries, produced by Caribbean Vibrations TV, will shed light on the untold successes of four Black Canadians, addressing what was historically omitted from history books, while recognizing the resilience, ingenuity, and entrepreneurship of individuals who triumphed despite systemic racism. In the episode The Man Who Saved Queen鈥檚 University, Robert Sutherland, the first known Black (Jamaican) graduate of Queen鈥檚 University, will be featured.
Channels and Airtime: OMNI TV, OMNI BC, OMNI AB, Bell Fibe TV, and Shaw TV
Episode 1
Saturday, February 15 and 25, 6 pm
Sunday, February 16 and 25, 9:30 am
Friday, February 21 and 25, 8:30 am
*Dates and times are for Ontario
Episode 2
Saturday, February 22 and 25, 6 pm
Sunday, February 23 and 25, 9:30 am
Friday, February 28 and 25, 8:30 am
*Dates and times are for Ontario
Presented by:
February 23
Event: Self-Made Canadians
成人大片: Self-Made Canadians, a compelling, two-part television docuseries, produced by Caribbean Vibrations TV, will shed light on the untold successes of four Black Canadians, addressing what was historically omitted from history books, while recognizing the resilience, ingenuity, and entrepreneurship of individuals who triumphed despite systemic racism. In the episode The Man Who Saved Queen鈥檚 University, Robert Sutherland, the first known Black (Jamaican) graduate of Queen鈥檚 University, will be featured.
Channels and Airtime: OMNI TV, OMNI BC, OMNI AB, Bell Fibe TV, and Shaw TV
Episode 1
Saturday, February 15 and 25, 6 pm
Sunday, February 16 and 25, 9:30 am
Friday, February 21 and 25, 8:30 am
*Dates and times are for Ontario
Episode 2
Saturday, February 22 and 25, 6 pm
Sunday, February 23 and 25, 9:30 am
Friday, February 28 and 25, 8:30 am
*Dates and times are for Ontario
Presented by:
February 25
Event: Resistance in a Hostile Environment: Subnormal with Chichi Ayalogu
成人大片: In the 1960s, while young Black adults were coming to grips with the struggle for Black power and the long fight against police abuse was starting, the majority of West Indian migrants in Britain were keeping their heads down. They were working hard and counting on providing better opportunities and education for their children. However, in a white-dominated country, where the politics were becoming increasingly racialized, there was a question of how society, and its teachers, saw these young Black children. Before having a chance to develop intellectually, they were labelled as stupid, difficult, and disruptive. This documentary reveals how Black children in the 1960s and 70s were sent to schools for the subnormal, and how parents, activists, and teachers came together to fight this injustice.
A screening of this documentary for school groups will be followed by a discussion with Black Studies Predoctoral Fellow Chichi Ayalogu whose dissertation 鈥淒iasporic Witnessing: Crises and the Aesthetics of the Nigerian Migratory Intelligentsia鈥 was awarded a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council doctoral fellowship.
Host(s): Black Studies at Queen鈥檚 University
Open to: Grades 5+ school groups
Event: Self-Made Canadians
成人大片: Self-Made Canadians, a compelling, two-part television docuseries, produced by Caribbean Vibrations TV, will shed light on the untold successes of four Black Canadians, addressing what was historically omitted from history books, while recognizing the resilience, ingenuity, and entrepreneurship of individuals who triumphed despite systemic racism. In the episode The Man Who Saved Queen鈥檚 University, Robert Sutherland, the first known Black (Jamaican) graduate of Queen鈥檚 University, will be featured.
Channels and Airtime: OMNI TV, OMNI BC, OMNI AB, Bell Fibe TV, and Shaw TV
Episode 1
Saturday, February 15 and 25, 6 pm
Sunday, February 16 and 25, 9:30 am
Friday, February 21 and 25, 8:30 am
*Dates and times are for Ontario
Episode 2
Saturday, February 22 and 25, 6 pm
Sunday, February 23 and 25, 9:30 am
Friday, February 28 and 25, 8:30 am
*Dates and times are for Ontario
Presented by:
February 27
Event: Momodou Taal & Zubairu Wai: The Malcolm Effect
成人大片: To have encountered Malcolm X鈥檚 life is to be affected by his commitment to Justice 鈥 an effect that reverberates throughout one鈥檚 life. It鈥檚 so poignant an effect that one feels it over and over, always returning to those piercing questions put forward by Malcolm: 鈥淲ho taught you to hate yourself?鈥 and 鈥淗ow can you thank a man for giving you what鈥檚 already yours?鈥
In the spirit of Malcolm鈥檚 piercing questions and Momdou Taal鈥檚 The Malcolm Effect Revisited (now available for pre-order), Momodou Taal, host of the The Malcolm Effect podcast and a British-Gambian PhD student at Cornell University, joins Zubairu Wai, Associate Professor of Political Science and Global Development Studies at the University of Toronto, to reflect on topics ranging from African History, Black Internationalism, Gender, Islam, Marxism, Pan-Africanism, Political-Economy, Marxism, Race, and much more.
Host(s): Black Studies at Queen鈥檚 University
Open to: All
February 28
Event: Self-Made Canadians
成人大片: Self-Made Canadians, a compelling, two-part television docuseries, produced by Caribbean Vibrations TV, will shed light on the untold successes of four Black Canadians, addressing what was historically omitted from history books, while recognizing the resilience, ingenuity, and entrepreneurship of individuals who triumphed despite systemic racism. In the episode The Man Who Saved Queen鈥檚 University, Robert Sutherland, the first known Black (Jamaican) graduate of Queen鈥檚 University, will be featured.
Channels and Airtime: OMNI TV, OMNI BC, OMNI AB, Bell Fibe TV, and Shaw TV
Episode 1
Saturday, February 15 and 25, 6 pm
Sunday, February 16 and 25, 9:30 am
Friday, February 21 and 25, 8:30 am
*Dates and times are for Ontario
Episode 2
Saturday, February 22 and 25, 6 pm
Sunday, February 23 and 25, 9:30 am
Friday, February 28 and 25, 8:30 am
*Dates and times are for Ontario
Presented by:
- Black Histories and Futures Month Opening Address.
- The Second Annual Reception, featuring international performer Tynomi Banks, hosted by the Human Rights and Equity Office in partnership with St. Lawrence College, Kingston Grand Theatre, and Grand OnStage.
- Africa: Within & Without Programming hosted by the ReelOut Film Festival with participation from Black Studies and Black Luck Collective.
- Opening ceremony featuring Black Youth leadership panel and poet Britta B.
- Inaugural Reception hosted by the Human Rights and Equity Office in partnership with St. Lawrence College, The Kingston Grand Theatre, and Grand Onstage. The event featured a post reception show 鈥淔reedom: The Spirit & Legacy of Black Music,鈥 directed by Beau Dixon and Company, and coordinated by Grand Onstage.
- Black Screening and campus discussion of 鈥淛udas & The Black Messiah鈥 hosted by the Human Rights and Equity Office and Yellow House Student Centre for Equity and Inclusion.
The origin of Black History Month can be found in the United States where historian, journalist, and author Carter G. Woodson initially developed a week dedicated to the history and accomplishments of Black Americans. That was in 1926. February was chosen because it was the month in which orator and author Frederick Douglas and former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, were born.
Black Histories and Futures Month is a relatively new approach to Black History Month. This new vision, introduced by Movement 4 Black Lives in 2015, facilitates the intentional action of looking at the past, acknowledging the struggles, and achievements, of Black communities, while promoting an equitable future, continued accomplishments, and a commitment to ongoing education.
In 1995, the House of Commons officially recognized February as Black History Month in Canada. The Senate adopted a motion in 2008, however, efforts were made long before those two dates to establish a month set aside for Black history. One of the earliest moments came in 1978 with the foundation of the Ontario Black History Society and their petition to the City of Toronto to proclaim February as Black History Month. The following year, the City of Toronto issued a proclamation, bringing the monthlong recognition to be in that city.