At the 2024 Round Table on Black History Month at the Honeyrose Hotel in Place des Arts, organizers and honourees gathered to celebrate the launch of the 33rd edition of Black History Month. The Round Table on Black History Month is a non-profit organization that has celebrated the accomplishments of leading members of Quebec’s Black communities for over 30 years. Each year, the organization honours 12 laureates who have demonstrated exceptional contributions to society. The laureates are honoured in a calendar, with each laureate representing a month.
The President of the Round Table on Black History Month, Michael P. Farkas, stated that the laureates come from Quebec’s Black communities and are a “source of pride for us all.” He added that “honouring and recognizing them for their tireless work in the service of Quebec society is an immense privilege for us.”
During the month of February, the Round Table also initiates an impressive range of artistic, social and historical activities across Montreal to celebrate Black History Month. Valérie Plante, Montreal’s mayor and partner of the Round Table, stated, “During this month, the many events and a varied program of activities invite us to discover and appreciate the contribution of Montreal’s Black communities to our city’s unique character.”
This year, the Round Table’s theme “Many Stories, One History” emphasizes the diversity of Montreal’s Black communities. In an interview with the Daily, Nadia Rousseau, Executive Director of the Round Table on Black History Month, explained that when speaking about Black people, it is imperative to use the plural form “communities” and never the singular word “community.” She said that we should never talk about Black communities as a monolith because “we have many different social backgrounds, we come from different countries, some of us are immigrants, some of us were born on this territory.” Acknowledging this diversity, Rousseau also spoke to the unity inherent in Quebec’s Black communities and the importance of celebrating them: “As Quebecois, [Black Quebecers] are part of the story of Quebec.”
The Daily also spoke with Stephane Moraille, a 2024 Black History Month laureate, entertainment attorney and international recording artist. Moraille emphasized the importance of celebrating Black History Month. She encourages “the emergence of [Black communities’] voices and visibility,” noting that “it is a really great thing that Black History Month still exists [because] it makes us come together and celebrate together.”
Fimo Mitchell, meditation teacher, podcast host, writer, and English-language spokesperson for the Round Table on Black History Month helps to promote Black History Month events across Montreal. For Mitchell, the theme “One Story, Many Histories,” is a powerful one. In an interview with the Daily, Mitchell highlighted how “there is a lot of diversity within our community,” and that “it’s important that we see that as something that adds to our community, rather than a nuisance and something that we have to overcome.”
In an interview with Cult MTL, Mitchell noted that with this diversity, “the question is, can we fit and share our cultures, our differences, celebrate that and figure out how we can harness and bring all that together to move forward as a collective?”
Mitchell’s work in the meditation community informs the way he approaches his role as Black History Month spokesperson. Mitchell’s organization, When The Village Meditates, is tailored specifically to racialized and marginalized communities.
“A practice like meditation has the potential to promote healing and thriving as a community, [which is] really important,” he remarked to the Daily.
Mitchell uses his meditation organization to create an inclusive space for Black people and other communities of colour. Mitchell told the Daily that he previously thought yoga and meditation “were just for white women who wear Lululemon.” He said that many other Black people also feel that this space is not always inclusive of their communities.
“When we started having BIPOC meditation circles,” he recalled, “the amount of people who came up afterwards were like, ‘wow, it’s so nice to be in a group where I feel like I’m fully seen and fully heard.’” On February 17, Mitchell led a meditation session called “Finding Rest.” He emphasizes the significance of “embracing rest as a fundamental aspect of well-being and liberation.”
Another notable Black History Month event in Montreal is the screening of Black Ice (2022) on February 20, directed by acclaimed director Hubert Davis and featuring LeBron James, Drake, and Maverick Carter as executive producers. Nadia Rousseau told the Daily that she strongly recommends that Montrealers attend the event, being particularly “something McGill students would enjoy” and benefit from seeing. Rousseau is also looking forward to the augmented-reality experience at the Phi Centre in Old Montreal, “Colored: The Unknown Life of Claudette Colvin,” which tells the story of the U.S. Black civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin. The experience runs from February 7 to April 28.
Mitchell praised the multitude of events taking place during Black History Month, but also noted that more work needs to be done beyond this month in order to foster racial equity. He said that Black History Month is “an opportunity for us to celebrate and come together and reflect on what it is we need to do moving forward,” both through “reflection on an individual level” and on a community level.
“We need to look at things generations from now,” Mitchell stated. “What do we want to see when we are long gone?”
For more information on the Round Table on Black History Month and the complete programming list for February 2024, visit moishistoiredesnoirs.com.