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Honouring Black History Month at UNB

Author: UNB Newsroom

Posted on Feb 1, 2022

Category: UNB Saint John , UNB Fredericton

UNB honours Black History Month by celebrating the successes and influence that Black Canadians and people of African descent have made to help shape our communities and inform the way we live today.

In honour of Black History Month, Black Canadians, and the Black Diaspora, the following online events and initiatives will be taking place on our campuses:

Feb. 1-28: Rediscovering the Roots of Black New Brunswickers

The UNB Art Centre celebrates Black History Month by bringing portraits of notable Black New Brunswickers to the streets of Fredericton for the second year. Banners featuring Black New Brunswickers will be displayed on Regent and Westmorland Streets throughout the month of February. This project recognizes the achievements and experiences of Black New Brunswickers and their significant contribution to shaping contemporary New Brunswick.

Feb. 3: The Department of History’s 6th Annual Black History Month Lecture

On Feb. 3 at 7 p.m., Dr. Deirdre Cooper Owens, professor in the history of medicine and director of the humanities in medicine program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will present her talk entitled, Why Black History Matters in American Medicine. Attend the virtual event.

March 11 to April 27: The UNB Art Centre Black History Month Exhibit

The UNB Art Centre will present the next installment of Rediscovering the Roots of Black New Brunswickers in the West Gallery at Memorial Hall from March 11 to April 22.

This research project engages UNB students and members of the Black community by honouring Black New Brunswickers who have strived for freedom and equality in a world of prejudice and discrimination.

The latest exhibit features the faces and stories of nine new additions to the banner project including the “Belle of Loch Lomand” Eliza Taylor, entrepreneur Cornelius Sparrow, poet Anna Minerva Henderson, educator Brian Carty, community volunteer John Young, police constable Robb Costello, soldier Robert Lawrence Henry, Paralympic athlete Frank Henderson and boxer Louis Sterling Lawrence.

Visit the UNB Art Centre’s galleries in March to view the latest installment of Rediscovering the Roots of Black New Brunswickers, including past Black History Month exhibitions.

To submit a Black History Month event to this posting, email talktous@unb.ca.