Kincardine has officially unveiled a new Afro-centric Mural at the Davidson Centre as part of Black History Month celebrations.
The municipality says every February, people across Canada are invited to participate in Black History Month festivities and events which honour Black Canadians and their communities. The theme for this year’s celebrations was “February and Forever: Celebrating Black History today and every day.”
The municipality took part in the celebrations by hosting a workshop on Feb. 24 in partnership with Bruce County, recognizing the new mural at the Davidson Centre.
The event featured a ribbon cutting ceremony, with Mayor Gerry Glover recognizing local community members Jenny Hunter and Meag Durkin, thanking them for their leadership and getting the mural up. Glover also recognized the mural’s artist, Phillip Saunders for his contribution to the art piece.
A panel was also held featuring three Black leaders on why representation matters, while also talking about their history and how important it is to see oneself reflected in art, textbooks, media, literature, history, and photos.
The panel included Dr. Eugenia Duodu, CEO of Visions of Science network for Learning, committed to empowering low-income communities through the STEM program, and was featured on the mural. Artist Phillip Saunders was also included on the panel, along with founder of Community Impact Consulting and a leader in ethics and social justice Parul Pandya, and local musician, educator and community activist Jennifer Hunter.
The municipality says Kincardine is working to nurture a community where all residents and visitors feel accepted, connected, free from barriers and have a real sense of belonging.
“To advance this work an Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) Strategy is being formed by the Municipality of Kincardine,” says the municipality.
More details on IDEA can be found by visiting the Kincardine municipal website.
