African community in Timmins commemorates Black History Month

The 'African Community in Timmins' is a non-profit organization made up of African newcomers to Timmins committed to contributing to the socio-economic development of the community.

For the first time, the group is officially commemorating Black History Month in Timmins and will do so with a number of events.

Events include a free public lecture at Northern College on Feb. 18 of the month from 1-3 p.m.

"The theme for this month is ‘Ours to Tell,’ so we’ll be telling our own story by ourselves this time," said Everard Kasimanwuna, president of the African Community in Timmins.

"They can expect to learn a whole lot about Black history."

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Timmins city councillor Kristin Murray said when it comes to wondering what to call Black people, she suggested asking them how they identify.

“Many of us identify as Black and I would caution against using African American, especially for Canadians because that’s sort of a catch-all for us individually,” Murray said.

“But within the Black community, there’s so many diverse cultures and countries of origin. So for myself, I’m Jamaican-Indigenous.”

Kasimanwuna said he was born in Nigeria and after spending time in the United Sates and Dubai, he decided to bring his family to Timmins where they have found jobs and feel welcome.

A potluck for members of the local Black community will also take place on Feb. 11 at the Timmins Museum.