Celebrating Black History month

Early Literacy | Feb 11, 2015

Susan Ramsay, Early Literacy Specialist HFL&A

When I first read The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, I was enthralled by his writing and storytelling, moved by the sorrow, hope and strength of the story characters, and appalled by my lack of knowledge about slavery and Black history in Canada. Now a television mini-series, The Book of Negroes may be opening the eyes of viewers who, like me, need to know more about our growth as a nation with and because of people of colour.

Hill’s fictional story refers to the historical Book of Negroes of which three copies exist worldwide – one in England, one in United States, and one in Canada. In 1783, when it was written, thousands of African-American slaves in the United States wanted to see their name inked between its covers. If their names were handwritten into this book they knew Britain would offer them safe passage from New York to Nova Scotia as freed slaves. Interestingly, white Loyalists also escaped to Canada, some with Black slaves of their own.

The courage and resilience of Black people during this period of history is humbling and an inspiration. It is one reason behind declaring February Black History Month in Canada.

Black History Month draws attention to Canada’s need to teach history differently and to nurture children’s awareness and appreciation of Black people long before they learn about slavery or the names of Black leaders in school. Books for children that include positive images of Black people and culture affirm to all of us that Canadian society is only complete when it celebrates its children of colour.

Shades of Black: A Celebration of Our Children by Sandra Pinkney is an engaging board book filled with photographs of children’s faces. Each face is compared to the colour of a tasty food children typically enjoy.

• Whose Knees are These? and Whose Toes are Those? by Jabari Asim are board books written in playful rhyme about babies’ brown knees and toes.

• Peekaboo Morning and Peekaboo Bedtime by Rachel Isadora are board books featuring a toddler playing peek-a-boo with the people, animals, stars and more that he sees in his world first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

• The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, popular ever since winning the Caldecott Medal in 1963, expresses the heart and wonder of a small Black boy who plays in the snow after a snowstorm. He has so much fun in the snow that he decides to bring snowballs indoors to play with later. The snowballs, however, mysteriously disappear from his coat pockets.

• We All Went on Safari by Laurie Krebs takes the reader through Tanzanian landscapes to find big cats, ostriches, warthogs, monkeys, elephants, and other wildlife to count. Though written in English, the book also includes the words and pronunciations of the animals and numbers in Swahili. Additional information is included about the Maasai people and the meaning of some children’s names.

During Black History Month, we highlight the tremendous contributions of Black people to Canada. We also remember that appreciation of cultural diversity can grow with each generation when we choose with care the books we read and talk about with our children.  

Susan Ramsay is the Early Literacy Specialist for Hastings, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington. You can contact her at 613-354-6318 (ext 32) This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.