Black History Month event set to run at the Museum of North Vancouver

February is Black History Month, and a museum in North Vancouver is putting on a special presentation Saturday afternoon.

“Black History Matters: A Theatrical Presentation for Families,” is set to run from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Feb. 4 at the Museum of North Vancouver (MONOVA).

The founder of the event, Giselle Clarke-Trenaman, says it all started with a question inside a kindergarten class five years ago.

“It all came from one simple question that I posed to my daughter’s kindergarten teacher, which was, ‘what are you doing for Black History Month?’ She looked really worried, and then she said, ‘we welcome parent involvement,’  and I was like, ‘Okay!’  And that’s how it all started,” she explained.

Suitable for families, join us TOMORROW at 1:00pm at MONOVA (115 West Esplanade) for Black History Matters by Giselle Clarke-Trenaman.

Explore Canadian Black history in a fun and engaging way. Presented in partnership with @PHTheatre.

Plan your visit at https://t.co/tOwz5sQspU pic.twitter.com/TymWasSXS9

— MONOVA: Museum of North Vancouver (@visitMONOVA) February 3, 2023

From there, Clarke-Trenaman says it evolved into a short program that she created to show young kids more about B.C.’s Black history.

“As soon as my daughter got into grade one, I created a program, just a little one-hour snippet, of all the fun facts of B.C.’s Black history,” she said. “Each year, her teacher asked me to come back.”

But the program expanded farther than the classroom, as Clarke-Trenaman is now the production coordinator and facilities manager at the Presentation House Theatre.

She says it’s important for children to learn that the province has a rich Black history that goes back over 160 years.

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“I think that B.C.’s Black history is an understated thing. When you don’t see a lot of black people in your everyday lives…you think it’s something that doesn’t happen. You think that ‘there aren’t any Black people in Vancouver?’ Not true. We’re here, there are lots of us around,” she said.

“You can see our culture, and you can see us.”

She says it’s also important to recognize and have local touchstones.

“In North Vancouver, there are two buildings named after Black men, you’ve got John Braithwaite, we’ve got Harry Jerome, and it’s amazing to me how few people know that those two men are Black men. Strong Black men, who can inspire our youth and can lift us up,” she said.

She says the arts-based program is filled with singing, movement, and imagination.

“It’s a beautiful, beautiful history, and there’s so much joy and excellence that I think that more people need to know about it,” she said.

“I’m very excited to see friends come out and see folks come out. And we’ll play and have some fun, and learn some fun facts along the way.”