Canada unveils theme for Black History Month 2026 in Cherry Brook, N.S.
Announcement at Black Cultural Centre 'a powerful recognition,' says facility's CEO
The federal announcement of the theme for this year's Black History Month on Wednesday in Cherry Brook, N.S., was significant for Olive Phillips.
The president of the Jamaican Cultural Association of Nova Scotia said it was important that the government chose to unveil the 2026 theme in Cherry Brook, one of 52 historic Black communities in the province.
“I was very thrilled to hear that because it means there is recognition at the federal level,” Phillips said at Wednesday's event at the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia.
“I'm sure [the celebration] will be much bigger and making people realize how important the inclusivity of Canada and the multiculturalism are.”
Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller announced this year's theme will celebrate 30 years of Black History Month by honouring "the legacy and contributions of Black Canadians across generations, from those who helped build our country to those shaping its future."
Miller also announced funding of more than $280,000 for nine projects in Atlantic Canada — including three in Nova Scotia — that will highlight Black History Month beginning Feb. 1.
“Throughout February, we will celebrate the lasting contributions of Black Canadians to building our nation, and many of those remarkable stories are rooted right here in Nova Scotia,” Miller said Wednesday.
Among the local officials and Black community members who attended the event, Russell Grosse, the CEO of the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, called the minister's presentation at the centre this year a "powerful" statement.
“I think it's a powerful recognition of the long-standing African Nova Scotia Black communities, those communities that are multi-generational, that are the foundation of the Black experience in Canada.”
People in attendance also paid homage to Geraldine Browning and Sen. Donald Oliver, two prominent African Nova Scotian leaders who recently died.
Browning was a founding member of the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, and Oliver was the first Black man to be appointed to Canada's Senate.
"I think when we look back at the last year, we look at their contributions to ensuring that history wasn't a footnote, to ensuring that Black history is something that's well known, and that it's discussed and it's part of our fabric of our Canadian history," Grosse said.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
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