Aurora Black Community spurs year-round conversation

February 26, 2021 · 0 Comments

As we come to the end of Black History Month, this is only the beginning of a larger, longer community conversation.

That is the mission of Aurora Black Community, a Facebook group co-founded by resident Phiona Durrant last year to spur dialogue throughout Aurora and beyond.

In the intervening months, the Aurora Black Community (ABC) group has grown from a simple forum for community members to share ideas into a community-building organization, one that has stepped up to work with various community partners, including the Town, to make Black History Month one to remember.

Over the course of February, the team has rolled out new programming that has hit a sweet spot for so many, including virtual cooking demonstrations, film viewings and discussions co-facilitated by the Aurora Film Circuit, history and heritage discussions with the Aurora Museum & Archives, Aurora Public Library and the Aurora Cultural Centre, and a series of speakers on the Black experience.

But, according to Ms. Durrant, February has been just the tip of the iceberg.

“It is about the engagement of the people, it has always been about that,” says Ms. Durrant. “It is one thing to do something, but it is another thing if people are engaging, enjoying and participating. It has been moving fast and it has been really, really amazing. Between Rebekah Murdoch, Ron Kellman and I, we have managed to just keep having a conversation making it relaxing and inviting.”

Perhaps the ABC came along at just the right time.

As a community resource, they quickly set to work not only with their own Black History Month programming, but collaborating with the Town to create something wide-reaching. Playing pivotal roles in this, she says, have been Shawna White, Curator of the Aurora Museum & Archives, Nelia Pacheco of the Aurora Film Circuit, and Reccia Mandelcorn, Manager of Community Collaboration for the Aurora Public Library.

“Shawna is an amazing voice, and just wanting to be part of that conversation and wanting to help us get it along has been tremendous,” says Ms. Durrant. “When I thought about Black history and the role of ABC, which is bridging culture, education, food, art and music – how could I even start without inviting the Library, which is the heart of our knowledge. That was foundational. I love the collaboration because we don’t have to reinvent everything because they are here. It is collaborating and that is a beautiful piece.”

When you’re creating something new, constructive feedback is always important and the ABC group has received plenty of that, providing opportunities to build further collaboration along the way.

“When you create a group, you don’t really know what you’re going to get, what you’re going to be exposed to, and it can be different than what you thought,” says Ms. Durrant. “What I have learned through this and what made it worthwhile for me was the energy from the people, the positivity, the love. I never had any negative experience and even if it did come you embrace it because that is how we learn. It is the energy, support and the interaction that I see there. I don’t feel alone. It is one thing to be there and posting, but everyone is chipping in and doing a part.”

The ABC organization is now in the process of applying for not-for-profit status and as they look to the future, they are keeping their eyes squarely on the opportunities this month has helped facilitate. While the group is called Aurora Black Community, Ms. Durrant says that their goal is not just to be a place for the Black community but a place for advocacy and bridging cultural gaps – and she doesn’t rule out a name change to reflect this goal.

“The key part of what I say to anybody who is reaching out is, ‘I don’t want to just talk about February. I want to talk forever.’ If this is a forever conversation then I would love to be at the table. Speaking to a school recently, it is the same thing: the teachers are looking for ongoing conversations, so what we have done, and the Town is amazing in collaboration on this, we have that Town webpage for Black History… and it will remain because it is an ongoing conversation for content and we are continually putting things together. The next plan is to have a survey to the group: what are you looking for? What can you bring to the community? Based on their interaction and what they are looking for, we can have a group who can brainstorm and facilitate that conversation to see how we can implement what people are asking for.”

For more on the ABC Group, including revisiting past Black History Month programs, access Aurora Black Community on Facebook. For more on upcoming events through the end of the month, visit aurora.ca/blackhistorymonth.

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter