Celebrating Black History Month (8 photos)

For five years in a row, the African Caribbean Canadian Association of Northern Ontario (ACCANO) has hosted a dinner and celebration in honour of Black History Month, and the event has continued to grow in popularity.

From its humble beginning as a potluck gathering at the Sault Community Career Centre, Saturday’s festivities drew more than 300 to The Machine Shop for a night of food, music, art and culture.

“Our tag line is ‘Bringing people together’. I think this is a strong message we are sending out, that we are here to bring everybody together,” said Jane Omollo, ACCANO co-founder and president.

“We welcome people of different backgrounds because our main goal is to be able to share our experiences, share our culture, share our music and history with everyone who is curious to learn more about it.”

Hosted in conjunction with Bon Soo, the night also included the presentation of the Great Lakes Honda Community Driven Awards. This year’s award recipients were:

• Benn Fisher - Elementary/High School Student
• Quinn Meawasige - Postsecondary School Student
• Melissa Cutler - Community Driver (Individual)
• Refugee705 - Community Group/Organization (General Public)

Founded in 2011, ACCANO is working towards having a greater impact on the Sault community, Omollo said. This includes the creation of a bursary fund for Sault College and Algoma University. All proceeds from Saturday’s Black History Month celebration, and other initiatives hosted by ACCANO, will go towards making the bursary a reality.

To learn more about ACCANO, please click here.