The Valid Dreams Foundation is honouring the legacy of Black Canadians and their communities as part of Black History Month in February.
This year’s second annual Black History Celebration event will be held on Saturday, Feb. 11, between 4:30 p.m. and 10 p.m., at the Colombo Lodge, east of downtown at 814 Lorne St.
“Our last Black History event in February 2022 safely hosted over 50 people of all cultures with representation and support from the community, including the area MP and city council members, which was a great demonstration of the diversity and inclusion which is the basis of our organization to welcome all people,” said Sally Martin, Valid Dreams Foundation’s executive director.
The evening will include African cuisine and drinks, a fashion show with innovative designs, music and dance performances. The family-friendly event is open to all ages and children under the age of five can attend for free.
Martin is seeking business sponsorships and collaboration from the community for both her event, as well as for upcoming projects related to mental health and wellness, career education and advancement, business and psychology.
Martin said she is hopeful members of the community will be interested in volunteering at the Black History Celebration on Feb. 11 and may consider getting involved in the non-profit Valid Dreams Foundation’s board in the future.
Those interested can contact Martin by email at info@validdreamsfoundation.com for more information.
The 2022 theme for Black History Month is “February and Forever: Celebrating Black History today and every day,” which focuses on recognizing the daily contributions Black Canadians make to Canada.
Locally, Martin said, that means celebrating excellence in the Kamloops community.
“For this coming year, we’re looking at having a more celebratory event,” Martin said.
“Last year, we really focused on racism and discrimination and sharing their stories. It can be a very heavy topic. We had financial literacy and history of Black History. This year, we want to recognize Black excellence in Kamloops and maybe surrounding areas like Merritt.”
The Valid Dreams Foundation began focusing on diversity and inclusion in Kamloops in 2021. The organization focuses on cultural education and empowerment programs for people and organizations to encourage growth in Greater Kamloops.
“It was really challenging connecting to a new community and getting support,” Martin said.
“So, I decided to start that to connect the community, especially the Black community and other cultures … to be able to come, share and learn. We wanted to increase the level of support that we could provide to that community.”
For ticket information to the Feb. 11 event, call the Valid Dreams Foundation at 250-572-0237 or go online to validdreamsfoundation.com/events.
