This Black History Month, let’s hear the ‘Tales’ of Black artists: Senator Mégie
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Since I immigrated to Canada in 1976, I have often heard young Black people say that they do not see themselves reflected in government, institutions or arts and culture here. When I joined the Senate of Canada seven years ago as the country’s first senator of Haitian origin, I made it my goal to make our invisible communities visible.
Today, Black people have greater representation in the Senate. The African Canadian Senate Group — a group dedicated to amplifying the voices of Black Canadians in the Senate and throughout Canada’s democratic institutions — now has eight members. There are more senators of African descent than ever.
Despite our considerable progress, I can’t help but think that young Black people who visit the Red Chamber may feel like I did when I first arrived. Despite all the beautiful portraits of former monarchs and speakers of the Senate, there is no one who looks like us on the walls of the parliamentary institution that is supposed to represent us.
Thanks to the Senate Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group, we have seen more work by Black artists in the Senate in recent years.
Now that we can meet in person again, Black History Month is the perfect time to build on that momentum. This month, the African Canadian Senate Group — in collaboration with the Ottawa-based Mosaïque Interculturelle and the Afro-Canadian Cultural Centre of Montreal — is offering an extraordinary exhibition in the Senate foyer, Tales, to honour Black Canadian artists from diverse backgrounds.
The title echoes the official Canadian theme of this year’s Black History Month, “Ours to tell,” which invites us to listen to the diverse stories of Canada’s Black communities. Black history is more complex and important than the simplified versions of the Underground Railroad found in textbooks.
The exhibition Tales features the works of 11 Black artists, including Komi Seshie, a sculptor, woodworker and painter of Guinean origin; Helmer Joseph, a Montréal-based haute couture designer; and Sarah-Mecca Abdourahman, a first-generation Canadian of Somalian and Indian descent who uses her work to connect with her origins.
Art and culture are not only a reflection of our society, they also make an important contribution to the Canadian economy. Before the pandemic, Statistics Canada estimated that the country’s cultural industries — including visual arts, live performances and written works — accounted for $53.1 billion of the country’s GDP. The latest statistics show that Canada’s cultural sector has made strong economic gains since pandemic restrictions began to ease.
If art is a form of storytelling, then the stories of Black artists have long been overlooked in mainstream culture. Black artists have had fewer solo exhibitions in major galleries across the country. They struggled for recognition in the film industry. And they have been absent from the boards and leadership positions of our nation’s art institutions. The federal government has recognized this disparity and recently awarded $2 million in funding to a non-profit art organization in Ontario to promote Black artists.
Despite the historical underrepresentation of Black voices in the arts, Canada’s Black population is growing and could double from 1.5 million in 2021 to more than three million in 2041.
I want our Black populations to be reflected not only in our governments, but also in the arts.
Sculptor Dominique Dennery, a Haitian Canadian artist renowned for her bronze portraits of Haitian revolutionaries, approached her sculpture of Haitian leader Toussaint Louverture with a similar philosophy. In an interview following the unveiling of her artwork for Montréal’s 375th anniversary, she said she wanted to create a work that would restore pride in the city’s Haitian community, especially its disadvantaged youth.
“My hope is that seeing a hero who looks like them and who dared to dream the impossible, two centuries ago, will give them hope that they have a big bold future ahead of them,” she said.
This Black History Month, let’s open the doors of our democratic institutions to Black artists and empower our Black communities to become more involved in a more inclusive Canada.
Senator Marie-Françoise Mégie was a family physician and university professor before her appointment to the Senate in 2016. She represents the division of Rougemont in Quebec.
Since I immigrated to Canada in 1976, I have often heard young Black people say that they do not see themselves reflected in government, institutions or arts and culture here. When I joined the Senate of Canada seven years ago as the country’s first senator of Haitian origin, I made it my goal to make our invisible communities visible.
Today, Black people have greater representation in the Senate. The African Canadian Senate Group — a group dedicated to amplifying the voices of Black Canadians in the Senate and throughout Canada’s democratic institutions — now has eight members. There are more senators of African descent than ever.
Despite our considerable progress, I can’t help but think that young Black people who visit the Red Chamber may feel like I did when I first arrived. Despite all the beautiful portraits of former monarchs and speakers of the Senate, there is no one who looks like us on the walls of the parliamentary institution that is supposed to represent us.
Thanks to the Senate Artwork and Heritage Advisory Working Group, we have seen more work by Black artists in the Senate in recent years.
Now that we can meet in person again, Black History Month is the perfect time to build on that momentum. This month, the African Canadian Senate Group — in collaboration with the Ottawa-based Mosaïque Interculturelle and the Afro-Canadian Cultural Centre of Montreal — is offering an extraordinary exhibition in the Senate foyer, Tales, to honour Black Canadian artists from diverse backgrounds.
The title echoes the official Canadian theme of this year’s Black History Month, “Ours to tell,” which invites us to listen to the diverse stories of Canada’s Black communities. Black history is more complex and important than the simplified versions of the Underground Railroad found in textbooks.
The exhibition Tales features the works of 11 Black artists, including Komi Seshie, a sculptor, woodworker and painter of Guinean origin; Helmer Joseph, a Montréal-based haute couture designer; and Sarah-Mecca Abdourahman, a first-generation Canadian of Somalian and Indian descent who uses her work to connect with her origins.
Art and culture are not only a reflection of our society, they also make an important contribution to the Canadian economy. Before the pandemic, Statistics Canada estimated that the country’s cultural industries — including visual arts, live performances and written works — accounted for $53.1 billion of the country’s GDP. The latest statistics show that Canada’s cultural sector has made strong economic gains since pandemic restrictions began to ease.
If art is a form of storytelling, then the stories of Black artists have long been overlooked in mainstream culture. Black artists have had fewer solo exhibitions in major galleries across the country. They struggled for recognition in the film industry. And they have been absent from the boards and leadership positions of our nation’s art institutions. The federal government has recognized this disparity and recently awarded $2 million in funding to a non-profit art organization in Ontario to promote Black artists.
Despite the historical underrepresentation of Black voices in the arts, Canada’s Black population is growing and could double from 1.5 million in 2021 to more than three million in 2041.
I want our Black populations to be reflected not only in our governments, but also in the arts.
Sculptor Dominique Dennery, a Haitian Canadian artist renowned for her bronze portraits of Haitian revolutionaries, approached her sculpture of Haitian leader Toussaint Louverture with a similar philosophy. In an interview following the unveiling of her artwork for Montréal’s 375th anniversary, she said she wanted to create a work that would restore pride in the city’s Haitian community, especially its disadvantaged youth.
“My hope is that seeing a hero who looks like them and who dared to dream the impossible, two centuries ago, will give them hope that they have a big bold future ahead of them,” she said.
This Black History Month, let’s open the doors of our democratic institutions to Black artists and empower our Black communities to become more involved in a more inclusive Canada.
Senator Marie-Françoise Mégie was a family physician and university professor before her appointment to the Senate in 2016. She represents the division of Rougemont in Quebec.