Golden hour
Stunning sunsets any time of year.
.
With more than 90 kilometres of trails crisscrossing our city the question is, where will you be exploring this weekend?
LET IT GLOW Port Dalhousie launch this Saturday!
Join us at Port’s Old Lock One Stage in Port Dalhousie from 5-7pm for the launch of Let it Glow – A Celebration of Light! The festivities include a performance of the Nutcracker by @niagaraballet let and contactless selfies with Santa! And don't forget your letters to Santa.
Learn more at lovestc.ca.
Celebrating Emancipation Day + BlackOwned905 Businesses - #EmancipationDaySTC
Join Matter of Black co-founders and Rochelle Bush, Trustee and Historian for BME Church Salem Chapel to reflect on the importance of #EmancipationDaySTC and to learn about BlackOwned905 restaurants and businesses in Niagara.
Originally called "Big Picnic", the Emancipation Day event began in 1924 and was held on the first Thursday of August every year. It observed the liberation of slaves from Britain in 1833. Port Dalhousie was the chosen location for the picnic because in 1793, in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Governor Simcoe signed the historic Act Against Slavery, which contributed to the overall emancipation of slaves that occurred on August 1, 1834 by the British Commonwealth.
In 1924, the organizer of the Emancipation Day Picnic, B.J. Spencer-Pitt, sent out invitations to the Black community and between 6000 to 8000 people attended the event. The Picnic was last officially hosted in 1951, and Matter of Black/ BlackOwned905 and TD Niagara Jazz Festival are bringing this celebration back to the heart of our community.
Though we cannot physically gather this year, we encourage you and your pod to support BlackOwned905 restaurants that have opened to celebrate with us.
Visit BlackOwned905 and Matter of Black’s Instagram and pages for more information.
+
Check out the virtual market featuring Black-Owned businesses in the beautiful Niagara region.
The market will be hosted on HopIn (https://hopin.com) and will be available on Sunday, August 1st from 11:30am to 1:30pm. Registration is free.
*HopIn link will be posted at 11:30am to all Emancipation Day channels.
Also, be sure to tune in for TD Niagara Jazz Festival's Emancipation Day Concert from 11:30am to 6pm.
#EmancipationDaySTC is presented by Matter of Black and BlackOwned 905, in partnership with the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, City of St. Catharines #LoveSTC, and TD Niagara Jazz Festival. Supported by Positive Living Niagara, Erica’s Embrace and Freedom Mobile.
LMT Connection with opening artist Tabitha Lewis - #EmancipationDaySTC
Get ready to dance!
LMT CONNECTION are true masters of their craft. They’ve been together for 30 years, recorded six albums, played over 6500 shows including 13 tours of Europe and 6 tours of China.
LMT Connection: Leroy Emmanual, Mark Rogers and "Big Bad" John Irvine.
Lead Vocalist and guitarist Leroy Emmanuel has been a dedicated musician and entertainer for most of his life. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Detroit, Michigan, he began his professional career at the age of twelve and has since toured all over the United States playing with the likes of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Edwin Star, John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker and Al Green to name a few.
OPENING ARTIST: Tabitha Lewis is a Toronto native singer songwriter who now resides in St.Catharines ON. She’s been writing her own lyrics and producing her own music for over 15 years and has even shared her gifts locally at Mahtay Cafe. Currently she works at the Brock University Makerspace as the Coordinator and instructor, infusing her creativity and passion for music into teaching and learning.
#EmancipationDaySTC is presented by Matter of Black and BlackOwned 905, in partnership with the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, City of St. Catharines #LoveSTC, and TD Niagara Jazz Festival. Supported by Positive Living Niagara, Erica’s Embrace and Freedom Mobile.
Diaspora Discussions - #EmancipationDaySTC
Diaspora Discussions
Facilitated by Erica Williams
Panelist: Lennox Farrell and Christina Thomas
Join our panelists as they discuss the themes connected to the film Harriet (2019) and how the Black community is still impacted today. Subjects include slavery and how Black people still endured hardships, discrimination and racism events after Emancipation.
Recommended pre viewing: Harriet (2019)
Director- Kasi Lemmons
The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman's escape from slavery and transformation into one of America's greatest heroes, whose courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.
Available for viewing on: Netflix, AppleTV, Google Play, YouTube
BIOS:
Lennox Farrell is a retired teacher, writer, author, publisher, and community organizer. He was and is among those advocating for social change in Toronto in the 1980s, especially, but not exclusively with regards to issues affecting the Black community. He is a founding member of the Black Action Defence Committee (BADC) and in the 1990s and again in 2005, Farrell was head of the Caribbean Cultural Committee, which put on the Caribana parade.
Christina Thomas is a community leader in the Western Hill neighbourhood of St. Catharines. Christina is an active member of the Rykert Volunteer Committee, a tenant-led neighbourhood association striving to make a difference that creates a safe space for residents to learn new life skills, make new friendships, enjoy community dinners and voice tenant concerns. Part of the group’s mission is erasing the stigma attached to living in subsidized housing by actively displaying the gifts and talents of the people who live in Rykert. Christina recently became an Author and released her first book on Amazon this year "Can't Hold Me Down, I'm Wearing My Crown". She currently works for Bethlehem Housing and Support Services as a Community Support Worker. She volunteers at New Hope Church and was one of six women chosen to partic
Anti Blackness and Community Health Panel Discussion - #EmancipationDaySTC
Anti Blackness and Community Health Panel Discussion: The effects of stigma within the Black community.
Facilitated by Matter of Black Co-founder and Positive Living Niagara's African, Caribbean and Blacks Coordinator, Mutsa Charamba
Panelists: Lydia Collins, Kattawe Henry, Erica Williams and Dr. Alexandra Ojike
Bios:
Dr Alexandra Ezeonu is a Community Physician and Health Program Management Specialist. She received her medical training from Nigeria and the United Kingdom. She has 10 years programmatic and technical experience implementing donor funded HIV/TB prevention, treatment, and care services. She led the CRS Global Fund HIV treatment program that reached over 20,000 clients in Nigeria. She is currently a Research Fellow at the Center for Translation and Implementation research where she is contributing to implementation science research on prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Nigeria.
Lydia Collins is a writer and sexual health educator with a focus on HIV prevention in African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) communities, and decolonial consent education. Lydia is the author of three self-published chapbooks of poetry. She released Angry. Black. Woman. in January 2019, To Everyone We’ve Ever Been, in September 2020, and In Transit in February 2021
Erica Williams is a Registered Social Service and through her employment at various shelters she recognized the need for hair and beauty care products for Black women. In 2018 she created Erica's Embrace, now called Erica's Embrace Support Services which donates hair and beauty care products for Black women to shelters in Ontario and provides Black advocacy to community members in the Niagara region.
Kattawe Henry - As a Brock alumnus with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Master of Arts in Gender Studies and Feminist Research from McMaster University, Kattawe brings a background enriched with experiences and understandings of the difficult conversations that are essential to developing lasting
Official Flag Raising - #EmancipationDaySTC
Join our event organizers to officially (and safely) kick off the 2021 edition of #EmancipationDaySTC on the lawn of St. Catharines City Hall. Remarks by event organizers and dignitaries.
Can't make it live? We'll be streaming the event online as well through the FirstOntario PAC YouTube, Facebook and partner channels.
#EmancipationDaySTC is brought to you by Matter of Black and BlackOwned905 in partnership with FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, City of St. Catharines, #LoveSTC, TD Niagara Jazz Festival, Erica’s Embrace, Positive Living Niagara and Freedom Mobile.
The Glorious Son are coming to the Meridian Centre
ICYM the glorious news: The Meridian Centre announced The Glorious Sons are coming to St. Catharines on Feb. 26th, 2022 with special guest JJ Wilde.
Tickets go on sale Friday, June 4 at 10 a.m. Sign up for our enewsletter for more information about exclusive presale access. Sign up here https://www.tourismstcatharines.ca/sign-up-for-our-newsletter/
April 1, 2021 in Downtown St. Catharines
April 1, 2021 in Downtown St. Catharines.
No, this is not a joke. 😊 Snowy and still a great day to be outside. There's a lot to discover in #ourhomestc.
Join Our Shop Local Directory
