On February 2, 2018, in the fantastic Edmonton’s Federal Building, hundreds of Albertans of African descent came out to celebrate Black History Month with Premier Rachel Notley, MLA David Shepherd, MLA Chris Nielsen, and other members of the NDP Caucus.
It was a cold winter evening in the fantastic City of Edmonton, but that did not stop over a hundred people of African descend in Edmonton to take on this once a year date with Alberta Premier. It was an exciting second Black History Month Event with fantastic speeches acknowledging racism and discrimination in Alberta and what the NDP Government is doing about it. It was enriched with a couple of projects that the government has supported in the communities of African descent and some inspiring quotes and success stories. Black History Month celebration in Edmonton also had a dose of rich poetry, an exciting dance performance, and a delicious dish with settings properly organized like a restaurant with priority seats for seniors. Langano Skies Ethiopian Restaurant who catered for this event served some of the best ‘injera” ever made, spiced with “Siga Tibs” (beef stew), and Fresh Garden Salad.
On February 8, 2018, at the McDougall Centre in the heart of the great City of Calgary, Premier Notley ignored security and weather concerns to drive to Calgary for this event. A tired Premier showed up late for the event after her flight was canceled and she had to make the trip to Calgary by road. Ensira Ethiopian Restaurant was able to fill in the blanks with some fantastic cuisine with “Injera” as the centerpiece. After wrestling with the decision to attend or not to attend, she defies the unfriendly weather with a stylish bright pink jacket which only brightens as the event progress due to the fun nature of the event. Once again MLA David Shepherd, MLA Robyn Luff, and other NDP Caucus MLAs were present to celebrate. The over 100 participants listen attentively to the speeches with an occasional burst of applause.
Like in Edmonton, the speeches centered around racism and what the government is doing about it, as well as some success stories. Unlike Edmonton, the Calgary chapter ended with the Premier joining the dance, sharing some good moves. As in Edmonton, the Calgary event saw the Premier overwhelmed with chats, verbal greetings, and handshakes, all the way to the exit by an excited group. Curious to know what these chats were about, Diversity Magazine cornered four of the heavy chatters with the Premier to get a gist of what they were talking about with Premier Notley. They shared topics ranging from an invitation to community events to appreciation of the work the Premier is doing. Other Black History Month events continue across the Province of Alberta.
