Griot Community Newsletter - February 2024

• Welcome
• ACCA Celebrates 45 Years of Community Service in Hamilton
• Standing Tall
• ACCA’s Youth Programs
• Nurturing Seniors’ Well-being Through Cultural and Social Connections
• Aging Well at Home
• Capacity Building for Youth
• Mental Health
• Community Partnerships
• Housing
• Spotlight on Local Business
• Black History Month
• Meet Our Board Member
• Featured Column
• Upcoming Events
• Recipe for Ghanaian Jollof Rice
• 5 Questions for the Hon. Jean Augustine
• Farewell
• Of Note

Stay tuned for our upcoming list of events designed to commemorate this auspicious occasion, including our anticipated gala event scheduled for this winter.

ACCAPALS Tutoring/Mentoring Program

Program Outline

The ACCAPALS Tutoring/Mentoring Program seeks to provide academic and role model support to youth aged 7-16 years old. Youth are paired with a tutor/mentor for one-on-one support throughout the academic school year (September 1 – June 30). We also provide drop-in hours for those students who desire extra tutoring at our main office 423 King St E.

Program Goals

The overall goal of the program is to improve the youth academic literacy in core educational competencies (i.e. Reading, Writing, and Math). A second goal is to provide adult role model support to our youth.  The long-term goal is to encourage the youth to further their education and underscore the critical value of education in achieving adult success.  

ACCA Diaspora Youth Development Program

Program Outline

The ACCA Diaspora Youth Development Program is a 12-week program that seeks to provide youth with educational opportunities in the areas of Black History and Culture. Furthermore, this program will also deliver workshops to teach youth life skills and leadership qualities and provide them with a foundation of their rich history and culture.

Program Goals

1. To provide educational opportunities in which youth can learn about their history and culture
2. To teach life skills that are essential in fostering positive development and self-identity

ACCA-Sports Program

Program Outline

The ACCA Multisport Sports Program will have two streams that will run for 12 weeks cycling through a different sport each week.  Each session will last for one hour.

The participants will be divided into two age groups: 5-9 and 10-17 years old.

The primary aim of the program is the development of physical literacy in youth, which will be accomplished through basic sports introduction, mini-games, and fundamental athletic movements including:

• throwing
• catching
• jumping
• balancing

The ACCA-Rec

This will run for 12 weeks cycling through three sports. Each session will be 75 minutes in length focusing on athletic skill development in a recreational setting. The session will begin with 25 minutes of skills/drills development and the remaining time (50 minutes) will be devoted to gameplay. 

Program Goals

The overarching goals of the ACCA-Sports programs are to create an inclusive environment in which youth can play sports and develop the mindset to be healthier individuals.

ACCA E-Sports Gaming Club

Program Outline

The ACCA E-Sports Gaming Club seeks to provide youth with a space in which they can play E-sports and connect with their peers. They will learn some of the fundamentals of the E-Sports industry such as: 

• content creation
• live-streaming
• competition
• marketing

Furthermore, through the club, members will receive the tools needed to develop skills in gaming. Participation in E-sports is a cooperative activity. Players from teams must create strategies to accomplish their objectives. Thus, this activity builds teamwork among participants.

ACCA will be working closely with NASEF (Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports Federation), an international organization that facilitates E-sports competitions for youth using MINECRAFT EDUCATION. As part of the ACCA E-Sports Gaming Club, the youth will have the opportunity to take part in the MINECRAFT competitions online for chances to win prizes.

Program Goals

The overall goal of this program is to allow youth to learn valuable life skills and form a community that is welcoming through the world of E-sports. More specifically, youth will learn the importance of teamwork, leadership skills, support skills, and more. In fact, the same skills that are beneficial to E-sports are useful in their daily lives.

The program is thoughtfully designed to assist seniors in navigating and accessing eligible services within the community, promoting their independence, and quality of life.

For more information or to register for the program, please contact us at 905-385-0925 or via email at acca1979info@gmail.com

What We Offer

ACCA has assembled a dedicated team of mental health professionals ready to provide tailored support on an individual and family basis. Recognizing the diverse needs of our community, we offer flexible engagement options:

• Weekly Appointments: For ongoing support, fostering steady progress and resilience.

Our services are designed to be culturally responsive, catering specifically to the African, Caribbean, and Black Canadians in Hamilton. By sharing our specialized knowledge, addressing prevalent community issues, and providing practical guidance, we aim to empower individuals and families across all age groups—youth, teenagers, adults, and seniors.

Why It Matters

Now more than ever, access to culturally appropriate mental health support is crucial. Our initiative not only seeks to heal and support but also to build stronger, more resilient individuals and families within our community. We believe that by working together, we can overcome the barriers to mental wellness and foster a healthier, more vibrant community.

Get Connected

Ready to take the first step toward a brighter tomorrow?

Contact us at acca1979info@gmail.com or call 905-385-0925 to connect with our team and learn more about accessing these vital supports.

The property located at 412 Barton is undergoing transformation into 15 deeply affordable units tailored to accommodate seniors facing homelessness. This initiative reflects our commitment to providing safe and secure housing for vulnerable members of our community.

A Sunrise Ceremony was held on December 15, 2023, to launch the project, honouring the site as it starts its new journey as homes for Black and Indigenous seniors facing homelessness.

We are pleased to collaborate with CP Planning, a non-profit urban planning organization dedicated to practicing a human rights-based approach to community planning. We are working with CP Planning to support the Black community in affordable housing development initiatives.

Stay tuned for upcoming workshops and conversations where we will delve deeper into these important topics.

Mayor Eisenberger embraced the proposal and extended invitations to other key stakeholders within the City, including representatives from the City Manager’s Office and Hamilton Civic Museums, to participate in subsequent discussions. The collective aim was to collaboratively work towards the realization of this important objective, underscoring the City’s commitment to recognizing and honouring the rich heritage and contributions of the Black community.

In 2023, the City of Hamilton launched its first official Black History Month Celebration under the theme We Are Hamilton – Black History Remembered. The following individuals were honoured:

• Julia Berry 
• Sophia Burthen Pooley 
• Denise Brooks
• Robert Foster
• Vince Hall
• John Holland
• Anita Isaac
• Dr. Ethilda “Tilly” Johnson
• Ray Johnson
• Norman “Pinky” Lewis
• Wilma Morrison
• Neville Nunes
• Fleurette Osborne
• Eleanor Rodney
• Cynthia Taylor
• Jack “Jackie” Washington

Black History Kick off 2024

Working closely with Black-led organizations in Hamilton, this year, Dora Anie, a philanthropist and founder of School of Dreams, was recognized at the event as the We Are Hamilton – Black History Remembered 17th honouree.

During an exercise session at the gym, someone tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to a poster advertising Black History Month, questioning the reason for these activities during the month of February. It was an opportunity for me to provide some background on its genesis. It is common knowledge for some of us but is worth repeating. We owe this celebration to an initiative by historian and educator Carter Godwin Woodson.

The significance of Woodson’s experience as the son of former slaves, and the second African American after W. E. B. Du Bois to obtain a Ph.D. from Harvard University, is a rich story in itself.  His initiative resulted in the launch of a Black History Week in the U.S. in the second week of February 1926, which coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Black antislavery activist, Frederick Douglass. Woodson’s goal was to counteract the denial of African history, the myth surrounding Black inferiority, and the absence of references to the contributions of African Americans in history books and educational materials.

In February 1976, Black History Week was expanded to Black History Month in the U.S. as part of the Bicentennial celebrations. The celebration of Black History Month subsequently spread to other countries – the UK in October 1987, and later to other European countries.

In 1995, the Canadian Parliament officially recognized February as Black History Month on a motion introduced by Jean Augustine, the first African Caribbean woman to be elected to the House of Commons as a Member of Parliament. More recently, a number of African countries have also begun celebrating Black History Month.

During my student days in France in the 1960’s, the denial of Black History and humanity against which Carter Godwin Woodson campaigned was still dominant, as exemplified in the following statement made by Hugh Trevor-Roper, Professor of Modern History at Oxford University (1957 – 1980) in his book, The Rise of Christian Europe, published in 1965:

“Perhaps in the future there will be some African History to teach. But at present there is none, or very little: there is only the history of Europe in Africa. The rest is largely darkness, like the history of pre-Columbian America, and darkness is not a subject for history.”

This ongoing denial of the history of Africa and of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas before their “discovery” by Europeans, even after the period of decolonization in Africa, is staggering. Equally troubling is the fact that the issues that led to the creation of the first Black History Week continue to affect Black students in the Canadian education system today. For example, the Report of the HWDSB Safe Schools: HWDSB Bullying Prevention and Intervention Review Panel, on which I sat, released the following in January 2021:     

“In particular, Black participants were frustrated by their ongoing experiences of systemic racism. They raised issues such as the disproportionate rates of suspension and expulsion of Black students; Black students being underestimated and streamed into lower, restricted and applied programs (sometimes without parental consultation); the school-to-prison pipeline; and unequal distribution of resources to “nicer schools.”

Other factors affecting Black students include the absence of black history and achievements from the curriculum and the absence of role models due to the underrepresentation of black or other racialized people as educators in the classroom.

The Hamilton Wentworth District School Board hired its first Black Director of Education, also its first female Director of Education, Sheryl Robinson Petrazzini, in 2022. Racialized educators are noticeably absent from the senior leadership of school boards. We see many high-performing Black students at the various award ceremonies such as the John Holland Awards, ACCPI, the Tilly Johnson Scholarship. However, their success does not diminish the reality of these systemic barriers for far too many Black youth.  

The same questioning of Black History Month that prompted the reflections above manifested itself after the Inaugural Black Graduation Celebration in June 2022. This was a special occasion for Black students from every Faculty to collectively celebrate their academic achievement, their resilience, and their hopes for the future in a magical space of community empowerment. Critics voiced or internalized their disapproval of this ‘separatist’ event which they saw as an unnecessary and undesirable addition to the official university graduation ceremonies.

The active engagement of the staff of the City of Hamilton, working collaboratively with representatives of local Black organizations in the preparation and launch of Black History Month 2023 activities, displayed a welcome sensitivity to the impact of systemic anti-Black racism. This active support has continued during the preparation for the launch of Black History Month 2024.

Meetings with Mayor Andrea Horwath have raised hopes that, building on the support provided by previous Mayor Fred Eisenberger, the City will continue to play a proactive role in promoting and supporting dismantling anti-Black racism as an important component of its equity, inclusion and antiracism strategy.

My final brief note to the person who tapped me on the shoulder in the gym is that every month will indeed be Black History Month when African Canadian history becomes an integral part of Canadian history; and when the aspiration of Canada as an inclusive nation which is fair and equal for all who live here is a lived reality for all African Canadians.

Dr. Gary Warner is a community leader, a human rights champion, and a retired McMaster professor.

Ingredients to Steam Meat

• Meat – amount according to your preference
• Onion – half of a medium
• 1 – Spice blend cube or any preferred spices e.g. curry powder, mixed spices etc.
• 1 – Habanero or scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
• 1 – Large stock cube (optional) but preferred personally
• Ginger powder – Optional
• Chicken seasoning – Optional

Ingredients to make stew & Jollof Rice

• 14 – Tomatoes peeled you may use the canned ones
• 1 – Extra-large onion or 2-3 medium-sized ones.
• 2 – Habanero or scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
• 2-4tbsps – tomato paste
• 1tbsp – shrimp powder (optional)
• Chicken seasoning
• 1 – Stock cube (optional)
• Salt
• Spice mix
• Vegetable oil
• 3 cups – Jasmine scented rice or Basmati Rice are perfect for Jollof Rice (Ghana Jollof of course)

Method

STEP 1

To begin, blend all the ingredients for steaming the meat, add it to the meat and cover it up.  Then cook until it’s nice and tender. Save the stock to use for cooking the Jollof rice later.

STEP 2

Next, blend the habanero and onions and set it aside, do the same with the tomatoes. Heat oil and add the blended onions and habanero and fry for about 3 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and fry for about 5 minutes. Please note that the beginning stages of your jollof stew is very important, so fry the tomato paste very well to ensure that your stew tastes good, then add 1 or 2 bay leaves and cook for 3 more minutes. Next, add the blended tomatoes; add some water to loosen up the stew a bit and then cook this until the tomatoes lose their sour taste.

STEP 3

Check the tenderness of the meat to ensure it is soft and juicy then go ahead and fry them till they’re golden brown. You can also opt to just sauté the meat. Set the meat aside while you continue to stir the stew periodically so that it doesn’t burn.

STEP 4

With the stew looking, tasting, and smelling good, it’s time to add some of the stock that was set aside from steaming the meat and also our seasoning, stir it up nicely and allow to cook on medium-low until oil begins to settle on top of it, indicating that the stew is almost done. Add the meat to the stew, let it simmer for about 10 – 15 minutes. Then start preparing the rice by washing it in cold water a few times to get rid of as much starch as possible.                       

Add the Jasmine rice to the stew and give it a good stir until each grain is coated with some of the stew. Add about a cup of cold water to the rice,- it’s not a lot of water,  just a little bit enough to loosen up the grains of rice so that the steam can penetrate and cook it beautifully then cover it up with parchment paper and the lid. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes. Stir again to loosen up your grains of rice to enable steam to go through it. In order for your Jollof rice to cook perfectly, stirring it in the beginning, in the middle and in the end, is the key; This ensures that steam is going through to cook it to perfection.

***It’s recommended to cook your Jollof Rice on medium heat and then lower the heat at the very end.  

**Some people like soft-cooked rice while others prefer a firmer texture. Your preference will dictate the amount of fluid you’ll use namely, stew, stock, and water.

Comfort Afari
Past President, Ghana Association of Hamilton

Klyde Broox

The passing of Klyde Broox marks a profound loss for the arts and cultural community locally and internationally. His significant contributions to dub poetry and social activism have not only enriched the cultural tapestry but also highlighted critical social issues. Broox’s unique ability to weave together themes of justice, identity, and the immigrant experience through his art has resonated deeply with audiences and fellow artists, establishing him as a pivotal figure in the genre of Dub Poetry.

His legacy is one of profound impact, characterized by a deep commitment to leveraging art as an important tool for social change. Klyde was one of the teachers with ACCA’s Black youth development program. He was well-loved by the young people whom he guided in areas of history and culture. His vision and voice will continue to inspire our youth.

As we commemorate his life and contributions, it is essential to acknowledge the depth of his influence and the permanent mark he has left on the world of art and activism in Hamilton and internationally.

Basil Vernon – A Community Builder

One of ACCA’s founding members Basil Vernon passed away in Hamilton on January 22, 2024. He dedicated many years to serving as a volunteer and supporter of the organization. Born in Jamaica, Basil moved to Hamilton at the age of 25. After more than 30 years of service, he retired from Stelco. Outside of his professional life, Basil cherished spending time with friends and family, particularly enjoying his hobbies of cricket, golf, and dominos.

Nerene Virgin – Farewell to a Trailblazer

As an educator, journalist, television presenter, actress, author, and politician, Nerene wore many hats with grace and distinction. Her role on the children’s television series, Today’s Special, brought joy and inspiration to countless viewers, while her advocacy work and storytelling prowess enriched our understanding of Black history in Hamilton and Canada.

Nerene’s profound impact extended far beyond her professional endeavors; she was passionate about Black History, social justice, and equality. She served as a mentor to many and used her voice to amplify the issues facing marginalized communities.