19 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

Victoria joins Black History Month celebrations in Canada to honour and mark the contributions of Black Canadians and their culture and history. The celebrations are led by the BC Black History Awareness Society, and this year, they have come up with a lineup of events throughout the month. These events are organized to highlight Black history in British Columbia and celebrate contemporary Black artists, musicians, and storytellers.

Read more at: https://vicnews.com/...-history-month/

24-paragraph article. Doesn’t highlight any existing Black businesses or general contributiuins.

Just made up stuff.

Lots of our taxpayer money to this.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 30 January 2026 - 08:41 PM.

[Tony]

https://bcblackhisto...history-firsts/

[Victoria Watcher]

Thin crowd,

Why worthy of so much taxpayer money?

Just skin colour?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 30 January 2026 - 08:56 PM.

[UDeMan]

Sir James Douglas was part Black. BC has a long Black history.

[m3m]

Man, it’s embarrassing being associated with this forum sometimes

[dasmo]

Sir James Douglas was part Black. BC has a long Black history.

Douglas knew what had happened during the California gold rush when an estimated 300,000 Americans from other states and people from abroad flooded into California. Douglas desperately needed settlers and he needed them quickly, settlers who could help to cement Victoria as a British administrative, business and mining hub, thwarting any attempts by the Americans to re-assert territorial authority.

 

Through his time and experiences as Chief Factor of HBC and Governor of the Colony dealing with territorial, commercial and political issues, Douglas would have been cognizant of the discriminatory laws, racial tensions, frustrations and obstructions that Blacks in California were facing.

In April 1858 Douglas sent an invitation to the Black community in San Francisco via Jeremiah Nagle, captain of the steamship Commodore that sailed regularly from Victoria to San Francisco.  On April 25, 1858 the Pioneer Committee of 35 Blacks from San Francisco arrived in Victoria to meet with James Douglas.

Some people were skeptical, saying that one year in a northern climate or failing crops would send the settlers right back toward the south.  However, the Blacks that had come at James Douglas’s invitation were looking for a place where they could raise their families, buy land to farm, build homes, churches and schools, conduct business, and work productively in the trades.   In 1977 the Government of Canada recognized this migration as an Event of National Historic Significance.

 

https://bcblackhisto...-james-douglas/

[Victoria Watcher]

Man, it’s embarrassing being associated with this forum sometimes

I know. We should have a history month for people with a certain eye colour. It’s that important.

[max.bravo]

Some interesting facts about black inventors in history here https://youtu.be/qKh...3DRilFULWW6YZ6h

[Tony]

I know. We should have a history month for people with a certain eye colour. It’s that important.

 

Perhaps also for Irish, Eastern Europeans, DPs.  ,,,,,,,,,,,,  any non anglo saxons..... all have been treated badly in the past in Canad but perhaps not as consistently badly and for so long as Black people by many in Canadian society?

[Victoria Watcher]

all have been treated badly in the past in Canad but perhaps not as consistently badly and for so long as Black people by many in Canadian society?

 

I do not see how this type of programming corrects that or furthers race relations.  Skin colour should be a nothing-burger, like eye colour isn't assessed or celebrated or surveyed or programmed for.

[Tony]

Agree skin colour should be a nothing burger, but  it was not.

 

In my opinion there were deep seated long standing negative perceptions of Black people in Canada by a large segment of the population that persisted for far longer than any of the other groups I mentioned.

 

This was just basic prejudice based on a basket of negative assumptions about Black people. The starting of the celebration of Black history month did two things. It publicly recognized that this prejudice towards Black people was real and it was not acceptable.Highlighting the many positive contributions of Black people provides contradictions to the basket of negative assumptions that some people had to used to support the continuation of their prejudice towards Blavk people.

Edited by Tony, 31 January 2026 - 11:17 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Agree skin colour should be a nothing burger, but  it was not.

 

In my opinion there were deep seated long standing negative perceptions of Black people in Canada by a large segment of the population that persisted for far longer than any of the other groups I mentioned.

 

These exist today.

 

Some might be founded, even if it's a generalization and not a negative perception of any one individual.

 

Let's say you are walking through a long pedestrian tunnel, more or less alone, then coming the other way is a young, lone male.  Is it right, or wrong that you might be slightly more on guard than if it was an elderly female approaching you?

 

Now, robot:

 

The incarceration rate for Black adults was 32 per 10,000 population, compared to 8 per 10,000 for white adults — meaning Black adults were incarcerated at 3 times the rate of white adults (overrepresentation index of 3.0).

 

What to make of this, when we sometimes make assumptions based on skin colour?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 31 January 2026 - 11:22 AM.

[Tony]

I stand by previous opinion statement.

 

To your point. About 6% of the jail population are women and 94% are men. How might that affect the situation that you mentioned.

[Victoria Watcher]

To your point. About 6% of the jail population are women and 94% are men. How might that affect the situation that you mentioned.

 

You are making my point.  It has a VERY strong effect on my perception of the situation I mentioned in the tunnel.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 31 January 2026 - 11:41 AM.

[max.bravo]

Pattern recognition and trusting your gut could save your life. Know the odds and act accordingly.

[Tony]

You numbers are correct.  About 67% of the Canadian population is white and they make up about 52% of the prison population.

 

The vast majority of prisoners are white.

 

You are much more  likely to meet a white prisoner in that situation but you are not able to make a distinction on your safety based on skin colour so you do not judge based on skin colour. You do not consider that most prisioner are white for example.

 

 You meet a black person their skin colour is evident.  You now make a judgement based on skin colour and the fact that you know that 8% of prisoners are Black in a population that is 4% Black. Your numbers are correct. I am not saying those facts should be ignored.

 

The reason for Black History Month

 

There was Black prejudice and still is based on a basket of negative assumptions that were not correct about Black people. The starting of the celebration of Black history month did two things. It publicly recognized that this prejudice towards Black people was real and it was not acceptable.Highlighting the many positive contributions of Black people provides contradictions to the basket of negative assumptions that some people had to used to support the continuation of their prejudice towards Black people.

[Victoria Watcher]

There was Asian prejudice and still is based on a basket of negative assumptions that were not correct about Asian people. The starting of the celebration of Asian history month did two things. It publicly recognized that this prejudice towards Asian people was real and it was not acceptable.Highlighting the many positive contributions of Asian people provides contradictions to the basket of negative assumptions that some people had to used to support the continuation of their prejudice towards Asian people.




Except Asians never wanted or felt it necessary to have a day or a month of grievance.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 31 January 2026 - 05:14 PM.

[Tony]

Each group had different experiences and length of history of predjudice. Both groups faced major predjuices.

 

Diid the Chinese ask for the apology for their treatment.? Was it only the Black community that felt it necessary to have a day or month to focus on their positive contributions of our Black community? In my opinion no.

 

We have diferrent perspectives on this topic and I have expressed my opinion as you have yours.

 

What has been expressed here is not from a member of either group. They are the opinions of two white men with limited persomal experience of the lived reality of either groups past or present..

[max.bravo]

Asians were never part of institutional slavery in the US. That’s the big difference

[Victoria Watcher]

February is Black History Month, and in Greater Victoria, there’s no shortage of opportunities to learn about the history makers who shaped the future of Vancouver Island and BC.

 

All month long, there will be events and exhibits exploring the stories of pioneers, inventors, and businesses that left a lasting impact on our province but are often overlooked in history books. 

 

From the first Black pioneers who journeyed to the Island in 1858 to war heroes, politicians, and notable artists, there are more than a century’s worth of stories to uncover.

 

Hear from Black scholars and direct descendants of pioneering families, and immerse yourself in Black arts and culture throughout February. 

Check out the full list of events below.

 

https://www.capitald...r-victoria-2026

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 01 February 2026 - 07:22 AM.