Museum celebrates Black History Month with tours and a new exhibit

The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre is celebrating Black History Month with several Freedom Seeker-focused tours and a brand-new exhibit opening.

Black History Month is celebrated every February and offers the opportunity for everyone to learn the stories and the many important contributions of Black Canadians.

Museum visitors are invited to take a 45-minute tour of On the Liberty Line on Feb. 4 at 11 a.m. or Feb. 25 at 11 a.m. Children and their families will explore early Black History in St. Catharines through the eyes of Freedom Seekers and Black community members during the Underground Railroad era and beyond. Designed for children, this program explores why Freedom Seekers came to St. Catharines and what life was like when they arrived. Activities from the On the Liberty Line program will provide a view of the past for younger audiences.

Take a one-hour tour of the Last Stop exhibit on Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. or Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. This program is designed to explore what it meant to be a Freedom Seeker in St. Catharines and explore the theme that being free from enslavement did not mean social equality. Designed for adults, this program will use the Last Stop exhibit to explore what life was like for Freedom Seekers and the development of the Black Community in St. Catharines.

An official opening reception for the St. Catharines Museum’s newest exhibition – Last

Stop: In Their Own Words – happens on Feb. 25 at 10:30 a.m. in the lobby of the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre. The event will formally open the exhibition for public viewing and will be followed by a tour of the exhibit. Local poet Eve Atoms will read her original poem "We of Providence" which she wrote for this exhibit. This event is free to attend.

Follow the museum’s Black History Month Blog Series every Sunday in February. This year, it will focus on 20th-century Black History in St. Catharines. Catch the series at stcatharinesmuseumblog.com.

For more information about the St. Catharines Museum and its Black History Month activities, visit stcatharinesmuseum.ca.

The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre is located at 1932 Welland Canals Parkway. The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is by donation unless otherwise specified.