NEWS RELEASE
ILLUMINATE DOWNTOWN GUELPH
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In partnership with the Guelph Black Heritage Society, the four buildings that form the Illuminate Downtown Guelph project will be lit red, gold and green for Black Heritage Month (February 1st to March 1st).
Representing the colours of the African Nova Scotia flag, the Wellington Building, Old Quebec Street Shoppes, the Old Post Office and the Guelph Civic Museum will light up 30 minutes after sunset until 11 p.m. each night.
The African Nova Scotia flag was introduced in February 2021 and created by artist Wendie L. Wilson. The flags colours of red, gold and green are used by people of African descent across the world. Red symbolising the sacrifice African Nova Scotian people have endured, gold represents cultural richness and green for fertility, growth and future generations.
Denise Francis, President of the Guelph Black Heritage Society says “the Guelph Black Heritage Society is pleased to continue our collaborations with the DGBA. To see four iconic buildings lit up in the colours of liberation for Black Heritage Month will be truly amazing and inspiring. We hope that Guelphites take time to learn more about the contributions the Black community has made to our society. The GBHS calls on the community to honour our past, celebrate today, and look toward the future”.
“The red, gold and green represented in the African Nova Scotia flag may just be colours, but for the African and Caribbean diaspora and its peoples, this is about representation of liberation. We are pleased to honour that heritage and culture through Illuminate Downtown Guelph. Each day we continue to work passionately and fiercely towards freedom." Kween, GBHS executive director.
Illuminate Downtown Guelph project manager, Sam Jewell says “the Downtown Guelph Business Association is committed to amplifying underrepresented voices within our community. Our extensive reach on social media means that we can accompany these illuminations with informative posts on the importance of remembering people and events in the history of the African diaspora in Canada”.
For further information on Illuminate Downtown Guelph, please contact Sam Jewell, operations manager, Downtown Guelph Business Association, [email protected].
For further information on Black Heritage Month and the Guelph Black Heritage Society, please contact Denise Francis, president of the Guelph Black Heritage Society, [email protected]
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