Women’s accomplishments focus of Black History Month

Nafée Nelly Faïgo said the accomplishments of Black women who have worked for the betterment of humanity sometimes go unnoticed.

“These are women that I would like to celebrate,” said Faïgo, from SOFIFRAN (Solidarity of Francophone Immigrant Women and Families in Niagara.)

For example, she said mathematician Katherine Johnson was “paramount” to the U.S. space program in the 1960s.

She worked with two other African-American women Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan, helping NASA launch astronauts into orbit and eventually to the moon.

While the world celebrated the brave astronauts like John Glenn, Faïgo said incredible work of the women was overshadowed.

“They always stayed hidden,” she said.

“We have different women like that.”

They range from artists to the legendary Amazon women warriors.

“These are the kind of women I would like to show.”

Faïgo has focused a display set up for Black History Month at Brock University on women of African heritage who have worked for the betterment of humanity.

The display, called Black Women and Powers, includes photographs and biographical information on several women who made significant contributions through the work they did in different areas of society, and is on display at the Brock University’s James A. Gibson Library until Feb. 11.

It’s the 11th year that the university has teamed up with SOFIFRAN to celebrate Black History Month, and Faïgo said each year the displays highlight contributions made by Black people.

Creating the Black Women and Powers display, however, posed a challenge.

“This year’s display took six months of research to find all the information that I actually needed to do it,” she said.

In addition to the displays, the university and the Brock African Heritage Renaissance Group have several community events planned for the weeks to come, both on and off campus.

Jean Ntakirutimana, an associate professor at the university, said the events are organized “in the spirit of equity.”

“It’s a matter of highlighting diversity and inclusion, which is also a part of Brock’s mission,” Ntakirutimana said in a media release.

In addition to the contributions on a global scale that were the focus of Faïgo’s display, Ntakirutimana pointed out that people of African descent helped shape Niagara’s history through their involvement in the Underground Railroad, the War of 1812, and the construction of the Welland Canal.

“People of African descent have played an important role in the history of Canada and of the world,” he said.

Other events include an interactive workshop by SOFIFRAN (in French) on Tuesday, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in room WH 208; a screening and panel discussion about the …

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