Black History Month is marking a triple milestone this year: the 35th edition of celebrations in Quebec, the 100th anniversary of Black History Month itself, and the 15th anniversary of the official logo. The theme for 2026 is "Together, let's raise our voices", a call for collective mobilization that extends well beyond February.
Designer Williamson Dulcé created this year's poster, depicting silhouettes gathered around a fire with voices rising in chorus. The abstract composition pays homage to the historical and cultural richness of Black communities while inviting reflection on resistance and impact.
Artist and radio host Dice B. returns as Francophone spokesperson, alongside the director of Black Community Initiatives at the Disabled Women's Network of Canada, Tamara Angeline Medford-Williams, who takes on the English-speaking role. Both are committed to ensuring that Afro-descendant communities remain masters of their own narratives.
The Laureates
This year's calendar, photographed by Montreal's Qauffee, spotlights 12 figures who've shaped Quebec society across multiple sectors. The list includes educators like Alix Adrien, who's been with the Québec Board of Black Educators since 1986, and journalists like Nadine Alcindor. There's community historian and civil rights activist Fred Anderson, mental health advocate Will Baptiste, and rapper-historian Aly Ndiaye (Webster). Biba Tinga, president of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of Canada, drove the creation of Canada's first registry for the disease and inspired federal Bill S-201. Cynthia Waithe, president of Barbados House Montreal, rounds out a group that spans entrepreneurship, education, healthcare, and the arts.
What's happening
The programming spans classical music, winter sports, visual art, and community gatherings. Ensemble Obiora opened the season January 31st with AMBER at Salle Pierre-Mercure. On February 5th, Canadian-Haitian soprano Marie-Josée Lord performed with the Orchestre Classique de Montréal under conductor Kalena Bovell, featuring works by William Grant Still and Florence Price set against Toni Morrison texts.
Routes to Rootz brought back BLK WinterFest as of February 1st, handling transportation and equipment for six different winter activities throughout the month. At Édouard-Montpetit REM station, 2022 laureate Manuel Mathieu's five-panel painting Le Mont habité offers a vibrant indoor experience for commuters.
Looking ahead, on February 14th, the Round Table partners with Héma-Québec for its 16th annual blood drive at Plaza Côte-des-Neiges, supporting those with sickle cell anemia—a disease that disproportionately affects Black communities. Later that month, from February 14th to 27th, The Body in Ritual opens at the Belgo Building: a photo exhibition transforming traditional masks into living entities staged alongside the body, created by Afromusée executive director Guy Mushagalusa Chigoho and photographer Claude Gauthier.
Les Ballets Africains, a 35-member troupe making their first Montreal return since 1967, perform at Place des Arts on February 22nd.
Events extend beyond Montreal to the Côte-Nord, Mauricie, Trois-Rivières, and Rouyn-Noranda, with programming at youth employment centres, newcomer services, and public libraries across Quebec.
The full schedule is available at moishistoiredesnoirs.com.
