The leader of the African and Caribbean club is unhappy that there are few events lined up to celebrate Black History Month, which begins Feb. 1.
Law clerk student Larne Akanbi is wondering why an entire month dedicated to celebrating the history of black people gets overlooked.
Larne told the Times in an interview that he is given a $500 budget by the SA for funding an event his club wanted to organize for Black History Month. He says $500 should not be a budget for Black History Month.
He says it seems like everyone else has the money for Black History Month, except Algonquin College. He also questions why there has to be a club doing Black History Month events instead of the campus doing it because it’s an annual observance in Canada, the United states, and the United Kingdom.
This year Algonquin College has chosen to celebrate Black History Month with, The Gift of Jazz, show which will be held on the campus Feb. 18 .
“If it was St. Patrick’s day everyone would know about it. If it was Halloween, the school would know about it,” he says.
His club wanted to hold a showcase celebrating Black history with singing, poetry, and acting. He describes the African and Caribbean community as being huge, and the goal of, “being a place where people can get together and share views.”
He admits to feeling discouraged when the SA told him his clubs event, celebrating Black History Month was not in the budget. Larne even says that he has spoken to students that feel “left out” when holidays like Black History Month don’t receive the attention they deserve. He then says, “SA support would mean a lot.”
In the past, the SA has said the reason for lack of events during Black History
month is the low demand and low interest in campus students. Currently, the SA
has planned one event for February in honour of Black History
month.