Item 2019-054/001(01) - Kwanzaa celebration at the Halifax Public Library

Item consists of a home movie captured by an African Nova Scotian/Indigenous Black family featuring celebrations and interviews about Kwanza, New Years, and a Christmas tree lighting.

Project and donor(s) contributed description follows: "At Auburn Highschool in North Preston, Nova Scotia, LaMeia Reddick attended an applied broadcast journalism class, where she had the opportunity to learn and explore directing, interviewing, production and editing.

The school had its own news station, and LaMeia could nurture her interest in recording stories of african canadian content. The stories students recorded would be broadcast for the school. In the footage, LaMeia documents a big Kwanzaa celebration at the Halifax Public Library, a large and diverse gathering of people of African diaspora, from various backgrounds, faiths, cultures, and ethnicities. The celebration includes performances with drums, song and dance. LaMeia interviews Tracey Jones about the meaning, origin, and seven principles of Kwanzaa.

Karen Hudson, the principal at Auburn Highschool was influential to LaMeia, and continues to make a long lasting impression on the culture and students at the school. She has introduced African enrichment to the school’s programs, including afrocentric math class, which helps black students excel at math. She continues to be an important role model and won the top principal in Canada award. LaMeia had a really positive experience at the school; having a black female principal as well as the courses available to her contributed to her future successes and set her up on the right path. "Having a school that valued your cultural experience and taught me about it, provided me with opportunities to nurture that part of myself, as well as understand my identity which [teenagers] are in the process of formulating."

The footage is a testament to how hard Principal Karen Hudson worked to introduce African culture to kids. LaMeia is interested in sharing the footage with Karen, and would like to interview her now. Karen and LaMeia live in neighboring communities, North Preston and Cherry Brook, which are large Indigenous and Black communities in Canada."