RRC Polytech commemorates African diaspora
By: Toni De Guzman
The smell of barbecue jerk chicken and rice drifted through the air as Black-owned businesses sold handmade earrings and hair braiding services at RRC Polytech’s Manitou a bi Bii daziigae building.
Friday, Feb. 28, more than 600 people attended the Empowering Voices: Amplifying Black Narratives in Leadership event in commemoration of Black History Month.
“It’s awesome being in a place that you don’t stand out,” said Zilla Jones. “That’s how everyday should be.”
She hopes to see more participating in cultural conversations by attending events like these and educating themselves about Black history.
Jones said her grandfather went to jail for speaking up about colonialism. She chose to become a criminal defence and human rights lawyer “to speak in a way he wasn’t able to.”
She said she still feels a bit of impostor syndrome – a feeling of self-doubt.
“It’s a lifelong journey,” she said. “It doesn’t go away.”
Ebunoluwa (Ebun) Oluwatunmise, owner of Clothes by Gift, said she loves seeing “new faces” buying her clothing.
She said her customers are usually African people, so it brings her joy seeing people from different ethnicities buying her clothing and trying African inspired patterns.
“It can be appreciated by everyone,” Oluwatunmise said.
Everything Oluwatunmise sells is handmade by her — she creates up to eight types of dresses in a day.
Making clothes has been Oluwatunmise’s family tradition for generations in Nigeria, and for the past three years, it has become her career in Canada.
“Having a piece of that with me here in Canada has been good,” she said.
Oluwatunmise said she hopes to expand her business by getting a physical store and hiring employees.
She said seeing people wear her designs gives her a sense of fulfillment.
“It makes me feel like what I make actually counts.”
Sometimes, her six-year-old daughter, Joan, tags along with her to work.
“See our clothes across the globe. That’s what I wish for,” Oluwatunmise said.
Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Uzoma Asagwara gave a speech to the audience.
“If you can see it, you can be it,” said Asagwara in their speech.
Asagwara is the first non-binary Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), and one of three black MLAs elected in Manitoba’s history.
“I felt really humbled; it was an incredibly overwhelming moment of deep gratitude,” said Asagwara reflecting on when they were elected, in an interview.
They said by being a representation, they hope it inspires and reassures people from diverse communities that their voices are heard.
“All black people have the chance to be a part of your teams, to be a part of your dinner tables, to be a part of your spaces and places,” said Asagwara in their speech.
The rest of the evening recognized Black culture as youth danced on stage hitting power poses, drummers slapping their drums with their palms and knuckles, and a live painter mixing and blending paints.
