The University of Lethbridge joins 40 universities and colleges across Canada to celebrate Black History Month

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. -

The University of Lethbridge launched Black History Month Tuesday with a ceremony under the themes "Black Excellence and Black Flourishing," recognizing the achievements and contributions Black Canadians, African-Canadians and Caribbean-Canadians have brought to Canada.

"What I want to caveat is that, yes, we are celebrating Black History Month this month, but I think it shouldn’t only stop with the month of February," EDI executive director Martha Mathurin-Moe told CTV News.

"It’s about doing the work today and moving forward because I think It is really important recognizing that we have all contributed to making Canada the country that it is today."

Guests speakers like Dr. Afua Cooper from Dalhousie University will be coming over to talk about experiences and also being one of the few black people in her field of work.  Featured stories about Black athletes on the Campus will also be shared and so many other stories throughout the month.

"I want to make sure that we create transformative change that is sustainable and then we create a university that is safe that makes us feel like we belong and we can actually bring our authentic self in a safe way to our spaces, for faculty, staff, and students," said Mathurin-Moe.

The U of L Student Union has planned an academic panel for February 17 that will feature academic scholars from University of Regina and University of Alberta to talk about racialization in post-secondary institutions.

The Tuesday ceremony was conversational, talking about experiences, sharing, and asking questions on how to celebrate BHM and why it is important.

"I think it is really important especially for women of color, you know we navigate such a complex identity, it’s really important that we speak up, because our voices matter, our voices add value to the conversation," said Mathurin-Moe.