Aurora-Newmarket Black History Month

The Promise We Carry: Collective Strength, Shared Future

The Promise We Carry: Collective Strength and a Shared Future is grounded in the understanding that no promise can be carried alone. It calls us—together—to walk the path our ancestors paved, honouring the sacrifices of those who came before us while actively protecting the futures of those yet to come. This promise lives in our relationships, our collaboration, and our collective power. It reminds us that the work of justice is ongoing, intergenerational, and shared.

This Black History Month, we reflect as a community on the gains made by freedom fighters, abolitionists, and civil rights leaders, recognizing that their vision was rooted in collective action. Their legacy lives within us today through our shared responsibility to one another. We examine the promises we now carry together—commitments to justice, equity, education, health, and cultural pride—and how we must uphold them collectively, especially in times of uncertainty. Without collective strength, the promise cannot be fulfilled.

The Promise We Carry: Collective Strength and a Shared Future is both a reflection and a collective charge. It speaks to Ujima (collective work and responsibility) and Kujichagulia (self-determination), affirming that self-determination is strengthened through unity and shared purpose. It reflects the work we continue to do together to resist erasure, boldly affirm the achievements of the Black diaspora, and build pathways toward liberation.

The promise is inseparable from a shared future. As we collaborate across communities, we affirm that liberation belongs to all of us. We are entrusted—together—with carrying this promise forward, ensuring that future generations inherit justice, hope, cultural pride, and the freedom to dream, build, and thrive.

2026 Programming & Event Schedule