Help cap Black History Month with Making Change.
The second annual Radiant Roots — A Black Cultural Expo has it all: A fashion show featuring Pan-African styles, cultural vendors, family-friendly crafts and activities, engaging speakers, food, music, stories and entertainment.
Presented by Making Change, community members are invited to this free event on Saturday, March 1, at the Lakeshore branch of the Innisfil ideaLAB and Library (967 Innisfil Beach Rd.) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“A lot of our programs are all about bringing (the) community together (and) showing cultural representation,” said Making Change program director and It Starts Community Champions chair, Laura LaChapelle, who called the library a “great place” to host such an event.
Library chief executive officer Erin Scuccimarri said the organization is "delighted" to partner with Making Change.
“This event is an inclusive way to celebrate cultural heritage and the diversity of our community," she said. "We encourage everyone to join us for this family-friendly, free event, which showcases Black-owned businesses and highlights the vibrant culture they contribute to our shared community."
Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin expects an "engaging and informative" expo.
“This event is a tremendous opportunity for residents to learn more about Black culture and heritage as well as supporting a variety of Black-owned businesses and vendors," she said.
Meet local author, Tricia Khan, who will read from her collection of children’s books at 10 a.m. The Pan-African fashion show will begin at noon, and DJ Maxx will once again entertain attendees.
“He is an amazing personality,” LaChapelle said of DJ Maxx. “His joy and love of music fills a room.”
There will be nail painting, balloon animals, and face designs to celebrate Black culture. LaChapelle explained that Pan-African colours — black, gold, green and red — will be prominently featured: “It’s just really beautiful and celebratory.”
About 20 vendors will be onsite selling various goods, including hair products by Salon Rehoboth, clothes from Nagye Boutique, and culturally diverse crocheted dolls and toys from Stitch Life Crochet. Enjoy cuisine offered by Mexhico Restaurant and Paulette's Kitchen.
Last year, the Pan-African fashion show featured 10 models, from babies to seniors. Two clothing stores were represented on stage, and people with their own cultural items were invited to join.
“There's so many people that have never seen a Pan-African fashion show,” LaChapelle said. “To realize that it is completely different than any fashion show that they've ever seen before, because the energy, the colours, the clothes, and … Caribbean women, they appreciate their natural curves and beauty in a way that's so special. That's how I grew up. So, you know, all sizes are in the fashion show, and everybody just feels so beautiful and so special.”
LaChapelle is of mixed race: “My mother is of Jamaican descent, and my father is Ukrainian and French descent."
She and her family moved from Toronto to Simcoe County in 1981.
“It was very isolating,” she said. “It was difficult … there was no representation. The idea of anything that is part of the Black culture and Black community was nonexistent, which I understand it was that time period, and there was very, very few Black families.”
“For anyone that's been in Simcoe County for more than 10 years, you've seen the major transition in the diverse families coming up here — even particularly since COVID(-19).”
“We are becoming so diverse, and inclusion is so important,” she added.
LaChapelle explained that this was the driving force behind Radiant Roots, as Simcoe County is so big, it’s nice to have people from all kinds of small communities under one roof.
“You get all sorts of mixes of family, and no matter what their background is, they felt comfortable,” she said.
LaChapelle noted attendance and support at last year’s event from then-Barrie-Innisfil MPP Andrea Khanjin, MP John Brassard, Dollin and Innisfil Coun. Grace Constantine.
Making Change has been celebrating diversity within the county by asking attendees of their events to paint a four-inch-by-four-inch tile that represents their culture.
“Over the past year and a half, we've collected almost 600 tiles,” she said, of the project that will be on display at the branch until April.
Radiant Roots is the brainchild of Keisha-Ann Shaw Hill, who is the non-profit’s chair and a lawyer in Innisfil.
LaChapelle noted that everybody is meant to come and celebrate and experience Black culture and diversity.
“Because even within Black culture, there's so much diversity between the African diaspora, Caribbean, and all the different Caribbean Islands ... for us, it was just the sense of capping off a great month,” she said. “It's also important for people to see the Black culture that is around.
“There's a lot of people that move up here from diverse Black backgrounds that may not be aware that there are hair salons here that are specifically focused for the Black community, that there are books that they can read to their children,” LaChapelle added.
Though Black History Month tends to be Making Change’s busiest time, they organize events year-round. Sign up for the organization's newsletter on its website.