Ours to Tell: PVNC Catholic hosts Black History Month celebration event at Catholic Education Centre

Feb. 19, 2025

There were poems, prayers, visual arts, stories and educational opportunities for staff and students at the Black History Month opening ceremony and celebration held Wednesday (Feb. 19, 2025) at the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board Catholic Education Centre.

The event was originally planned for the final week of January at Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School in Courtice but was postponed due to inclement weather.

This year’s theme for Black History Month is “Ours to Tell.”

Following the opening statement to begin the event, students Juanita and Juan Arobieke of Monsignor O’Donoghue Catholic Elementary School in Peterborough led the opening prayer.

Edynn Gentle, a student at St. Paul Catholic Elementary School in Peterborough, provided the land acknowledgement.

Board chairperson Kevin MacKenzie provided greetings.

Attending the ceremony virtually, Father MacAnthony Obikili delivered a powerful faith message which included a story about his history of growing up in Nigeria. 

 Holy Trinity CSS students with the school’s Respect, Inclusion, Social Justice and Equity (RISE) Program unveiled a quilt called “Fabric of Our Being” that they worked on with Nadine Williams, an award-winning poet, author, educator and speaker while students at Holy Family Catholic Elementary School in Bowmanville delivered poems.

In the equity message, Benjamin Tenesia, PVNC Catholic’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Advisor said, “no matter the duration of the relationship, accompaniment encourages and cares for all the dimensions of another person. These are our Catholic Social Teachings that inform our Board’s priorities of Being Well, Being Community and Being Creative.

“As we explore our opportunities to accompany the Black community, we need to ask ourselves how can we better honour the legacy of people of Black, African and Caribbean descent?”

The event ended with closing remarks by Director of Education Stephen O’Sullivan.

“I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to our equity team for their thoughtful planning and dedication in bringing meaningful resources and activities to our schools,” O’Sullivan said. “Their efforts help ensure that Black history is celebrated not just in February, but throughout the year in ways that are relevant, engaging, and impactful. As our Catholic social teachings remind us, solidarity is not a passive ideal—it is a call to action.”