The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre is celebrating Black History Month in February with special tours of its award-winning Follow the North Star exhibit.
Museum visitors are invited to learn more about local Black History at the St. Catharines Museum with 60-minute guided tours every Thursday (Feb. 6, 13, 20 and 27) and Saturdays (Feb. 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29) this month. Tours take place at 10 a.m.
Follow the North Star is a permanent exhibit at the museum and recognizes the contributions of local Black Canadians to the history of St. Catharines, Niagara, and Canada. Black History Month is celebrated across the country every February and offers the opportunity for everyone to learn about these stories and the many important contributions of Black Canadians.
The museum is also hosting screenings of the 2019 documentary “Risking Everything: A Story of Niagara’s Freedom Seekers”, following the Saturday tours at 11 a.m. The documentary, which was screened by the museum as a Canadian premiere last year, tells the story of African-Americans who made their dangerous journey from slave states to Canada, by crossing the Niagara River before the U.S. Civil War.
The guided tours and film screening are open to everyone. Admission is by donation.
“Black History Month is an important time to recognize, commemorate and discover the legacy of Niagara's Black Canadians,” said Kathleen Powell, curator of the St. Catharines Museum. “Black history is a vital part of the Canadian story, and the special guided tours will connect visitors with important Canadian history, such as Harriet Tubman, St. Catharines’ role in the Underground Railroad, and more.”
Visit www.stcatharinesmuseum.ca to learn more about its Black History Month activities, the Follow the North Star exhibit and other information about the museum, including a link to the museum blog, which will feature a variety of Black History Month posts. The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre is located at 1932 Welland Canals Parkway. The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is by donation.