Links for February 1, 2026

This Sunday is the first week within African Heritage Month a time to honour and celebrate the contributions of Black people in Canada and to look at the past while giving thanks as we look forward to the future. The 2026 theme for African Heritage Month is: “Strength in Unity – Moving Forward with Purpose, Prosperity, Power and Progress.” The theme reflects the strength that grows when communities come together with shared purpose. It honours the progress made through solidarity and the power of unity to create lasting change. This year’s theme also highlights the importance of intergenerational connection. Elders, as knowledge keepers and leaders, carry the stories that help us understand where we come from. Youth bring new energy and vision to carry that legacy forward. Together, they show us that unity is not only our history. It’s our way forward.

Today marks the start of African Heritage Month! The 2026 theme focuses on “Strength in Unity: Moving Forward with Purpose, Prosperity, Power, and Progress” –celebrating the collective strength, wisdom of elders, and enduring legacy of African Nova Scotians. There will be more later this month. Your Social Justice Collective also notes this is the start of World Interfaith Harmony Week, whose theme “Creating Sacred Space: Awakening the Heart” is an invitation into a shared journey. Throughout the week, explore how compassion, wisdom and spiritual insight live at the centre of all our traditions. And the 6th is the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation – an annual awareness day that is part of the UN’s efforts to eradicate the barbaric practice of female genital mutilation.