Historical Society of Ottawa: February meeting

Friday 24 February 2017
Black History of Ottawa
Rev. Dr. Anthony Bailey

Abstract: Benedict Anderson has argued that nations are “communities of imagination”. In 2017 the imagination of the ‘community of Canada’ will no doubt be on full display as the country celebrates its 150th anniversary. The ontology of Canada’s prevailing founding settler narrative(s) as well as its too often unacknowledged multivalent history demands a problematization of the anticipated popular 150th anniversary celebrations. Canada has not fully acknowledged or come to terms with how its history – past and present has been and continues to be interrogated by indigenous reality. Further, the experience, role and contributions of people of African descent to the project of Canada, have only recently begun to gain non-tokenized recognition and celebration. Some of the contributions of people of African descent to Canadian and world history will be explored in light of the aforementioned problematized context in my Black History Month presentation.

Profile: Originally from Barbados, Dr. Bailey migrated with his family to Canada and settled in Montreal. While growing up in Montreal he pursued academic degrees in Social Work and Philosophy of Religion from McGill University. He has also earned a Masters of Divinity from the
Vancouver School of Theology and a Doctorate in Ethics and Culture from Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, USA. Dr. Bailey has served in various parts of Canada as a minister, as well as in Kenya and Jamaica. He has taught part-time at the Joint Theological Colleges at McGill University and at the Theological College of the University of the West Indies. He has experience as a racial justice trainer and intercultural competence animator which he has deployed in schools, social service agencies, City Hall and churches. He has freelanced in radio and television and enjoys his family, reading, playing hockey and good films.

The meeting starts at 1 pm at the Routhier Community Centre, 172 Guigues Street