Victoria to open B.C.’s first Black arts and culture community centre on Emancipation Day

Artists working on a mural inside the Black & Here Community Centre in Victoria B.C. (Kemi Craig)

For 24 years, Kemi Craig searched for something she couldn’t find in Victoria: a place where people of the African diaspora could gather, connect and see their stories reflected.

Now, that place has a home.

The Black & Here Community Centre will open its doors Aug. 1 in downtown Victoria, creating what organizers describe as the first Black arts and culture community centre of its kind in B.C.

The opening date carries special significance. Aug. 1 is recognized across Canada as Emancipation Day, commemorating Aug. 1, 1834, when the Slavery Abolition Act came into effect across much of the British Empire, including British North America.

For the Black & Here Community Centre, opening on Emancipation Day represents a powerful connection between history and the future, honouring the generations who came before while celebrating the communities continuing to create, lead and thrive today.

“I’m an American of African descent, and I’ve been living in Victoria for decades,” Craig said. “One of the things that I initially looked for, and I’ve always craved is a place where I can meet other people of the African diaspora.”

Craig says the centre represents the realization of a vision that has been carried by community members for decades.

Located at 1327 Douglas St. at the corner of Johnson and Douglas streets, the centre is the result of a partnership between the BC Black History Awareness Society and REP Here in Canada, two local non-profit organizations bringing decades of community work together to create a shared space for education, creativity and connection.

For Craig, the centre represents much more than a physical location.

It represents generations of vision, dedication and community effort.

“People talk about being their ancestors’ dreams,” Craig said. “I think this moment, having a space that centres education, awareness, arts and culture, is critical not only to Black and newcomer communities in Victoria, but I also think it’s a really important milestone for the city of Victoria itself.”

The opening also reflects Victoria’s own history.

The first Black pioneers arrived in the region in the late 1850s. Nearly 170 years later, the new centre will provide a permanent home for celebrating Black history, arts and culture throughout the year.

“Elders and people in community, they’ve actually been working on having a community centre for decades,” she said.

“This is the moment that it came together and that a space was available.”

The Black & Here Community Centre is built on collaboration between two organizations with different histories but a shared purpose.

The BC Black History Awareness Society has spent more than 30 years preserving and sharing the history, achievements and contributions of people of African descent in B.C. through research, education and arts-based community events.

REP Here in Canada has spent more than 13 years supporting newcomers and communities whose stories and experiences deserve greater visibility through projects including Here Magazine, events and community initiatives.

Craig says the partnership worked because both organizations understood the importance of creating space where people can see themselves reflected.

“Both organizations have a mandate of connecting with communities that are underserved and communities whose stories may not be able to have centre stage,” she said.

Organizers say the downtown location is also intentional.

By placing the centre at Johnson and Douglas streets, the goal is to make Black history, arts and culture visible in the heart of Victoria, not only for those who seek it out, but also for people who discover it while moving through the city.

Craig says a permanent home changes the way people experience community.

“It’s not just people that are seeking out Black history and events and arts and culture,” she said.

“It means that we’ll also get people that happen upon, so to speak, the centre and gain access and awareness to the work that’s being done.”

The centre will offer workshops, performances, youth programming, community conversations, skill-sharing opportunities and intergenerational gatherings.

But Craig says the most important part of the space will be the people who shape it.

“The whole reason the centre is there is to activate the communities’ participation,” she said,

One of the centre’s greatest hopes is creating a space where generations can connect.

Craig says many newcomers and families have built lives in Victoria without extended family nearby, making opportunities for intergenerational connection especially meaningful.

“To be able to go to a place where we can connect with elders and lay a foundation for our descendants is a dream come true,” she said.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony with elders, board members and staff will take place at 6 p.m. The grand opening celebration will take place at 7 p.m., featuring DJs, live music, local catering and community celebrations.

Craig says opening on Emancipation Day creates an opportunity to reflect on history while continuing conversations about belonging, freedom and community.

“It offers an opportunity to unpack what emancipation, what liberation means to all of us now,” she said.

The centre is currently operating through a two-year lease agreement, and organizers say its future will depend on continued community participation and support.

As a charitable organization, the BC Black History Awareness Society relies on grants, fundraising and community donations to support rent, programming, workshops and future initiatives.

Craig says every contribution helps strengthen the foundation of the centre.

“Nothing is too small,” she said.

Looking ahead, Craig hopes the Black & Here Community Centre becomes a destination where people gather throughout the year to experience art, culture, education and connection.

“I hope it’s just this really vibrant, community-led, community-driven space that centres Black and newcomer experiences and stories,” she said.

When future generations walk through the doors years from now, Craig hopes they understand that it was built with them in mind.