Honouring Black history, year-round
February 25, 2026
Community members, staff, and volunteers gather at the coffee ceremony and share dabo (bread).
Steel pan music filled the room as community members gathered at Harmony Community Food Centre (CFC) in Toronto’s east end on February 11 to celebrate Black History Month. The menu featured a hearty West Indian stew of beef, beans, coconut, and spices over rice, alongside a Caribbean coleslaw. Dessert was cassava pone topped with whipped cream and maraschino cherries.
Celebrating Black traditions, cultures, and food is a year-round practice at Harmony CFC, inspired by Black community members at South Riverdale Community Health Centre (SRCHC), which runs the CFC. Other recent and upcoming events include a community-led celebration of Eritrean and Ethiopian cuisine this past November (pictured) and a March 31 discussion on Caribbean culinary traditions.
Past inequities help us understand Black food security
Understanding Black food security today requires looking at the historical inequities that continue to shape access to income, land, and food, explains Dr. M. Ann Phillips, Director of Community Health and Chronic Disease at SRCHC.
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Historically, if you look at Canada and the US, Black people are not at the top of the corporate ladder even when they are highly qualified. Historically, they were more often in blue-collar jobs and not in white-collar jobs, so Black communities in general, and Black families specifically, don’t have the same access to income, and don’t have the same access to food.
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Dr. M. Ann Phillips, Director of Community Health and Chronic Disease at SRCHC
At the same time, Black history reflects a deep resilience and creativity in food traditions. Phillips notes that culinary practices born from scarcity—transforming limited ingredients into nourishing, flavourful meals—remain central to Black culture today. Without this historical context, she says, it’s difficult to understand present-day food choices and challenges.
Marking Black History Month makes an impact
The impact of honouring Black culture was visible throughout the Black History Month event at Harmony CFC. Health promoter Sarah Clement recalled a Caribbean senior dancing beside the steel pan musician, smiling as the crowd looked on. Many attendees asked for recipes, and one Caribbean community member shared how meaningful it was to see Caribbean food and culture represented.
Caribbean-born Kitchen assistant Aloma Langaigne, who led the meal preparation, described the experience as uplifting. “Food brings communities together,” she said.
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Seeing very diverse people gather to celebrate Black history and culture gives me hope for the future.
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Aloma Langaigne
Community organizations have a role to play in boosting Black food access
While Harmony CFC serves the wider community, it also prioritizes support for Black community members and others facing the greatest barriers to food access. As Phillips emphasizes, “Community organizations are very well placed to do the work of enhancing Black food access and food security as they are embedded in the neighbourhood and understand local needs and culture, providing support in a way that is accessible, inclusive, and responsive.” Black-led organizations have a specific role to play in leading this work and in supporting a more systemic approach to Black food sovereignty. Specific funding streams to allow community organizations and Black-led organizations to support Black communities are also important.
The recipes for Aloma’s beef stew peas, West Indian coleslaw, and cassava pone/cake are available on our website.
