[BCMA] for immediate release: Sooke Black Heritage Week Brings Together Community

[Moderated BCMA subscriber listserv]

For Immediate Release:

Sooke Global Majority collaborates with Sooke Region Museum for Family Day and BC Heritage Week

Sooke Black Heritage week will take place at the Sooke Region Museum from 16 to 22 February 2026, bringing together diverse Sooke residents and Black individuals and families with roots in African, Caribbean, Latin American, and other diasporic communities. Throughout the week, the program will highlight the lived experiences of being Black in Sooke through food, music, dance, storytelling, and cultural traditions, while creating a welcoming space for dialogue around Black identity, community connection, and the ongoing fight against racism. Ultimately, Sooke Black Heritage Week seeks to strengthen community life by valuing diversity and fostering collective action toward greater understanding, equity, and social cohesion.

The week commences with a celebration on Family Day, featuring a cultural potluck, music, children's activities, and community introduction. Following events include a financial workshop led by Busola Fagbebe, an Afro-Brazilian dance workshop led by Carla Belas, a poetry night featuring Fatima-Ayan Malika Hirsi, and a braiding workshop led by Tacita Browne. Full schedule and details can be found at https://sookeglobalmajority.org/.

"Sooke Region Museum is thrilled to host this program planned by Sooke Global Majority for Heritage Week and Black History Month, as this is an important part of what community museums do,' said Michelle Richard, the museum's Executive Director. "We are here to help people make sense of the world around us by collecting and sharing perspectives, collaborating and amplifying voices of the communities we serve. We're also excited that Mayor Maja Tait has proclaimed February 16–22, 2026, as Heritage Week in the District of Sooke, building awareness of how heritage informs our local identity and shared values."

"I'm so happy to live in a community where residents can honour interconnection through heritage and across cultures", said Fatima-Ayan Malika Hirsi, a member of the collective helping to organize events.

About Sooke Global Majority:
Sooke Global Majority is a collective of Sooke residents coming together to help us feel less isolated, to uplift its members, to offer empathetic perspectives through challenges, and to promote connection and joy.

Media Contacts:
Carla Belas, Tacita Browne, Brenda Dahmer, Fatima-Ayan Hirsi, and Maia Sinegal: sookeglobalmajority at gmail.com
Michelle Richard, Sooke Region Museum, director at sookeregionmuseum.ca, 250-642-6351.
Events - Sooke Region Museum<https://sookeregionmuseum.ca/events/>
https://sookeglobalmajority.org/



Michelle Richard

Executive Director
Sooke Region Museum & Visitor Centre

Mailing: PO Box 774, Sooke, BC V9Z 1H7

Street: 2070 Phillips Rd., Sooke, BC V9Z 0Y3

t. 250-642-6351  |  c. 778-922-6424
sookeregionmuseum.ca<https://sookeregionmuseum.ca/>



The Sooke Region Museum operates in the territories of the T’Sou-ke, Sc'ianew, and Pacheedaht peoples, who have inhabited this land since time immemorial.

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