Black heritage museums kept out of schools during African Heritage Month
African Heritage Month was supposed to be one of the busiest months of the year for Vanessa Fells.
She started a new job at the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre near Shelburne, N.S., in January and one of her roles was to go into schools to present about Black Loyalist history.
During work-to-rule she didn't step foot inside a public school, not even during African Heritage Month. Schools haven't been able to visit the centre, either.
Students lose out
Last February, approximately 250 students toured the Black Loyalist Heritage Centre.
This year's theme for Black Heritage Month is Passing the Torch — something Fells hasn't been able to do with students this February thus far.
"As we know black history still isn't being taught enough in schools," she said. "Being able to teach black history and let people experience different cultures in turn helps with things like bullying, it helps with racism, it helps with diversity.
"It can create bigger problems if we're not actually being able to go into the school (to) immerse these kids in a different culture they don't get to see every day."
Bookings cancelled, rescheduled
Rielle Williams said the void of visits during this African Heritage Month has been disappointing.
Williams runs cultural tours at the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia.
The museum in Cherry Brook usually sees a spike in class trip bookings the month before and during African Heritage Month.
"We usually fill up the whole month," she said. "We were prepared for February and the slew of students."
Instead, this month the phone has been ringing with teachers cancelling or rescheduling their tours.
"I was excited to have kids coming and learning because every year it is different children coming into the centre from different grades," she said.
"It's kind of a bummer that they're not able to get to the museum and sort of learn and experience the culture first-hand."
What imposed contract will mean
Now that the province has legislated a teacher's contract, Fells said she is uncertain whether that means school trips and visits will resume.
"Everything as of right now is what we call on hold and up in the air until things, I guess we can say, return to somewhat normal," she said.
Both museums have been working with teachers and schools to provide lesson plans and other classroom resources as an alternative to school visits.
