Newmarket African Caribbean Canadian Association chair Jerisha Grant-Hall believes in the generational impact of naming the first-ever African-centred library in York Region after her mother.
The Iris Malcolm Library coming to the NACCA Community Centre in Newmarket will honour her late parent. The organization described the woman as someone who raised seven children and acted as the impetus for much of Grant-Hall’s work on dismantling anti-Black racism.
“Naming is an important part of resistance,” she said. “The naming is important because it’s a legacy you’re building for generations.”
The library, which will officially open Saturday, Oct. 8, is filled with more than 370 books providing Black-affirming literature. The organization is also planning a reading program, plus a website to check out the books online.
It comes 10 months after NACCA first opened its new building. Grant-Hall said a library was something NACCA decided early on that it wanted to provide.
The organization said many library collections have less than three per cent Black diasporic literature.
“We live in a society that systematically oppressed Black children, Black people,” she said. “When there’s a lack of representation, when there’s a lack of reflection of who you are, then you don’t know who you are. It’s important to have these tools available. We need to build the resilience of our community.”
Although the library is meant to help the Black community and its youth, Grant-Hall said she hopes that it will also be used by everyone in the community as a way to learn about Black culture.
“It’s going to help to educate and help us understand each other,” she said. “If we engage, then it breaks down barriers, it breaks down stigma, it breaks down ignorance.”
The opening celebration will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday at 449 Eagle St.
The community was eager to help build up this library, Grant-Hall said, with a tremendous response to their request for books.
“It’s because of the heart of the people in our community," she said. "They want to support inclusion. They want this to be a space for all of Newmarket, so it's here.
