The Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society and Black Mecca Museum will put black health front and centre this Saturday, April 26.
It will host the Chatham Kent Black Health Symposium at the WISH Centre in Chatham from 10 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. The event replaces the what used to be called the John Brown Conference.
"Over COVID, it sort of disappeared a little bit. We're bringing it back in a smaller sort of footprint, and we've decided to call the Chatham Kent Black Health Symposium this year," said Doug Robbins, Executive Director of the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society. "It's going to have a different flavour, a different theme each year moving forward."
This year's theme of "Black Health" invites the community to reflect on historical disparities and triumphs in Black health while envisioning a future centered on equity, education, and empowerment.
Chatham-Kent's acting Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Shanker Nesathrurai, is the keynote speaker.
"He wandered in to see what the museum was all about, and he asked me some very probing questions, as he does," said Robbins. "The probing question was around the census with blacks in the area. I said to him, 'That is a great question, why don't you go do the homework and bring it back for our Black Health Symposium.'"
Robbins added that the other speakers, including Dr. Nesathrurai, will be covering some controversial topics.
"We have a young student first from the University of Guelph, her name is Maya. She's speaking about black cosmetic health, which is very interesting. Then he's going to dive into sort of the homeotopics of blacks and black skin," said Robbins.
"Understanding Black health today requires us to acknowledge the injustices of yesterday," said Dr. Nesathurai. "Events like the CK Black Health Symposium help us build a healthier, more informed, and more just future."
Tickets are $25 and must be purchased in advance. The deadline to buy tickets is Thursday, April 24. They can be purchased in person at the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society at 177 King Street E. in Chatham or online at https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/ck-black-symposium--2025.