It’s Week 3 of our 50 Weeks celebrating and advocating for women’s equality in PEI, and it is also the beginning of Black History Month.
We want to highlight Debbie Langston, the first Black woman to be appointed Chairperson of Council in 2019. She was an exceptional leader who helped us understand and prioritize the intersection between race and gender. Another of her lasting legacies to Council and to the province of PEI as a whole is the creation of the Black Women’s History resource.
She realized that the history of Black Islanders and the existence of The Bog were not well known. All Islanders need to know about and appreciate the Black community that has existed in PEI since before Confederation. “History is usually a very one-sided story and is often told by white historians. This results in a gap in knowledge regarding the experiences, thoughts, and voices of enslaved people. I wanted to change that.”
Thank you Debbie, for bringing Black Island history to light, and especially for including women who are overlooked by the keepers of history. All of our stories deserve to be heard and to be part of our cultural narrative.
Debbie Langston
Flag-raising photo (left-right): Premier Dennis King, Tamara Steele – Director of Black Cultural Society, Tanya Rowell – CEO of Public Service Commission, and Thilak Tennekone – Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Program Manager for the Public Service Commission. (The three photos above – credit PEI Government).
