I am Not A Dainty Black Man….(by Brandon Hay)

Going clothing shopping in Canada as a Black man in a fat body can be a depressing experience,

Rummaging through theses stores shelves and no pants or jeans waistline over size 38 or 40, and a extra large shirt is the biggest you can find at some stores.

Going into the malls singing the refrain “I do not belong here”,

I learned from an early age that other than accessories, like glasses or hats “Club Monaco” is not targeting me or my body,

Canadian fashion designers are not making their clothing for people in my body. Continue reading

Unmasking Black Maskulinity

As the summer heats up, the dialogue in the first three Black Daddies Club: Breaking Bread Brunches gets more personal.

Thank you to Michael Went, Nicole Angela and Belinda Ageda, who co-hosted and co-facilitated some really important and meaningful discussions in the June edition of Breaking Bread Brunch, which was focused on the “Importance of Black Space in Toronto.” Also, a deep thank you to the attendees who came out to June Edition, who broke bread with us, shared their intimate stories and collectively began thinking about strategies to move forward with for the 2017 Black Love Matters: Un-Conference.

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The July edition of Breaking Bread Brunch looks to maintain the richness of community dialogue as we tackle the topic of “Unmasking Black Maskulinity: What it means to be a Black man in Toronto.” Black Daddies Club has partnered with We Speak Research (http://www.we-speak.ca/) to cohost this dialogue as well as a screening of the short film, “The Test” on Sunday July 24th, 2016, from 1:30pm to 4:30pm at Ujima House (1901 Weston Road, Unit 18). This venue is wheelchair accessible.

Feel free to read “I am not a dainty Black man” by Brandon Hay.

This discussion is open to all genders who are interested in being apart of the dialogue regarding the lived experience of Black men in Toronto. This month’s discussion will not have a online streaming component, as we want to honour the intimacy of dialogue that we are hoping to create during this upcoming dialogue on Black masculinity. The admission for this event is pay what you can or Potluck, so if possible, please contribute by bringing food or donating something at the door.

Breaking Bread Brunches are a monthly discussion series of where we eat and discuss issues in the Black community in Toronto. These brunch conversations will inform the upcoming Black Daddies Club 10th anniversary co-created initiative, Black Love Matters Un-Conference, taking place in locations across the Greater Toronto Area from January 2017 to December 2017.

Looking forward to seeing you in the space and hearing your stories in the dialogue.

#BLACKLOVEMATTERS FILM CHALLENGE

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CARIBBEAN TALES & BLACK DADDIES CLUB PRESENTS

#BLACKLOVEMATTERS FILM CHALLENGE

Short Film Competition

An international film contest for short films which address black masculinity and black love. Not enough films are created with fully developed, authentic portrayals of the diverse experiences of Black Love. This challenge was inspired in collaboration with the Black Daddies Club and was designed to provide a platform for narratives of Black Men, Black Love, and Black Masculinity, in all of their many forms.
What does Black Love mean to you or Why is Black Love important to you?

PRIZES:

  • Cinema Spotlight Award from The Africa Channel: $1,500 USD
  • Screening at CaribbeanTales International Film Festival 2016

REQUIREMENTS:

– Must be created/produced/acted in by creators of color from the Caribbean Region and African Diaspora
– 1-5 minutes long
– Any genre
– Content must be appropriate for all audiences

SPONSORS/PARTNERS:

The Black Daddies Club – Presenting Partner
The Africa Channel – Presenting Sponsor
Black In Canada – Community Partner

Want to enter? REGISTER with CaribbeanTales-TV, fill out the attached form and upload your film.

All films are subject to approval before being added to the CaribbeanTales-TV SCREENING ROOM for voting.

SUBMIT TO #BLACKLOVEMATTERS

Black Daddies Club partners with G.R.I.P to wish you a Happy Father’s Day

Black Daddies Club has partnered with G.R.I.P. ( Grassroots International Productions) Media Inc. G.R.I.P. is a Canadian Production company based in Toronto that aims to produce authentic narratives that reflect the diversity around the globe.
We have decided to partner with G.R.I.P. this Father’s Day to put out real-life narratives and experiences that black fathers can relate to while celebrating the important work that we do.
 
Thank you to all the fathers who play a role to all your children’s lives. To the fathers who are not able to play a role in your children’s lives, no matter what the reason, we see you, we appreciate you and we love you.
 

Happy Father’s Day, from the Black Daddies Club

BREAKING BREAD BRUNCHES: CREATING BLACK SPACES

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Thank you to everyone that came out to the Breaking Bread Brunch session in April, and a special thanks to Kyla Farmer and Sarah Beech who facilitated the session — so much rich dialogue and learning came out of the discussion.

As we prepare for next Breaking Bread Brunch session, we want to inform you that the date has been changed from May 29th and will now be held on Sunday, June 26 th, 2016 due to some scheduling issues. With the exception of May, we will continue to hold our brunches on the last Sunday of every month.

June’s brunch will be talking about “Creating Black Spaces” in our community. Continue reading

BDC partners with Caribbean Tales : short film challenge

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Black Daddies Club (BDC) is delighted to announce its partnership with the Caribbean Tales International Film Festival (CTFF) for the short film challenge based on the theme, “Black Love Matters.” Starting April 24th, 2016, this online campaign, led by the hashtag #BlackLoveMatters, will run until November 2017.

The videos from the campaign will be screened at CTFF 2016 and 2017 and theme for CTFF 2016 is “Caribbean Love.” The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness for Black Daddies Club’s 10-year anniversary event, entitled Black Love Matters: 2017 Un-Conference that will bring together people who are active in their community and advocating for positive change. The Un-Conference will also provide a platform for discussions around the topic of “Black Love Matters.” Continue reading

Breaking Bread Brunches: Conversation with Black Leaders

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Black Daddies Club presents, Breaking Bread Brunches: Conversation with Black Leaders, which is a monthly gathering in Toronto on Sunday afternoons to discuss a broad range of topics that are relevant to the Black diaspora within Canada, under the themes of Black Identity and Black love. The purpose of these gatherings are two-fold: to create Black spaces within Canada where the community can network and speak about relevant issues, and to use the dialogues from these conversations to inform the Black Love Matters Un-Conference in 2017 taking place throughout different communities with the Greater Toronto Area.

Continue reading

Black Men Loving : Now on Fibe TV

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Black Men Loving is a documentary that explores black fatherhood. It addresses the issues black men face on being fathers. The film showcases different fathers across Toronto on their stories and perspective of being a father and the challenges on dealing with stereotypical images of the absent black father which has be portrayed on many forms of media. Black Men Loving was produced in partnership by the Regent Park Film Festival and the Black Daddies Club.

The film debuted at the Regent Park Film Festival in 2014. The film festival is a free multi-cultural community film festival, dedicated to showcasing local and international independent works relevant to marginalized communities across Toronto. The film was directed by Ella Cooper, who is a multidisciplinary artist, community facilitator and media arts educator. Continue reading

A Movement Built on Love