Family first

Since 2007 the Toronto-based community organization, Black Daddies Club (BDC), has been organizing events, facilitating spaces, and helping to provide essential support and resources to Black fathers (and families) throughout the GTA. This year to mark both Family Day and Black Futures month, the AGO is teaming up with Black Daddies Club to welcome families for a special, interactive, virtual tour of the landmark exhibition Fragments of Epic Memory. 

On Family Day, 100 families who want to learn more about art and culture, and who self-identify as Black, from the Caribbean, or their allies, will gather virtually for an exclusive talk about the big ideas, artworks and artists in the exhibition, given by its curator, Dr. Julie Crooks. They will then enjoy a mini- tour and family-focused artmaking lesson led by arts educators. 

The event will be hosted by BDC founder Brandon Hay and the AGO’s Dr. Audrey Hudson, Richard & Elizabeth Currie Chief, Education & Programming. We recently connected with Hay to learn about the inception of BDC, and the importance of collective artistic experiences for Black families.            \

AGOinsider: Can you tell us about the inception of BDC? When did the organization start, and how would you describe its mission?

Hay: When I was in my early twenties, I discovered that I was about to become a dad for the first time. Being raised by a single mother and without the presence of a consistent father figure because he was back home in Jamaica, I was filled with anxiety and fear about my own ability to be a great father.

Knowing of other men in this situation, I believed that a forum where they could share ideas, struggles and victories seemed like it could be an effective network for support. My father was then murdered in Jamaica in 2004 by an 11-year-old boy who was subsequently murdered by the same people who hired this boy to kill my father. The detective who was handling my father’s murder case said to me that this was normal, but it didn’t make any sense to me. This felt very far from a normal situation, and I realized that there was a normalization of the crisis within Black communities globally. After going through the various emotions from my father’s death I knew I didn’t want his death to be in vain and I wanted to honor him in some way.

So, in 2007, I founded BDC in response to the isolation I felt as a new Black father as well as to the lack of forums and spaces for Black men to discuss parenting issues and concerns facing the Black community as a whole. The main goals of the organization are to change the image of the “absent Black father” that is prevalent in the media and to assist young Black men to become better fathers. In so doing, BDC aims to support Black children, families and the larger community.

BDC’s Mandate/Guiding Principles are:

1. Develop a continuous support system for Black men and fathers to share their challenges and/or experiences.
2. Work with Black fathers and the community at large to address issues facing Black fathers, children and families.
3. Work with the media to provide alternate images of Black fathers and assist in the creation of our own media that depicts Black fathers in a positive light.
4. Create community-based education to engage Black men and the Black community on a whole to talk about issues that impact us as a community

AGOinsider: Why do you think it’s important for Black families to experience an exhibition like Fragments of Epic Memory, together? What do you hope families take away from the event on February 21st?

Hay: The pandemic has caused tension within families, turning those family members who are vaccinated against those family members who are not vaccinated. This is further complicated for Black families who are also navigating anti-Black racism outside in the world.

For families who are going through separation or divorce, the pandemic has created more barriers for civility between parents. One of which is how the pandemic has been used as a way to limit some fathers or even some mothers’ access to their children based on the fact that he or she is not vaccinated.

It was important that we co-created a virtual event that all families could attend regardless of their vaccination status and would be able to access this important exhibit and create positive memories within their own families during these unprecedented times.

Fragments of Epic Memory is a dope exhibit that I went to see in person. I was amazed at the details that went into the exhibit, from arch borders on the walls to resemble arches in homes we traditionally see in Caribbean homes. The other piece is that often spaces like AGO can feel like they are not for Black folks, or when I have been there in the past I have felt like an outsider, however in the Fragments exhibition, I felt at home. I felt like I belonged in the space. I felt like the exhibition was dedicated to people who looked like me and my family. \

AGOinsider: Have you had a chance to experience Fragments of Epic Memory? What was your favourite artwork from the exhibition and why? 

Hay: three kings weep…2018 by artist Ebony G. Patterson (from Jamaica), was epic for me to take in. I sat down and watched it replay a few times. I am not sure why it was so memorable for me. However, there is something about these three Black men, who look so powerful and regal, also crying in these subtle ways. Also, with them taking off their clothes throughout the video in reverse, there was something that spoke about the ways we as Black men sometimes have to mask our feelings through garments, jewellery but underneath we are tender and beautiful in these various ways.

AGOinsider: What’s next on the horizon for BDC? Any more art-focused collaborations coming up? 

Hay: In 2022, BDC is focusing on Black families, so all of our initiatives have a theme of family and mental health due to this pandemic which has impacted our families in various ways. We are doing our monthly online gatherings for Black men and Black fathers, called Sunday Dinners, which are virtual and we are working on some really innovative initiatives throughout the year to engage Black families and promote well-being in our communities in various aspects.

We hope that we will continue this collaboration with AGO to create an accessible art experience for the Black communities in Toronto. 

Family Day with the Black Daddies Club happens February 21, 2022. Registration for this event is currently at capacity − but stay tuned for similar programming in the future. Sign up for the AGOinsider for all your art news from the AGO and beyond.