WINNIPEG, MB — A newly founded organization, the Black Heritage Experience Manitoba (BHEM), was proud to announce its launch with a public exhibit debuting at Doors Open Winnipeg. The grassroots initiative aims to preserve, celebrate, and share the rich legacy of Canadians of African descent in Manitoba—past, present, and future.
Co-founded in early 2025 by Judy Williams, a lifelong Winnipegger and descendant of one of the province’s earliest Black settler families, BHEM emerged from a growing effort to preserve family archives and community stories often overlooked in dominant historical narratives.
“When we began going through our family home after my parents passed away, we found photos and documents that told powerful stories about Black life in Manitoba,” said Williams. “I had questions about how to preserve them—and realized many others in our community had similar discoveries and stories to share.”
That realization led to a pilot project in 2024 and culminated in a founding meeting on February 1, 2025, which brought together over 27 attendees, including representatives from leading nonprofit organizations across the province. The outcome was a unified vision: to create a dedicated space for the history and contributions of Canadians of African descent in Manitoba.
The Black Heritage Experience Manitoba is built around three core directives: Honor the Past: Recognizing the legacies of African-descended peoples who helped shape the Prairies and the nation.
Celebrate the Present: Uplifting elders and today’s leaders who continue the work of advocacy and excellence, and
Build the Future: Empowering the next generation to write their own history through education and storytelling.
The organization is rooted in a decolonial, community-led approach, and already includes over 50 members and eight working committees actively shaping its development.
BHEM’s inaugural exhibit, hosted inside the historic Millennium Centre—originally the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce built in 1912—offered a compelling exploration of the Black migration experience to Canada. Visitors engaged with audio stories, video interviews, handmade quilts, maps tracing the transatlantic slave trade, and rare documents from early Black Manitoban families. With a nod to the next generation, the exhibit also featured short films from the Black Film Collective, which fosters the preservation, cultivation, and promotion of Black cinematic art from the unique perspective of Prairie Black folk.
“More than an exhibit, this is a declaration,” said Williams. “We were here. We’ve always been here. And we will continue to tell our stories.”
The organization extended heartfelt thanks to Cindy Tugwell, Executive Director of Heritage Winnipeg, for providing exhibition space and support during Doors Open Winnipeg.
BHEM sees an exciting future ahead, and invites interested Manitobans to contact thebcemuseum@gmail.com.
