Mark Your Calendar: Two-part concert “Ebony Roots” is reclaiming Black Strathcona

by Sara Harowitz on November 15th, 2023 at 3:27 PM

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Sound The Alarm: Music/Theatre is reclaiming one of Vancouver’s historically Black neighbourhoods with a two-part concert in the heart of it all.

Taking place in Hogan’s Alley’s Strathcona Church in December, Ebony Roots: Part 1 is a musical show that includes a preview of Part 2 (more on that below), as well as performances by artists of African descent. Expect everything from dance to poetry to the trumpet.

Then in February, Ebony Roots: Part 2 will feature the world premiere of a musical concert project exploring the emancipation of the Black community through soul, R&B, blues, and Motown.

Among the performers of both parts is one particularly special guest.

“To help celebrate the past, we are honoured to have Henri Brown with us, whose familial roots to Hogan’s Alley is legendary,” says Sound The Alarm artistic director Alan Corbishley in a statement. “Henri Brown is the cousin of iconic rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix, who lived and studied in Vancouver’s Black Strathcona starting in 1949. Not only that, but Henri’s aunt is also the formidable Eleanor Collins who was titled Canada’s First Lady of Jazz and was honoured with a stamp in recent years. This historic connection to both Hogan’s Alley and ‘Black Strathcona’ highlights the deep historical presence of black culture in Vancouver.”

Hogan’s Alley was Vancouver’s first Black community, dating as far back as 1914. Gentrification, systemic racism, and outright bigotry forced the neighbourhood to begin to dismantle in the 1960s, displacing its tight-knit residents. No concentrated Black neighbourhood has sprouted in Vancouver ever since.

For those looking for a more in-depth look at Black history and culture in Vancouver, the documentary Union Street by Vancouver’s own filmmaker Jamila Pomeroy is a great place to start. (It premiered at VIFF, just finished showing in Toronto, and will no doubt get a theatrical release before long, so keep your eyes peeled.)