Black Heritage Committee
The Black Heritage Committee (BHC) is a group of community members who guide Heritage Park in strengthening representation, expanding historical narratives, and creating inclusive experiences that honour Black history past, present, and future.
About the Black Heritage Committee
The Black Heritage Committee (BHC) is a group of community members who guide Heritage Park in strengthening representation, expanding historical narratives, and creating inclusive experiences that honour Black history past, present, and future. Formed in January 2025 and publicly launched in July 2025, the committee plays a vital role in ensuring the stories and contributions of Black people across the Prairies are meaningfully reflected throughout the Park.
Guided by the pillars of Inclusion & Representation, Storytelling & Heritage, and Celebration & Connection, the committee works to highlight the legacies of Black individuals and communities whose contributions have long shaped Prairie history. Through ongoing collaboration, research, and community engagement, the Black Heritage Committee helps shape interpretive practices, exhibits, and programming so that Heritage Park more fully reflects the diversity of the region’s past and present.
Black Heritage Committee Founding Members
Essence Martinelli | Chair
Essence Martinelli is a people-centric leader with more than 16 years of experience creating inclusive, high-performing environments where individuals feel empowered to bring their authentic selves to work. With a background spanning Learning & Development and retail, she is known for inspiring diverse teams through adaptability, resilience and meaningful workplace experiences. A passionate advocate for underrepresented voices, Essence has led employee resource groups, national fundraising initiatives and large-scale community events, including work with the Calgary Black Chambers and Heritage Park. She currently serves as Chair of the Black Heritage Committee, where she is committed to celebrating community and honouring the legacies of the past, present and future in Calgary.
Lana Bentley
Lana Bentley is the executive director of the Women’s Centre of Calgary. An award winning post-secondary instructor and family therapist, Lana has worked in healthcare and the human services for more than two decades. A believer in building strong communities, she shares her time as a board member with Youth Central Calgary, chairs the Social Work Advisory Committee at Mount Royal University, and sits on the Calgary Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee with the City of Calgary.
Cheryl Foggo
Cheryl Foggo is a Calgary-based writer, filmmaker and journalist whose work brings the stories of Prairie Black pioneers to life through film, literature and theatre. Her nationally and internationally recognized body of work highlights the vital contributions of Black people to Canada and includes Heaven, John Ware Reclaimed, John Ware Reimagined and Pourin’ Down Rain: A Black Woman Claims Her Place in the Canadian West. An inductee of the Alberta Order of Excellence, Cheryl has received numerous honours, including the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Outstanding Artist Award, an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Mount Royal University, the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal and the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
Brian Lanier
Brian is the Founder and CEO of The Leaders Circle, bringing more than 20 years of experience in leadership development, supporting executives and organizations to lead with purpose and performance. He holds an MBA and previously served as Regional Vice President at Starbucks and Director of Operations at KFC Canada. Brian serves on the Boards of Calgary Chamber of Commerce and Heritage Park Historical Village, where he also co-founded the Black Heritage Committee. A former Chair of the Calgary Black Chambers, he helped raise more than $400,000 for Black youth scholarships and brings broad, cross-cultural leadership experience from across North America.
Courtney Walcott
Courtney Walcott is a city builder, human rights advocate, public speaker and educator. He is the founder and principal of Civic Society, a social enterprise focused on policy reform, strategic planning and youth education rooted in human rights. Civic Society partners with Good Neighbour to support Calgarians through access to emergency clothing and warm meals. Courtney previously served as a City Councillor with the City of Calgary, where he helped deliver the City’s Housing Strategy, Anti-Racism Strategy and Climate Strategy. A former award-winning educator, he taught Social Studies, English and Film Studies and is a proud graduate of Mount Royal University, where he earned a BA in History.
Committee Activities
October 3, 2025 | John Ware Dig Event
On October 3, the Black Heritage Committee partnered with Heritage Park, Dr. Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer and BHC’s own Cheryl Foggo to present Sifting Earth and Shifting Ground: The John and Mildred Ware Archaeology Reveal and Celebration.
More than 60 guests gathered for an evening of inspired storytelling, reflection and a beautifully crafted video that brought the lives and legacy of John and Mildred Ware to life. BHC was honoured to host the event in the historic Millarville Rancher’s Hall, a space built in the 1890s and filled that night with spirit and purpose.
The gathering marked the first archaeological exploration of a site of Black history in Alberta. Led by Dr. Amundsen-Meyer and the archaeological team at the University of Calgary, the multi-year work has unearthed not only artifacts, but powerful stories of resilience, pride and possibility.
The evening celebrated the decades-long contributions of Cheryl Foggo and featured an insightful panel discussion, before concluding with a community conversation that left many feeling seen and inspired to carry this history forward. It was an evening that honoured Black history while inspiring a shared sense of pride, connection and responsibility for the stories still to be told.
July 18, 2025| Official Committee Launch & Black Stories Signage Unveiling
The Black Heritage Committee officially launched on July 18, 2025, with an event at Heritage Park’s Wainwright Hotel that introduced the committee’s purpose, members and vision. The launch event invited the community to witness this milestone, connect with each other, and celebrate a tangible step toward a future where all histories are meaningfully represented.
A highlight of the event was the unveiling of three new interpretive signs sharing the stories of influential Black pioneers and their impact on Prairie life. These include the stories of Tom and Lena Selectman at the Wainwright Hotel, the Lewis Family at the McKay Cabin and Black fur traders represented at the Hudson’s Bay Company Fort. Researched and written by local historians, these permanent additions expand the stories told on-site and deepen how guests experience Black history throughout the Park. The launch reflected a shared commitment to building a more inclusive and representative future at Heritage Park, grounded in the preservation and sharing of Black histories for generations to come.
Upcoming Events & Activities
A Black Heritage Film Showcase – February 15
Join us this Black History Month for a special day of film screenings that celebrate Black brilliance across generations. This showcase features powerful films by Black filmmakers that explore real stories of resilience, culture, family, and vision. From short documentaries to full-length features each film offers a unique lens on Black life—past, present, and future.
Whether you’re coming with family, friends, or on your own, this is an opportunity to experience dynamic storytelling and connect with the richness of Black heritage in Canada and beyond.
Culturally Speaking: Honouring Black Brilliance – February 19
Join us this Black History Month for a moving evening of film screenings that celebrate Black brilliance across generations. The evening will share powerful films by Black filmmakers that explore real stories of resilience, culture, family, and vision. Each film offers a unique lens on Black life—past, present, and future.
Followed by a panel discussion with Brian Lanier speaking of the Lanier Family’s legacy, director Cheryl Foggo on the importance of building community in Black story-telling, and dynamic young filmmakers Kamika Guerra-Walker and Nenritji Suwa on their inspiration and journey for their films. The discussion will be moderated by the Black Heritage Committee’s Lana Bentley.