Black History Month: Ours to Tell

Every February, people across Canada participate in Black History Month events and festivities that honour the legacy of Black people in Canada and their communities. The 2023 theme "ours to tell" represents both an opportunity to engage in open dialogue and a commitment to learning more about the stories Black communities in Canada have to tell about their histories, successes, sacrifices and triumphs. Visit the links below to learn more about these communities, and how they continue to help shape Canadian history.

• Black Communities in Canada: A Rich History - National Film Board   
  • A playlist of films intended to provide a glimpse of the multi-layered lives of Canada's diverse Black communities. 

Remember Africville - This short film depicts Africville, a small black settlement that lay within the city limits of Halifax, Nova Scotia. In the 1960s, the families there were uprooted and their homes demolished in the name of urban renewal and integration. More than 20 years later, the site of the community of Africville is a stark, under-utilized park. Former residents, their descendants and some of the decision-makers speak out and, with the help of archival photographs and films, tell the story of that painful relocation. 

Home Feeling: Struggle for a Community - This feature documentary takes us to the heart of the Jane-Finch "Corridor" in the early 1980s. Covering six square blocks in Toronto's North York, the area readily evokes images of vandalism, high-density subsidized housing, racial tension, despair and crime. By focusing on the lives of several of the residents, many of them black or members of other visible minorities, the film provides a powerful view of a community that, contrary to its popular image, is working towards a more positive future.

• Being Black in Canada - CBC News  
  • CBC news has accessible content online for more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians - from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community - learn about Black Changemakers and content from the CBC archives.

Mr. Jane and Finch - CBC Docs accessible for free on CBC Gem. Guyanese-Canadian community activist Winston LaRose has spent decades fighting for the troubled Toronto neighbourhood of Jane and Finch. His dedication to community building has earned him the title "Mr. Jane and Finch" and at 81, he decides to challenge traditional power and run for a seat on city council in 2018. When premier Ford drastically changes the political landscape by cutting the number of city councillors in half, LaRose speaks truth to power and draws his line in the sand, even while the powers that be erase and redraw those lines whenever they see fit.  

• Recognizing the legacy of Chloe Cooley 
  • With this stamp, Canada Post recognizes the life and the legacy of Chloe Cooley, along with all those who were enslaved in this country until 1833. Chloe Cooley's act of resistance on the evening of March 14, 1793, led to legislation that would change the course of enslavement in Canada - and help shape this country's story. Read more about the impact of Chloe Cooley in Canada Post Magazine. 

Explore the fiction and non-fiction reading list below for the latest publications from Black Canadian authors.

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