Interested in learning more about Black & Indigenous Realities in Canada? Here are some resources we’ve put together.
Black Realities in Canada
Black Communities
Then…
Nova Scotia Archives. “African Nova Scotians in the age of slavery and abolition.”
https://archives.novascotia.ca/africanns/
Black Loyalists: Our History, Our People. “Our Story.”
https://blackloyalist.com/cdc/story/our_story.htm
Van Dyk, Lindsay. “Shaping a community: Black refugees in Nova Scotia.” Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.
https://pier21.ca/research/immigration-history/shaping-a-community-black-refugees-in-nova-scotia-0
CBC | Firsthand: “The First Reported Race Riot in North American Happened in Canada.”
Nova Scotia Archives. “Gone but never forgotten: Bob Brooks’ photographic portrait of Africville in the 1960s.”
https://archives.novascotia.ca/africville/
…Now
Jamal, Urooba. “The rebirth of Vancouver’s historically Black neighbourhood.” Vice (Feb. 28, 2019).
https://www.vice.com/en/article/3kg795/the-rebirth-of-vancouvers-historically-black-neighbourhood
Johnson, Kathy. “Black Loyalist descendants from Sierra Leone return to their Birchtown roots.” Saltwire Network (Sep 3, 2019).
Contemporary Anti-Black Racism in Canada:
Maynard, Robyn. “Canadian education is steeped in anti-Black racism.” The Walrus (Nov. 29, 2017).
https://thewalrus.ca/canadian-education-is-steeped-in-anti-black-racism/
Mastroianni, Julia. “Remedies for anti-Black racism in Canadian healthcare.” The Georgia Straight (Oct. 12, 2020).
https://www.straight.com/living/remedies-for-anti-black-racism-in-canadian-healthcare
Indigenous Realities in Canada
What We Did
Facing History. Stolen Lives: The Indigenous Peoples of Canada and the Indian Residential Schools.
https://www.facinghistory.org/stolen-lives-indigenous-peoples-canada-and-indian-residential-schools
What We Learned
Walia, Harsha. “Summary of the MMIWG Inquiry Final Report” Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre (Jun. 28, 2019).
https://dewc.ca/news/summary-of-the-mmiwg-inquiry-final-report-by-harsha-walia
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
Where We Are Now
Palmater, Pam. “Abolishing the Indian Act means eliminating First Nations’ rights.” Maclean’s (Oct. 10, 2019).
https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/abolishing-the-indian-act-means-eliminating-first-nations-rights/
Dowling-Savelle, Lindsay. “Q&A: Systemic racism in Canada’s health care system.” Medical Xpress (Oct. 19, 2020).
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-10-qa-racism-canada-health.html
Schiffer, Jeffrey J. “Why Aboriginal peoples can’t just ‘Get over it’: Understanding and addressing intergenerational trauma.” Here to Help BC (2016).
Canadaland. “Chapter 3: Deathly low priority.” Thunder Bay Podcast (Oct. 28, 2018).
https://www.canadaland.com/podcast/chapter-3-deathly-low-priority/
Where Can We Go?
Alfred, Taiaiake. “For Indigenous nations to live, colonial mentalities must die.” Policy Options (Oct. 13, 2017).
Palmater, Pam. “What we’re seeing in 2020 is Idle No More 2.0.” Maclean’s (Sep. 15, 2020).
https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/what-were-seeing-in-2020-is-idle-no-more-2-0/
Wotton, Pandora. “Indigenous realities: Tayka Raymond calls on participants to ‘Decolonize your mind’.” The McGill Daily (Nov. 25, 2019).
https://www.mcgilldaily.com/2019/11/indigenous-realities/#close-modal
A Crash Course in History from The Canadian Encyclopedia
This invaluable online encyclopedia has the following content:
Black History in Canada Collection
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/collection/black-history-in-canada
“Africville.”
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/africville
“Sleeping car porters in Canada.”
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sleeping-car-porters-in-canada
“Black enslavement in Canada.”
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/slavery
“Racial segregation of Black people in Canada.”
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/racial-segregation-of-black-people-in-canada
Indigenous Peoples Collection
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/collection/aboriginal-peoples
“Indian Act”
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/indian-act
“Pass system in Canada.”
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/pass-system-in-canada
“Sixties Scoop”
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sixties-scoop
“Racial segregation of Indigenous peoples in Canada.”
https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/racial-segregation-of-indigenous-peoples-in-canada
“Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples”
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/royal-commission-on-aboriginal-peoples
Policing in Canada: Justice for Whom?
THEN…
Canadaland Podcasts. “The Police 2: The Secret History of the RCMP.” Commons (Oct. 28, 2020)
https://www.canadaland.com/podcast/the-police-2-the-secret-history-of-the-rcmp/
CBC Podcasts. “The Mounties always get their land.” The Secret Life of Canada
(Part I: Sep. 16, 2020).
(Part II: Nov. 11, 2020).
…NOW
Cole, Desmond. “The skin I’m in: I’ve been interrogated by police more than 50 times—all because I’m Black.” Toronto Life (Apr. 21, 2015).
https://torontolife.com/city/life/skin-im-ive-interrogated-police-50-times-im-black/
Hudson, Sandy. “Defunding the police will save Black and Indigenous lives in Canada.” Huffington Post (Jun 2, 2020).
Singh, Inayat. “2020 already a particularly deadly year for people killed in police encounters.” CBC News (July 23, 2020).
https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/fatalpoliceencounters/
Chartrand, Vicki. “Broken system: Why is a quarter of Canada’s prison population Indigenous?” The Conversation (Feb 18, 2018).
Rethinking the Myth of Canada the Good:
White Supremacy, Settler Colonialism and the Building of a Nation
Henry, Annette. “Dear white people, wake up: Canada is racist.” The Conversation (Sept 6, 2017).
https://theconversation.com/dear-white-people-wake-up-canada-is-racist-83124
Nelson, Charmaine. “The Canadian narrative about slavery is wrong.” The Walrus (Jul. 21, 2017).
https://thewalrus.ca/the-canadian-narrative-about-slavery-is-wrong/
Palmater, Pam. “Yes, Canada has a racism crisis and it’s killing Black and Indigenous peoples.” Canadian Dimension (June 3, 2020).
Eidinger, Andrea & York-Bertram, Sarah.
Imagining a better future: An introduction to teaching and learning about settler colonialism in Canada. Unwritten Histories (Feb. 20, 2018).
Coburn, Veldon & Shaw, Devin Zane. “The real “justice” denied to Boushie.” Policy Options (Feb 15, 2018).
https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/february-2018/the-real-justice-denied-to-colten-boushie/
Lindberg, Darcy “The myth of the Wheat King and the killing of Colten Boushie.” The Conversation (Mar 1, 2018).
https://theconversation.com/the-myth-of-the-wheat-king-and-the-killing-of-colten-boushie-92398
MacDonald, David: “’Clearing the plains’ continues with the acquittal of Gerald Stanley.” The Conversation (Feb 11, 2018).
https://theconversation.com/clearing-the-plains-continues-with-the-acquittal-of-gerald-stanley-91628
What Can I Do When I See Racism?
Lamont, Amélie. The Guide to Allyship. (2021)
Cargle, Rachel Elizabeth. #DoTheWork 30 Day Course.
Terry, Ruth. How to be an active bystander when you see casual racism. New York Times (Oct. 29, 2020)