Segregation, faith, resilience: Free Black people have created a home in Canada since the 1700s
‘We have so many amazing Black histories in Canada,’ playwright says
"Claiming Space," the eighth episode of the documentary series Black Life: Untold Stories, explores the history of Black settlements across Canada and the often-overlooked stories of Africville, N.S., and Little Burgundy in Montreal.
Director Frances-Anne Solomon focused on the communities razed to make way for highways, parks and urban infrastructure. But amid the devastation, there are stories of resilience and the relationships that endured.
"We have so many amazing Black histories in Canada," said playwright Cheryl Foggo.
WATCH: How Montreal became known as 'Harlem of the North'
One example: the story of Mattie Mayes. She was born into slavery in Georgia, moved to Oklahoma in search of freedom, and then went north to Saskatchewan, where she settled and acted as a midwife and kind of healer for her community.
"She was a beautiful person," said Murray Mayes, her grandson and a former Maidstone resident.
"Canada has its own model — Canada never had Jim Crow," author and historian Cecil Foster said. "Practising racism with a smile on its face … making you know you're not wanted here. And you can feel that hand in your back, pushing you through isolation."
In archival footage, former Africville resident Bernice Byers-Arsenault talks about the breaking point for the community. "What really destroyed us was when they demolished a church in the middle of the night," she said. "Bad enough we lost our land, but then to demolish the church like that — that was sacrilegious."
Interviewees include:
- Stephanie Allen.
- Bernice Byers-Arsenault.
- Irvine Carvery.
- Andrea Este.
- Cheryl Foggo.
- Cecil Foster.
- Paula Grant-Smith.
- Crystal Mayes.
- Murray Mayes.
- Lesa Mayes-Stringer.
- Juanita Peters.
- Anne Rockhead.
- Karina Vernon.
- Beatrice J. Wilkins, née West.
- Dorothy Williams.
About the director
Frances-Anne Solomon is an award-winning writer, producer, director and curator. She started her career at the BBC as a TV producer and executive producer. After moving to Canada, she founded the CaribbeanTales Media Group, which produces culturally-diverse film and television.
She directed the feature films What My Mother Told Me, Peggy Su! and A Winter Tale and the series Lord Have Mercy! and Heart Beat. Her recent film, Hero: Inspired by the Extraordinary Life & Times of Mr. Ulric Cross received critical acclaim.
Watch "Claiming Space" Wednesday, Dec. 13, at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT), on CBC-TV and anytime on CBC Gem.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from features on anti-Black racism to success stories from within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
