Resources by Black Creators
To celebrate Black Heritage and History Month, we have compiled a selection of websites, movies, videos, books, podcasts, and more for our teams at Fresh to engage with as one way to learn about the Black experience. We hope that by sharing this, you may find this list useful too!
These resources can be continually referred to for ideas and suggestions on how to diversify your social media feeds, or for your next book club or movie night picks, or when you need a new favourite podcast to subscribe to.
We always remember that Black heritage and history must be celebrated at all times, not just in February and are committed to continuing educating ourselves on the subject of antiracism.
To Support
Support Black businesses, entrepreneurs & creators
To Follow
A short list of Black icons, influencers, creators and change agents to follow on social media to diversity your feed
To Learn
Black history organizations and educational resources
The Ontario Heritage Trust celebrates Black heritage, promotes Ontario’s Black heritage sites and groups, and provides online information and resources. Of note is the Slavery to Freedom web resource.
Inspired by the many Black writers and speakers who have begun to spark a broader discussion about race in Canada, Jalani Morgan travels to three Canadian cities to capture a slice of the Black experience today.
A showcase of Canadian Black women who deserve to be known this February and every month!
The Periodic Table of Canadian Black History is a tool that educators, students, and families can use to explore and celebrate the stories, voices, and accomplishments of Black Canadians.
To Listen
Snow-Job: Why is Black Slavery “Whited Out” in Canadian History?
by George Elliott Clarke Poet George Elliott Clarke explores the question- Why is it common knowledge that we saved runaway slaves from the United States, but few know that Africans and Indigenous peoples were bought, sold and exploited, right here in Canada ? How was slavery allowed to continue for some 200 years, yet be one of the least talked-about aspects of our shared history?
In a space dedicated to advancing the conversation of race relations in Canada, host Tracy Moore tackles important discussions on race and inequality in Canadian society, with the goal of bringing about impactful change.
Friends Martine St-Victor and Isabelle Racicot have in-depth conversations with notable guests from media, sports and pop culture. They capture personal stories about the power of the Black Lives Matter movement, the urgency of this moment, and what it will take to move forward.
“ Black women talking their sh*t.” Rebecca Joachim and Tihitina Semahu r ead, analyze, and deconstruct concepts of race. Also on YouTube .
To Watch
Canadian collections — all free!
21 BLACK FUTURES is an anthology of 21 films, commissioned from 21 multigenerational Black playwrights across Canada directed by 21 Black directors and performed by 21 Black actors! 21 BLACK FUTURES responds to the question, “ What is the future of Blackness ?”
When it comes to Black Canadian History, what do you know? 28 Moments features Black youth speaking about their experiences in Canada, their goals, aspirations, and interests and then giving a small history lesson on an important moment or figure in Black Canadian history.
50 Years of Black Activism | Ryerson University
Five documentaries by five women directors that highlight the legacies of Gwen and Lenny Johnston, Rosie Douglas, Charles Roach, Dudley Laws and Marlene Green.
NFB: 29 Free Films from Black Communities in Canada
A free collection of 29 films by award-winning Black filmmakers, creators, and allies that portray the multi-layered lives of Canada’s diverse Black communities. These stories of strength, courage and perseverance are missing from mainstream history books, yet they each paint a picture of a thriving part of our society in constant evolution.
Canadian short videos, films & documentaries — all free!
Africville was an African-Canadian village located in Nova Scotia and founded in the mid-18th century. Demolished in the 1960s by Halifax in what many believe was an act of racism. For many, Africville represents ongoing oppressions faced by Black Canadians, and the efforts to right historical wrongs.
This short film follows a young Black woman as she grapples with the histories of her ancestors, and the violence ravaging her community as she imagines what her future looks like through dance.
Filmmaker Cazhhmere is a 7th-generation Black Canadian. Despite this deep history, she’s constantly asked “Where are you from?”, even though the answer is always “Canada.” In this film, Cazhhmere sets out to change our perception of what a multi-generational Canadian family looks like.
In Freedom Summer , Black youth in Toronto learn about self-love and Black liberation at ‘Freedom School’, a summer camp run by Black Lives Matter where Black kids learn that Black is beautiful.
The story of Marvin who, growing up in Ottawa in the 1950s with no Black barbers in the city, suffered through many painful haircuts. A funny and refreshing take on the Canadian immigrant story, plus an exploration of assimilation and resistance through the portrait of one man’s refusal to cut his hair.
How does a parent prepare their maturing child for the specific scrutiny that comes with navigating the world while Black? For Black Canadians like Danardo Jones and his son Deshaun, the reality of systemic racism means that the system is rigged against them.
Canadian full length dramas & documentaries — all free!
In 1946, Viola Desmond stood up against a racially segregated movie theatre in Nova Scotia. Her courageous stand, 9 years before Rosa Parks’ action, was a seminal event in Canada’s civil rights movement.
Winston LaRose, an 80-year-old community activist, inspires the Toronto community of Jane and Finch to challenge the traditional powers as he runs for political office for the first time.
A documentary about the history of racism in hockey, chronicling a crusade by NCAA hockey great Richard Lord to nominate Black superstar Herb Carnegie to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The Skin We’re In: Pulling back the curtain on racism in Canada — CBC Docs POV
Urgent, controversial, and undeniably honest, The Skin We’re In is a wake-up call to complacent Canadians. This is Cole’s journey from journalist to activist, unfolding in real time. We follow Cole as he travels across Canada in pursuit of stories, examples, and knowledge about black identities and experiences.
Documentaries (American-based)
In this thought-provoking documentary, scholars, activists and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom, by taking a n in-depth look at the prison system and how it reveals the nation’s history of racial inequality.
This series traces the tragic case of Kalief Browder, a Black Bronx teen who spent three long and horrific years in jail, despite not being convicted of a crime.
Charged as a teen in the 1993 killing of a Boston cop, Sean K. Ellis fights to prove his innocence while exposing police corruption and systemic racism.
Based on a true story (American-based)
Tensions and temperatures rise at a Chicago music studio in 1927 when fiery, fearless blues singer Ma Rainey joins her band for a recording session.
She grew up in a tough New York neighborhood in the ’80s and made history with “Roxanne’s Revenge.” The story of teen battle rap champ Roxanne Shanté.
In the face of violent racist attacks, Martin Luther King Jr. leads a protest in Alabama that culminates in a historic march from Selma to Montgomery.
Five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they’re falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park. Based on a true story.
Comedy, drama, horror, rom-com (American-based)
Arranged to marry a rich man, young Ada is crushed when her true love goes missing at sea during a migration attempt — until a miracle reunites them.
An American comedy-drama television series that follows Black college students touching on issues surrounding modern American race relations. Based on the 2014 film of the same name.
A studious teen trying to survive in a rough L.A. neighborhood accepts an invitation to an underground party and begins a life-changing adventure.
Funny, scary, thought-provoking and deeply unsettling, seamlessly weaves its social critiques into a brilliantly effective and entertaining horror/comedy thrill ride.
Four lifelong friends travel to New Orleans where sisterhoods are rekindled, wild sides are rediscovered, and there’s enough dancing, drinking, brawling and romancing to make you blush.
As a young couple from war-torn South Sudan seeks asylum and a fresh start in England, they’re tormented by a sinister force living in their new home.
A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood.
Pixar Animation. After landing the gig of a lifetime, a New York jazz pianist suddenly finds himself trapped in a strange land between Earth and the afterlife.
A comedian’s weekend trip to her mom’s country B&B takes awkward turns when her ex, his new girlfriend, and a handsome stranger join the getaway.
To Read
Consider purchasing your books from *** A Different Booklist in Toronto, an African-Canadian owned bookstore showcasing the literature of the African and Caribbean diaspora, the global south and all the major publishers and independents.
The Toronto Public Library has many books, e-books and audiobooks available for loan. A great option for audiobooks is , which makes it possible for you to buy audiobooks through your local independent bookstore!
Essential contemporary anti-racist readings (American-based)
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
Canadian non-fiction
Policing Black Lives traces the violent realities of anti-Blackness from slave ships to prisons, classrooms and beyond. This the first comprehensive account of nearly 400 years of state-sanctioned surveillance, criminalization and punishment of Black bodies and lives in Canada.
This collection of writing and photographs explores issues facing the Black community in Canada in light of the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, describing latest developments in Canadian Black activism, organizing efforts through social media, Black-Indigenous alliances, and more.
Poetry
Canadian Fiction: including sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, historical non-fiction
The lives of four 20-somethings living on the margins of Toronto intersect in this immersive novel, a richly rendered portrait of urban experience, luminously vivid in both its characterization and setting.
Originally published at https://freshplantpowered.com on February 26, 2021.
