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RCI | English : Portraits of Black Canadians

Radio Canada International

Find out more about black Canadians who contributed to the building of Canada and who are making their mark every day. From our archives Danger, hardship, heroism and tragedy. All are features of black immigration to Canada in the nineteenth century. The story of black immigration to Canada began 400 years ago with the arrival of the French at Port Royal. John Graves Simcoe, the Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, signed the Act Against Slavery in 1793. Many black people came to Canada by their own means. But the Underground Railroad, an informal network of people and places organized to help black people escaping slavery, was an important feature of immigration to Canada in the nineteenth century. It’s estimated that between 20,000 and 40,000 black people arrived in Canada during the first half of the nineteenth century. Some consider that the number could be as high as 60,000. Radio Canada International has produced a series of vignettes spotlighting some of the black Canadians that have marked the country’s past, as well as those that are marking Canada’s present. Researchers: Nataly Lague, Audrey Flat Editors: Suzanne Shugar, Audrey Flat Translator: Nataly Laguë Sound recording, sound effects, sound mixing: Angela Leblanc Producer; casting, music selection: Suzanne Shugar Executive Producer: Raymond Desmarteau A Radio Canada International production

Location:

Canada, QC

Description:

Find out more about black Canadians who contributed to the building of Canada and who are making their mark every day. From our archives Danger, hardship, heroism and tragedy. All are features of black immigration to Canada in the nineteenth century. The story of black immigration to Canada began 400 years ago with the arrival of the French at Port Royal. John Graves Simcoe, the Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, signed the Act Against Slavery in 1793. Many black people came to Canada by their own means. But the Underground Railroad, an informal network of people and places organized to help black people escaping slavery, was an important feature of immigration to Canada in the nineteenth century. It’s estimated that between 20,000 and 40,000 black people arrived in Canada during the first half of the nineteenth century. Some consider that the number could be as high as 60,000. Radio Canada International has produced a series of vignettes spotlighting some of the black Canadians that have marked the country’s past, as well as those that are marking Canada’s present. Researchers: Nataly Lague, Audrey Flat Editors: Suzanne Shugar, Audrey Flat Translator: Nataly Laguë Sound recording, sound effects, sound mixing: Angela Leblanc Producer; casting, music selection: Suzanne Shugar Executive Producer: Raymond Desmarteau A Radio Canada International production

Language:

English


Episodes
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Portraits of Black Canadian – Episode 27

3/5/2020
Slavery Remembered The abolition of slavery was commemorated in 2004. https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/03/27-Slavery-Remembered.mp3

Duration:00:01:24

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Portraits of Black Canadian – Episode 26

3/5/2020
Black History Month Every February Canadians celebrate the history of Blacks in Canada. https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/03/26-Black-History-Month.mp3

Duration:00:01:48

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Portraits of Black Canadian – Episode 25

3/5/2020
Donovan Bailey The athlete's meteoric rise to fame is one of Canada's remarkable success stories. https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/03/25-Donovan-Bailey.mp3

Duration:00:03:25

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Portraits of Black Canadian – Episode 24

3/4/2020
Suzette Mayr The author spotlights issues involving race and ethnicity interethnic people. https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/03/24-Suzette-Mayr.mp3

Duration:00:03:11

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Portraits of Black Canadian – Episode 23

3/3/2020
Maka Kotto Poet, actor, stage director, and first black Afrcan elected to the Canadian Parliament. https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/03/23-Maka-Kotto.mp3

Duration:00:03:01

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Portraits of Black Canadian – Episode 22

3/2/2020
George Elliott Clarke The author describes the rich oral narratives and cultural traditions of Blacks in Nova Scotia. https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/03/22-George-Elliott-Clarke.mp3

Duration:00:03:07

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Portraits of Black Canadian – Episode 21

3/1/2020
Michaëlle Jean Canada's first black Governor General. https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/03/21-Michaelle-Jean.mp3

Duration:00:04:40

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Portraits of Black Canadian – Episode 20

2/29/2020
Dany Laferrière The author became a huge success by poking fun at racial stereotypes. https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/02/20-Dany-Laferriere.mp3

Duration:00:03:44

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Portraits of Black Canadian – Episode 19

2/28/2020
Dr. Hervé Blanchard Dr. Blanchard has cared for 30 years (1970-2000) for many children in Quebec, notably at the Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal, where he saved the lives of newborn babies with congenital anomalies. He is recognized as the pioneer in Quebec of pediatric kidney transplantation (performed for the first time in 1974), and liver transplantation in children (performed for the first time in 1985). This brilliant surgeon also shared his knowledge with more than a generation of students from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Montreal. Duration: 3:41 https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/02/19-Herve_Blanchard.mp3

Duration:00:03:41

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Portraits of Black Canadian – Episode 18

2/27/2020
Charlie Biddle Remembered as the father of the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Charles Biddle lent his name to the club that kept the groove going year-round. Biddles, now known as The House of Jazz, was a draw for jazz stars and fans, from around the world. Charles Biddle was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2003. The Saint Jean Baptiste Society said, ‘without him, Quebecers might not have developed their love for jazz’. Duration: 2:46 https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/02/18-Charlie_Biddle.mp3

Duration:00:02:46

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Portraits of Black Canadian – Episode 17

2/26/2020
Oscar Peterson There’s Oscar Peterson Boulevard and Oscar Peterson Public School in Mississauga, Ontario; Oscar Peterson Square in downtown Toronto; and, in his hometown of Montreal there’s the Oscar Peterson Concert Hall. And, that’s not to mention the 16 honourary degrees between Canada and the United States. The man who wrote the Canadiana Suite received the nation’s highest honour when he was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada in 1984. And, following 7 Grammy Awards, he received the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. Duration: 3:01 https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/02/17-Oscar_Peterson.mp3

Duration:00:03:01

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Portraits of Black Canadians – Episode 16

2/24/2020
Portia White The classical concert signer from Nova Scotia achieved international fame World War Second. In Portia White’s hometown of Truro, Nova Scotia there is a monument in her memory. Following her international career she settled in Toronto and taught voice until she died in 1968. In 2007 she was posthumously awarded the Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award. Duration: 2:11 https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/02/16-Portia_White.mp3

Duration:00:02:11

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Portraits of Black Canadians – Episode 15

2/21/2020
Lou Hooper Once Oscar Peterson’s piano teacher, Lou Hooper wrote ragtime classics like The Cakewalk, Black Cat Blues, South Sea Strut and Uncle Remus Stomp. Born in 1894, in North Buxton, Ontario, Hooper died in Charlottetown, PEI in 1977 not long after the debut of the ballet he wrote, called Congo. Duration: 2:33 https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/02/15-Lou_Hooper.mp3

Duration:00:02:33

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Portraits of Black Canadians – Episode 14

2/20/2020
George Frederick Johnson George Frederick Johnson enlisted in the Canadian military when he was just 16 years old. Cpl. Johnson served with the 10th Canadian Armoured Regiment and later took part in the D-Day landing in Normandy on June 5, 1944. Duration: 3:04 https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/02/14-George_Frederick_Johnson.mp3

Duration:00:03:04

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Portraits of Black Canadians – Episode 13

2/19/2020
Sam Langford Samuel Edgar Langford, known as the Boston Terror, is considered by many boxing historians to be one of the greatest fighters of all time. Duration: 2:27 https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/02/13-Sam_Langford.mp3

Duration:00:02:27

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Portraits of Black Canadians – Episode 12

2/19/2020
William Hall Petty Officer William Hall was the first black Canadian man to win the Victoria Cross for his actions at the Relief of Lucknow in 1857. Duration: 2:40 https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/12/12-William_Hall.mp3

Duration:00:02:40

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Portraits of Black Canadians – Episode 11

2/17/2020
Mary Ann Shadd Cary Today, we bring you the story of Mary Ann Shadd Cary. She moved to Canada from the United States in 1851 and eventually began editing The Provincial Freeman, a weekly newspaper first printed on March 24, 1853. This made Shadd the first Black woman in North America to publish a newspaper, and one of the first female journalists in Canada. During the Civil War she moved back to the U.S. and began work as a recruitment agent for the Union Army. Later, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked as a teacher. Years later, Shadd pursued law studies at Howard University and in 1883 became one of the first Black women to complete a law degree. Duration 2:56 https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/02/11-Mary_Ann_Shadd_Cary.mp3

Duration:00:02:56

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Portraits of Black Canadians – Episode 10

2/14/2020
The Press and the Anti-Slavery Movement Today we bring you the story of 19th century Canadian publications such as Voice of the Fugitive and The Globe advocating for freedom from bondage. Duration 3:13 https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/02/10-The_Press_and_the_Anti-Slavery_Movement.mp3

Duration:00:03:13

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Portraits of Black Canadians – Episode 9

2/13/2020
Anti-slavery movement in Canada The Anti-Slavery Society of Canada was formed in Canada West (now Ontario) in 1851 to promote the global abolition of slavery and provide relief to African American refugees seeking freedom in Canada. Duration 2:40 https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/02/9-Anti-slavery_movement_in_Canada.mp3

Duration:00:02:40

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Portraits of Black Canadians – Episode 8

2/12/2020
Harriet Tubman Today we bring you the story of Harriet Tubman. She was a courageous “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, who led hundreds of American slaves to freedom in Canada. Duration 2:59 https://www.rcinet.ca/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/12/8-Harriet_Tubman.mp3

Duration:00:02:59