A note from Kelly:
I am indebted to Irene Moore Davis for giving the talk to a group of adult educators that first got me thinking about the topic of local Black history, which in turn got me pondering the lack of materials at our disposal to teach this topic to our newcomer students. With this goal in mind, I have begun the task of assembling here below a series of profiles that will be, with a few exceptions, drawn from Irene's book--to be published in 2020.
Before attempting to talk about Black history in Canada and the U.S., I strongly urge teachers to begin with an agreement for the teacher / facilitator and all learners to enter into regarding ground rules for discussion. A good set of agreements can be found at the beginning of the resource "Through the Lens: Helping Newcomers Speak about Racism and Discrimination in Canada", (c) 2008 by the Halifax Immigrant Learning Centre.
Also before embarking on reading about and discussing the history of Black people on this continent, it will be helpful to explore with our students the concept of "whose story / history is it?" The vast majority of what has ended up in our history books has been written by the societal class that claimed people as property and held them against their will in bondage. As someone who is not descended from enslaved people, I take it upon myself to become aware of the language I have been using for a lifetime (and the attitudes embedded in that language) and make changes in terminology in order to recognize the humanity and self-realization of those who were enslaved. For example, with the white saviour complex that is so deeply embedded in our collective psyche, do we speak of 'runaway slaves' that were passed along like cargo from Quaker to Quaker on the Underground Railroad? Or do we use language that reflects the agency, self-determination, and courage of those who emancipated themselves and found their way to freedom against all odds?
A good guide to help us think about the perspectives embedded in the language we use to describe the people who enslaved others and the people whom they enslaved can be found in P. Gabrielle Foreman, et al. “Writing about Slavery/Teaching About Slavery: This Might Help”.
With that guide in mind, I have created a language categorization exercise for your students to do before reading any of the profiles below. Click HERE to download the PDF.
I am indebted to Irene Moore Davis for giving the talk to a group of adult educators that first got me thinking about the topic of local Black history, which in turn got me pondering the lack of materials at our disposal to teach this topic to our newcomer students. With this goal in mind, I have begun the task of assembling here below a series of profiles that will be, with a few exceptions, drawn from Irene's book--to be published in 2020.
Before attempting to talk about Black history in Canada and the U.S., I strongly urge teachers to begin with an agreement for the teacher / facilitator and all learners to enter into regarding ground rules for discussion. A good set of agreements can be found at the beginning of the resource "Through the Lens: Helping Newcomers Speak about Racism and Discrimination in Canada", (c) 2008 by the Halifax Immigrant Learning Centre.
Also before embarking on reading about and discussing the history of Black people on this continent, it will be helpful to explore with our students the concept of "whose story / history is it?" The vast majority of what has ended up in our history books has been written by the societal class that claimed people as property and held them against their will in bondage. As someone who is not descended from enslaved people, I take it upon myself to become aware of the language I have been using for a lifetime (and the attitudes embedded in that language) and make changes in terminology in order to recognize the humanity and self-realization of those who were enslaved. For example, with the white saviour complex that is so deeply embedded in our collective psyche, do we speak of 'runaway slaves' that were passed along like cargo from Quaker to Quaker on the Underground Railroad? Or do we use language that reflects the agency, self-determination, and courage of those who emancipated themselves and found their way to freedom against all odds?
A good guide to help us think about the perspectives embedded in the language we use to describe the people who enslaved others and the people whom they enslaved can be found in P. Gabrielle Foreman, et al. “Writing about Slavery/Teaching About Slavery: This Might Help”.
With that guide in mind, I have created a language categorization exercise for your students to do before reading any of the profiles below. Click HERE to download the PDF.
See also African Canadian History links on my LINKS page.
