Black Fatigue
Our third featured book is Black Fatigue: How RacismErodesthe Mind, Body, and Spirit. Author Mary-Frances Winters describes how in every aspect of life—from economics to education, work, criminal justice, and, very importantly, health outcomes—for the most part, the trajectory for Black people is not improving. She notes the paradox that, with all the attention focused over […]
A Space for Race
Our second featured book is A Space for Race: Decoding Racism, Multiculturalism, and Postcolonialism in the Quest for Belonging in Canada and Beyond by Kathy Hogarth and Wendy Fletcher, which explores how race and racialization create tensions between groups and solidify the exclusion of the “other” in Canadian society. The book explores the various themes […]
The Skin We’re In
February is Black History Month, and at Strides Toronto, we’re committed to honouring the rich experiences and voices of Black authors. This month, we invite you to join us on a journey of reflection and learning through literature. Our first featured book is “The Skin We’re In” by Desmond Cole. In this powerful narrative, Cole shares […]
Exalted Subjects
In Exalted Subjects, noted feminist scholar Sunera Thobani examines how state policies and popular practices have exalted certain subjects over others.
Meet Viola Desmond (Scholastic Canada Biography)
Meet Viola Desmond, community leader and early civil rights trailblazer! On the night of November 8th 1946, Nova Scotia businesswoman Viola Desmond stood up for her right to be in the “unofficial” whites-only section of a New Glasgow movie theatre . . . and was arrested for it. Supported by the Nova Scotia Association for […]
Viola Desmond: Her Life and Times
Many Canadians know that Viola Desmond is the first Black, non-royal woman to be featured on Canadian currency. But fewer know the details of Viola Desmond?s life and legacy. In 1946, Desmond was arrested for refusing to give up her seat in a whites-only section of a movie theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. Her […]
Viola Desmond Won’t Be Budged!
Finalist for the 2011 Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction “On behalf of the Nova Scotia government, I sincerely apologize to Mrs. Viola Desmond’s family and to all African Nova Scotians for the racial discrimination she was subjected to by the justice system … We recognize today that the act for which Viola Desmond […]
Being Brown: A Very Public Life
The Life of Josiah Henson: Formerly a Slave: Now an Inhabitant of Canada, as Narrated by Himself
Josiah Henson (June 15, 1789 – May 5, 1883) was an author, abolitionist, and minister. Born into slavery in Charles County, Maryland, he escaped to Upper Canada (now Ontario) in 1830, and founded a settlement and laborer’s school for other fugitive slaves at Dawn, near Dresden in Kent County. Henson’s autobiography, The Life of Josiah […]
Go to School, You’re a Little Black Boy: The Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander: a Memoir
Among the important stories that need to be told about noteworthy Canadians, Lincoln Alexander’s sits at the top of the list. Born in Toronto in 1922, the son of a maid and a railway porter, Alexander embarked on an exemplary life path that has involved military service for his country, a successful political career, a […]
