Take a Moment...
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Photograph by Marlena Goldberg, 2021
Where They Stood: A Historical Account of the Evolution of Black-Anglo Montreal
Text by: Ayana Monuma, History Book Project Youth Animator, Black Community Resource Centre (BCRC); Sara DeMelo-Zare, Project Coordinator, Black Community Resource Centre (BCRC)
Where They Stood: A Historical Account of the Evolution of Black-Anglo Montreal is designed to be a collaborative project that incorporates a diverse set of voices within a shared community. The project is spearheaded by the Black Community Resource Centre (BCRC), and funded by Canadian government initiative, Canadian Heritage. The Black Community Resource Centre (BCRC) is a growing, resource-based organization that strengthens community capacity by providing professional support to organizations and individuals in need. The Centre is committed to helping visible minority youth rekindle their dreams, and achieve their full potential. 9 months ago, the BCRC sought to engage and recruit Black, English-speaking youth to author a book highlighting the important events and key figures that shaped Black-Anglo Montreal. Most importantly, we were looking for individuals who could inject their passion for the community, inspired by their personal experiences, into the project.
Our collective comprises impassioned Concordia university and college graduates looking to write a widely unwritten history. Our project has been directly overseen and managed by retired emeritus Concordia Professor, Dr. Clarence Bayne, and has been supported by numerous professors and members of staff. Concordia Archives have been an incredible help. They taught all of our writers how to properly access and utilize archives, which has only amplified and bettered their research. Their continued support is creating for a beautifully evolving, well-informed book. The guidance and knowledge from all involved professors has been invaluable. The workshops they conducted these past months for our youth have ultimately made them better writers. We hope that our book, once published, could prove to be a useful learning tool for the university and its students.
This image is supposed to evoke unity and strength, ideas often discouraged by the oppressive majority. Black youth are reclaiming their power and enacting change. Our group of young writers, photographed above, resonate this message of reclamation. Montreal's Black Anglophones' stifled voices are the unwanted consequences of long-lasting systemic oppression in Canada. Quebec is unique in that intolerance is almost 'two-tiered.' Discrimination continues to persist based on race and spoken language. Decades following settlement, the Black-Anglo community still exists on this axis of prejudice. Where They Stood reflects upon the unique experiences of Montreal's Black Anglophone migrants who immigrated on the promises of freedom, independence, and prosperity. The book attempts to illustrate the extent of the sacrifices made by Black men, women, and children. Upon arrival, they were welcomed with ignorance, rejection, and discrimination while tirelessly supporting their newly settled families. Consequently, organizations such as the Coloured Women's Club and the Union United Church, as discussed in our book, were created to combat this hostility. Where they stood – not so long ago – has allowed us to evolve and stand where we are today. We are hoping to have our work published and circulated by Spring of 2023.
Take a Moment for Representation: An Anti-Racism Series
We are proud to present Concordia University Library's inaugural digital exhibition. Take a Moment presents a series of un-interrupted moments for solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, for reflection on systemic racism, and for making space for Black representation. At this exact moment in time, let us pause for a minute, or two, or more...
Take a Moment Coordinators: Rachel Harris and Sarah Lake
Questions? Please contact: lib-exhibitions@concordia.ca
