In 1995, Canada officially recognized February as Black History Month. Black Canadians have made a significant contribution to Canada’s history and culture, so this month is intended to celebrate and honour them. If you are searching for resources to teach Canadian Black History in your homeschool, here are some books, lesson plans, and more.
Educational Resources
BlacBiblio.com
Presented by BlacBiblio.com
Founded by professor, historian, and community activist, Dr. Dorothy Williams, BlacBiblio.com has created a resource called The ABC’s of Canadian Black History which showcases 26 black events and people. The goal is to have a resource that brings an inclusive and diverse Canadian-centred education. The kit is available in both English and French, and includes a set of 26 collector cards, a teacher’s guide and activities/worksheets to go along with them. However, the actual kit was intended for classrooms so the price is somewhat prohibitive for a single family. (As of December 2022, it is $499.) Instead, they offer the collector cards separately which are perfect for home. These are baseball-style cards, one for each letter of the alphabet and provide plenty of interest to explore from. These are available in both french and english. (As of Dec. 2022 – the cards are $20, including tax.)
#BlackHistoryMatters Lesson Plans
Created by Natasha Henry
This free resource is a 4 week study for students in grades 6-10. Each week covers a different topic. Week 1: African Communities. Week 2: Slavery and Freedom in Canada. Week 3: African Canadian Life in the 20th Century. Week 4: Legacies, Struggles and Contributions in the 21st Century. Lessons include reading sections, recommended activities and worksheets, features of African-Canadians, and more. A teacher’s answer guide is available.
Black History in Canada Education Guide
Created by The Canadian Encyclopedia
This digital education guide was created to work alongside a book titled “The Book of Negroes” by Lawrence Hill published in 2007. Please keep in mind this book contains some pretty heavy stuff and may be more suited for later teens. However, you can use the file without reading the book if you would like. Inside are resources such as a timeline of Black History in Canada from the 1600s to 2015, discussion and research questions about the book and other related topics, as well as conversations about the importance of using primary sources and of studying history.
Black History Educational Pack
Created by Kayak Magazine
This website provides a digital copy of their Black History in Canada magazine for kids. It’s a full colour magazine complete with photos and illustrations, articles, and stories that grab attention and keep young readers engaged. If you scroll down the website, you can also find related articles and activities to expand on the content from the magazine.
Torture and the Truth: Angélique and the Burning of Montreal
Presented by MysteryQuests
These webquests are designed for students ages 11 – 18, diving into the story of a Black woman in New France who was accused and sentenced for a fire. Each quest has students research and explore for their own answers to topics such as “Did Angelique start the fire?,” slavery, the status of women in New France, and more.
Black History in Canada Books
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Trailblazers: The Black Pioneers Who Have Shaped Canada
Author: Tiyhana Ridley-Padmore Illustrator: Merryl-Royce Ndema Moussa
This book features different Black Canadians across our history and presents their stories through poetry that make it easy for kids to understand. Each profile is a two page spread – one with the illustration and a short biography and the other with a poem about their story. The illustrations are so incredibly well done – caricature-like almost, but totally recognizable. It’s great for readers of any age and works a perfect jumping point to further study.
The Kids Book of Black Canadian History
Author: Rosemary Sadlier
From the first Black person who came to Canada about 400 years ago to the most recent wave of African immigrants, Black Canadians have played an important role in our country’s history. In this informative overview, kids will discover the inspiring stories and events of a people who fought oppression as they searched for a place to call their own. Featuring fact boxes, mini-profiles, a timeline and more, this book in the acclaimed Kids Book of series offers a glimpse into an often-overlooked part of Canadian history.
Meet Mary Ann Shadd & Meet Viola Desmond
Author: Elizabeth MacLeod
These Scholastic Canada biographies are part of a series of books about Canadians in history. These two in particular feature two Black Canadian women. Meet Mary Ann Shadd: anti-slavery activist, newspaper publisher, and social justice pioneer! Meet Viola Desmond: community leader and early civil rights trailblazer! Written in the format of a graphic novel style combined with a conversational narrative, these books also include timelines and actual images from their lives.
Author: Shauntay Grant
This is a story told from the perspective of a young girl visiting the site of what was once the vibrant community of Africville. She remembers stories told to her by relatives to imagine what Africville was like when it was standing. The gorgeous illustrations, by Eva Campbell, capture a simple time of beauty, love, joy and a loving community.
Media Resources
Portraits of Black Canadians Podcast
Presented by Radio Canada International
A series of short podcasts featuring the histories, lives, and experiences of some Black Canadians such as Donovan Bailey, Josiah Henson, George Frederick Johnson, and Mary Ann Shadd. There are more than 25 episodes which are only between 2 to 4 minutes in length.
The Secret Life of Canada Podcast
Presented by CBC Radio
The Secret Life of Canada highlights the people, places and stories that probably didn’t make it into your high school textbook. There are several episodes about black people and history included in the multi-season podcast. Recommended for high school+.
#ShareTheirStory
Presented by Ontario Black History Society
This page includes five videos of Black entrepreneurs like cowboy John Wade, engineer Elijah McCoy, and Jazz club owner Rufus Rockhead. These are short, informational videos. (There are other resources on the page, but some are broken and are more informational interviews.)
Remember Africville Documentary
Available from the National Film Board of Canada
For ages 13+
Africville, a small black settlement, lay within the city limits of Halifax, Nova Scotia. In the 1960s, the families who lived there were uprooted and their homes demolished in the name of urban renewal and integration. Now, more than twenty years later, the site of the community of Africville is a stark, under-utilized park. Former residents, their descendants and some of the decision-makers, speak out and, with the help of archival photographs and films, tell the story of that painful relocation.
Journey to Justice Documentary
Available from the National Film Board of Canada
For ages 12+
This documentary pays tribute to a group of Canadians who took racism to court. They are Canada’s unsung heroes in the fight for Black civil rights. Focusing on the 1930s to the 1950s, this film documents the struggle of 6 people who refused to accept inequality. Featured here, among others, are Viola Desmond, a woman who insisted on keeping her seat at the Roseland movie theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia in 1946 rather than moving to the section normally reserved for the city’s Black population, and Fred Christie, who took his case to the Supreme Court after being denied service at a Montreal tavern in 1936. These brave pioneers helped secure justice for all Canadians. Their stories deserve to be told.
The National Film Board (NFB) has many great and interesting videos and documentaries on their website. You can find a list of recommended videos about Black communities and experiences in Canada here: NFB Celebrates Black History Month
Other Resources
Black Loyalists Digital Collections
This site explores an untold story of our nation’s history: how Canada became the home of the first settlements of free blacks outside Africa. Read their story, meet the people, see the documentation, and learn more.
Ontario Black History Society Archives
This database gives information about historical and contemporary personalities, places such as settlements, burial grounds, and churches in Ontario, audio and visual recordings, as well as many book recommendations and other resources.
Teaching African – Canadian History
This website is packed full of resources, including film recommendations, places to visit in Ontario to learn about Black History, book lists and more. There are many different links to lesson plans, and in the blog area, you can find suggestions of Black history topics that co-ordinate with the Ontario social studies curriculum.
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Thanks for coming by and linking up your post. This is just what I was looking for. Thank for the links. 🙂
Thanks for your valuable resource. I basically work on Canadian immigration visa. And I also love to learn new from others, therefore I am here. Thanks for your helpful information.
Thank you for this. I am putting together a Canadian history course for my soon-to-be grade 12 student and I want to use some resources that include perspectives by Black Canadians on historical events. I’m having trouble finding something like this. Would you have any ideas? (To be clear, I’m not looking for resources *about* Black Canadians per se – you’ve linked some great ones – but I’m looking for Black perspectives on Canadian historical events. How did these events affect their community? What narratives have we not heard? I’ve found a few such resources from the perspective of some Indigenous groups, and I’d like to do the same with some Black perspectives.)
Great question. There is definitely a gap in the market for this kind of resource. Maybe something like these?
** Black Life: Untold Stories – an 8 part docuseries about Black experiences in Canada (In truth, I’m only familiar with it in passing so I can’t give you specific feedback on the content) -> https://gem.cbc.ca/black-life-untold-stories
** Black People’s History website, which looks like it’s trying to create resources to support this kind of learning -> https://www.blackpeopleshistory.ca/
And here are a few book lists – although, I don’t know what would be appropriate for your student in your house.
** https://inclusivestorytime.com/2022/02/18/celebrating-black-canadian-history-book-list/
** https://www.kobo.com/blog/books-for-learning-about-canadian-black-history
If you find anything else, please let me know.