Strong and Free

4.8 (41)
HISTORY
UPDATED WEEKLY

Tracing stories from the earliest Black settlers to recently arrived Canadians, Strong and Free captures just a few of the crucial stories of Black Canadians thriving and contributing to building this country. Listen to Strong and Free, a six-part podcast from Historica Canada, produced by Media Girlfriends. Because Black history is Canadian history.

2021-11-09

Haitian Diaspora in Quebec: Rhymes and Revolution

In the 1960s and 70s, Quebec saw an influx of Haitian immigrants fleeing Francois Duvalier’s dictatorship. By 1971, thousands of Haitians had immigrated to Quebec, the only other majority French-speaking society in North America. Arriving mostly in Montreal, Haitians encountered the Quiet Revolution, the perfect setting to establish their exiled community and combat Duvalier’s regime from abroad. Their battle for liberation infused with Quebec’s own. But who are these Haitian immigrants, and what do we really know about their history? We speak with musician Jenny Salgado (a.k.a. J Kyll) and educator and historian Alain Saint-Victor to learn more about the relationship between Haiti and Quebec and the influences of the Haitian community in “la belle province.”

23 min
2021-11-02

John Ware: The Legend of Canada’s “First” Black Cowboy

Known for his strength and horsemanship and his innovative ranching techniques, John Ware was a legendary Albertan. Born into enslavement, he became a successful rancher and eventually settled near Calgary. He was widely admired as one of the best cowboys in the West, even at a time of widespread anti-Black racism and discrimination. We turn to Cheryl Foggo, author, playwright, screenwriter, and director of John Ware Reclaimed and Karina Vernon, Associate Professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough, to learn more about this legendary Black hero who had a hand in shaping Canada’s prairie culture.

28 min
2021-10-26

Mary Ann Shadd: Journalism, Activism, and the Power of Words

Mary Ann Shadd Cary was the first Black woman to publish a newspaper in North America. But Mary Ann Shadd didn’t just make history by being first. With her newspaper “The Provincial Freeman,” she captured history. Today, her perspective deepens our understanding of the past and is an example of why representation in journalism matters. In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with two of Shadd’s descendants: Marishana Mabusela, our researcher for this podcast, and her mother, writer and historian Adrienne Shadd.

33 min
2021-10-19

Marie-Josèphe Angélique : Montreal on Fire

Marie-Josèphe Angélique was an enslaved Black woman owned by Thérèse de Couagne de Francheville in Montreal. In 1734, she was charged with arson after a fire leveled Montreal’s merchants’ quarter. It was alleged that Angélique committed the act while attempting to flee her bondage. She was convicted, tortured, and hanged. While it remains unknown whether she set the fire, Angélique’s story has come to symbolize Black resistance and freedom. We discuss Angélique’s story, and that of enslavement in Canada, with three women who have examined the trial: Dr. Afua Cooper, historian, poet, and professor at Dalhousie University; Denyse Beaugrand-Champagne, historian & archivist, and Ayana O’Shun, director of “Black Hands: Trial of the Arsonist Slave.”

33 min
2021-10-12

Herb Carnegie: Black Excellence on – and off – the Ice

Herb Carnegie is widely regarded as the best Black player to never play in the NHL. He played competitive hockey in the 1940s and 1950s, mostly in the Quebec and Ontario Junior A and senior leagues. In this episode, we learn about Herb’s story of Black excellence on and off the ice, and speak with Kwame Mason, director and producer of the “Soul on Ice” film and podcast, and Bernice Carnegie, daughter of Herb Carnegie, and co-founder of The Carnegie Initiative for acceptance and inclusion in hockey.

31 min
2021-10-05

West Indian Domestic Scheme: Nurturing a Nation

From 1955 to 1967, Canada ran a recruitment initiative known as the West Indian Domestic Scheme. Young women from English-speaking Caribbean countries could come to Canada as domestic workers. These women were crucial to the economic and cultural growth of the country, and the Canadian idea of multiculturalism was built, in part, on the backs of these women. In this episode, Eva Bailey, mother of host Garvia Bailey, remembers her experience coming to Canada shortly after the scheme. We also speak with associate professor Karen Flynn, who explores the feminist revolution as well as the social mobility this immigration scheme encouraged.

33 min
EPISODE 1

New Podcast: Strong and Free

Coming October 5, 2021: Tracing stories from the earliest Black settlers to recently arrived Canadians, Strong and Free captures just a few of the crucial stories of Black Canadians thriving and contributing to building this country. Listen to Strong and Free, a six-part podcast from Historica Canada, produced by Media Girlfriends. Find it wherever you get your podcasts. Because Black history is Canadian history.

1 min

TRAILER

New Podcast: Strong and Free

Coming October 5, 2021: Tracing stories from the earliest Black settlers to recently arrived Canadians, Strong and Free captures just a few of the crucial stories of Black Canadians thriving and contributing to building this country. Listen to Strong and Free, a six-part podcast from Historica Canada, produced by Media Girlfriends. Find it wherever you get your podcasts. Because Black history is Canadian history.

E1

•

1 min

Historica Canada

Host

4.8

out of 5

41 Ratings

Required Listening!!

2022-01-30

Bizzzzzy1234

I love the historical and present day connections this podcast draws for the listener. They are connections I would probably never consider…so thanks to the writers, producers, etc for letting us hear these voices. If you like historical deep dives that meander down interesting roads, this podcast is for you.
It was just about time!

2021-12-07

MaggieLasalle

I love this podcast! White history is always impressed on us and Black History is often through the American experience. This podcast was so overdue. I hope to see it develop into much more. Thank you for this♥️💛💚
Captivating!

2021-10-19

jjoydogg

Fascinating educational history much needed to be listened to. Love the soundtrack accompaniment music with Garvia’s voice, too!
So good, so needed!

2021-10-15

fatimahj

I’ve really enjoyed the first few episodes and can’t wait for the others. Podcasts focusing on the Black Canadian experience are so needed, and I’m glad this one exists.

Tracing stories from the earliest Black settlers to recently arrived Canadians, Strong and Free captures just a few of the crucial stories of Black Canadians thriving and contributing to building this country. Listen to Strong and Free, a six-part podcast from Historica Canada, produced by Media Girlfriends. Because Black history is Canadian history.