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This Forms and Genres Learning Object looks at the barbershop as a place of belonging for boys and men in the Black community. For the narrator, cutting hair is about family relationships and intergenerational connection. The video also situates the barbershop as historically important to the Black community in Canada. Students consider the role of the haircut in creating a sense of belonging in the video, and the historical importance of the barbershop to the Black community. Students analyze and evaluate both messages and themes (or big ideas) as they discuss this video.

Some Black Canadians developed their own way of speaking with each other. This way of speaking combines phrases and words from Caribbean nation languages with local Canadian speech. It also includes words and expressions from West and East African languages. This mix creates speech patterns that are unique to Black Canadians, especially those born in Canada. The words and phrases in the quiz are examples of words and phrases used by some Black Canadians.

People from every culture have foods they enjoy cooking and eating. The food they eat often connects to the place where their ancestors came from.

Starting in the 1600s, Black people came to Canada in different years and from different parts of the world. What some Black Canadians eat reflects these roots. As well, their cultural food reflects the fact that all Black Canadians have ancestors from Africa.

From classical music to rap, Black Canadians compose and perform all kinds of music. There are many Black Canadians who have achieved worldwide fame with their music. A few examples are listed below. How many of these artists do you know?

Black Canadians played a key role in Canada’s history. Black doctors, lawyers, and teachers were among those who worked hard to make Canada what it is today. Many of them faced tough challenges due to racism. They faced these challenges with inner strength and focus. Knowing their own value helped them achieve their goals. Their successes are not as well known or celebrated as they should be. Watch the I Am Excellence video to learn about what some Black Canadians achieved in law, politics, education, and medicine dating back to the 1800s!

Black people have been living in Canada for over 400 years. They have played a key role in almost all parts of Canadian society, including sports. Their accomplishments in sports include

• inventing training and playing techniques
• helping to make vital rule changes
• representing Canada in international competitions
• breaking records

Explore the Black Canadian Athletes Hall of Firsts to discover amazing facts about Black Canadian athletes and their history-making achievements.

As a former track athlete, Greg Birkett, the podcaster/poet for “Greg B Podcast: The Race,” says that a track race has always struck him as a perfect metaphor for life. The podcast embeds Birkett’s poem “The Race” within a brief discussion that considers how metaphors can be used to generate meaning. The podcast also includes questions to help listeners think more closely about the poem. Birkett leaves it to his listeners to make the connection between race as an athletic competition and race as a social identity constructed around the colour of a person’s skin, which is clear in the poem. The inequities in the track race stand for inequities among races, and the poem is ultimately a lament and a call to action for Black youth.

This Learning Object looks at the history and development of rap music in Canada. It offers a brief historical narrative of the musical genre and uses a timeline to identify key moments in Canadian rap history. The timeline spans a period from 1979 to the present, and includes Canadian rap on both the local and international scene.

Black people who have ancestors from the Caribbean and Africa, or were born there themselves, have been living in Canada for over 300 years. They came to Canada at different times and for different reasons. Some were forced to come. Others came because they wanted to. All of them have had an enormous impact on Canada’s development as a nation. The timeline below outlines key facts and contributions connected to Caribbean and African immigration to Canada.