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“Exploring Blackhurst Cultural Centre” provides students with information about an important community hub for members of the Black community in Toronto. This cultural centre was once a bookstore and has evolved into a vibrant community space. First known as A Different Booklist, the Blackhurst Cultural Centre is located in downtown Toronto, in a neighbourhood that celebrates “a rich African, Caribbean, and Black Canadian legacy.” The bookstore offers a range of free programming, including mentorship programs for Black youth. Store-run tours tell the history of the neighbourhood and amplify the contributions of Black community members. With big plans for future development, including an art gallery, tech hub, and scholar-in-residence program, the owners see the cultural centre as a place where young and old feel they “are at the centre and never at the margins.” As students read this text, they are asked to consider what a cultural hub is and how it serves a community. They then explore the idea of such a space in their own community.

In “King of Stories,” siblings Joshua and Jacqueline visit their local Afro Caribbean cultural centre, where they hear a Caribbean Anansi story. They learn about the origin of these stories and that Anansi is a trickster creature, usually a spider, who finds creative ways to escape trouble. The play explores the importance of storytelling and looks at the way stories travel and change across cultures.

In this Learning Object, 12-year-old Janet, who is an orphan, travels to Trinidad and Tobago where her uncle tells her the legend of Gang Gang Sara. Gang Gang Sara is a figure from Caribbean legend who is said to have “blown from Africa” to Tobago in the 1700s. Gang Gang Sara’s story, like Janet’s, is about longing for home and a place to belong. Students make connections as they read. They later share a story that is important to them.