MUSEUM PEOPLE — GET READY

AFRICAN CANADIAN HISTORY

BY: KENDRA CAMPBELL

Earlier this month the National Portrait Gallery announced it was moving the portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama to another location in order to provide a “more spacious viewing experience.” The response to Amy Sherald’s portrait of the First Lady has been overwhelming, far exceeding the institution’s expectations for visitor numbers. Commentary about the impact of this portrait has beautifully illustrated the importance of representation in museum spaces. I’m glad this museum mishap had a happy ending and that museum publics will have increased opportunities for representation. However, I am left wondering if this situation is indicative of a larger gap in museum thinking. Namely, why are museums surprised by audience responses? As audience needs, interests, and expectations change, museums appear at best, unprepared, and at worst, unaware or uncaring.

Amy Sherald's Portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama at the National Portrait Gallery. Source.

I had the distinct pleasure of writing for Musings for the last two years. During that time I was able to cover a sliver of the shifting politics of display, expanding communities of practice and emerging socially-engaged approaches. All of these converge to positively transform the ways that African-Canadian history and Black history more broadly are interpreted. At the same time I have also observed the maintenance and reproduction of anti-Black, colonial mentalities that threaten this progress. Particularly in areas of African Canadian history, there is an immediate need of enhanced strategic foresight that allows for new possibilities. Now on my final post for this column, my only offering to museum colleagues is to get ready.

Get ready for a new canon of African Canadian Black history that is independent from and incomparable to Western worldviews. Get ready for Black history narratives that are decidedly desire-centered, not damage-centered. Get ready to listen to publics who neither look nor live like you do. Get ready to compensate your partners, collaborators, and co-conspirators fairly. Get ready to be called into a critical discourse with your staff that may make you uncomfortable. Get ready to be challenged both professionally and personally about your work as it relates to the role of museums in society. Get ready to think and work differently.

What must you do to not only respond to visitor needs, but to anticipate them?

Get ready.

DEBRIEFING BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN YOUR INSTITUTION

AFRICAN CANADIAN HISTORY

BY KENDRA CAMPBELL 

Just like that, 28 days dedicated to Black art, Black voices and Black stories is over (sort of).

As Black History Month 2018 draws to a close, what did you discover?  What inspired you? What surprised you? This year’s offerings, both at home and abroad, were extensive as they were impressive. For instance, the sound of Sylvia D. Hamilton’s installation continues to literally and figuratively resonate long after I exited the Royal Ontario Museum’s Here We Are Here. On the final day of Black History Month, perhaps the most important question to ask of museum professionals is what comes next? Or rather, what will you do next?

Sylvia D. Hamilton's Naming Names at the ROM. Photo courtesy of Kendra Campbell

It is my hope that the incredible content that intentionally and unapologetically centres Black experiences will not be de-installed and packed into crates to lie dormant for the next 11 months. In fact, I am elated to see that in Toronto the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), The Power Plant, and a number of other institutions will continue to feature and interpret these works well into the Spring. But beyond displays and programs, I’m curious to know how museums will continue the conversation.  How will you sustain critical conversations within your own institution and with audiences?  If you are struggling to begin, I recommend the following:

5 Questions Your Museum Should Ask in Your Black History Month Debrief

1.What was our greatest success this month? Would our partners (publics, teachers and school groups, communities) also consider it a success?  What prevents us from reproducing similar experiences the rest of the year?

2.What was our greatest challenge this month? What actionable steps will we take to mitigate this challenge in the future?

3.What did we learn about visitor needs, interests and expectations? What changes do we need to make in order to prioritize audience relevancy?

4. With whom inside and outside of your museum do you need to have further dialogues? What will we do to sustain reciprocal relationships and ensure ample space for critique?

5. What resources will we use to redress anti-black racism in our institutional practices? What is our plan to hold everyone accountable to this work?

This set of questions makes for a full agenda, but a Black History Month debrief is neither complete nor effective if it does not ask this final question: What are we doing to address staff diversity? The relationship between diverse audiences and a diverse staff is not exactly causal. However, I am convinced that staff diversity and the range of voices who feel safe and supported to respond to these questions will result in higher quality museum experiences.

Consider this debrief an opportunity to be proactive, rather than reactive to forthcoming changes in the museum world, not just in February but all year round.

There are 338 days and counting, but you need not wait that long.

2016 American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting and Museum Expo - Alliance Labs Source.

LESSONS IN UNLEARNING - EXPLORING HERE WE ARE HERE: BLACK CANADIAN CONTEMPORARY ART

AFRICAN CANADIAN HISTORY

BY KENDRA CAMPBELL

“Collections take time to transform,” explains Dr. Silvia Forni, Curator of African Arts and Cultures in the Royal Ontario Museum’s Department of World Cultures. I had the privilege to speak with Dr. Forni, hours before an opening of the new ROM exhibition Here We Are Here: Black Canadian Contemporary Art. She, along with Dr. Julie Crooks and Dominque Fontaine, were co-curators of the new show that features the works of 9 emerging and established Black Canadian artists. The installations by Sandra Brewster, Michèle Pearson Clarke, Chantal Gibson, Sylvia D. Hamilton, Bushra Junaid, Charmaine Lurch, Esmaa Mohamoud, Dawit L. Petros and Gordon Shadrach all comment on themes of race, exclusion and belonging, but are ultimately distinct. Collectively, Here We Are Here provides a lens to understand the varied and dynamic experience of Blackness in Canada.

Suck Teeth Compositions (After Rashaad Newsome), Michèle Pearson Clarke, 2017.
Photo courtesy of the ROM. 

Knowledge about Blackness and Black history in Canada is skewed by the mythologizing of the underground railroad and other lore, which is particularly pervasive at this time of year. This is further compounded by the fact that the sights and sounds of the Black diaspora are not given adequate space in public discourse, let alone the opportunity to be refracted on gallery walls. This is one of the reasons why Here We Are Here is so important. According to the co-curatorial team, there is a great deal of unlearning that must take place. This multi-narrative show challenges Canada’s purported anti-slavery past as well as the current narratives of acceptance and multiculturalism.

Sweet Childhood, Bushra Junaid, 2017. Photo courtesy of the ROM.

Beyond the unlearning of Canada’s Black past and present, there is a deeper lesson of unlearning the biases of curatorial practice. This is a lesson that would benefit many professionals within this sector. Regarding the curatorial process, Dr. Forni notes that the curatorial team did not have studio visits where they selected the best examples of artists’ work. Rather, the co-curators supported a 9-member community of artists who worked closely together to refine their individual work. Regarding the curatorial vision, there is no sweeping narrative or protracted timeline of Black history in Canada. Instead, each work reflects vestiges of time and emphasizes the specific linkages to the present.
Most importantly, Here We Are Here is not a fleeting 28-day stint of inclusion. Dr. Forni comments that in many ways the show was a culmination of the 3-year multiplatform Of Africa initiative, led by the same curatorial team. In addition to issuing an apology for the 1989 Into the Heart of Africa exhibition, the Of Africa curators partnered with an advisory council, listened to community members and worked with a range of artists to think through the process of interpreting and engaging with the complexity and diversity of Africa.

Souvenir, Chantal Gibson, 2017. Photo courtesy of the ROM.

As Dr. Forni alluded to in our conversation, the importance of time cannot be underestimated with respect to rebuilding museum and community relations. Evidenced by the ROM’s increasingly diverse collection and exhibitions, systemic change requires continuous effort and commitment from the institution. Next month and thereafter, I look forward to more examples of transformation at the ROM and elsewhere within the broader museum sector. In my active search for sustained models of change in the museum sector, I wonder, what else do today’s and tomorrow’s museum professionals need to unlearn?

SKELETONS IN THE COLLECTION: BLACKFACE IN CANADIAN MUSEUMS

AFRICAN CANADIAN HISTORY

BY: KENDRA CAMPBELL

Museum collections are messy assemblages of cultural material that have been collected (read: stolen, coerced, acquired) over time. As time passes, collections grow and societal values shift, a museum may perceive some of its historical holdings as unacceptable for contemporary exhibition. These materials become proverbial skeletons in the museum collection that for conflicting reasons, the museum chooses not to confront. Blackface ephemera, specifically the history of blackface in Canada, is a fitting example of this phenomena.

Source.

Around this time every year, a Halloween costume faux-pas prompts us to revisit the history of blackface and why it is so hurtful when such racist representations resurface. Brian Roberts, author of Blackface Nation: Race, Reform and Identity in American Popular Music, 1812 provides a succinct definition. 

Blackface “was a musical genre in which actors and singers blackened their faces and hands with make-up and performed what were nearly always spurious versions of African-American song, dance and expression.”

Mr. Hickey, blackface theatre performer, Montreal, QC 1896. Source

Blackface is commonly associated with American musical traditions, but Canadian audiences also participated in this harmful cultural practice. Although Canadian blackface is less frequently discussed and acknowledged, archival material reminds us of the prominence of this genre.

Protest against blackface did not suddenly emerge in 2017. As early as the mid nineteenth century, Blacks protested these racist caricatures that were rooted in slavery. In the 1840s, Black Canadians organized a petition at Toronto City Hall hoping to outlaw the practice. Unfortunately, these efforts did little to stop blackface performances or mitigate its sweeping cultural influence. Blackface permeated numerous forms of popular culture, further perpetuating racist imagery.

Given the popularity blackface, why is this history of blackface not visible in Canadian museums?

Perhaps museums are conflicted about whether or not they should exhibit this material. It would be remiss not to mention that this history enacts violence on certain visitors, particularly visitors of colour, and encountering such imagery in a museum or gallery space must be done accurately and mindfully.  On the other hand, there is no doubt that blackface in Canada disrupts and complicates dominant Canadian narratives. Whatever the rationale for not sharing this history, it must be noted that there are consequences when museums do not engage with this history. Namely, hurtful stereotypes persist and manifest in new ways when certain stories are lazily labelled “difficult histories” and are denied the opportunity for re-contextualization through exhibition.  

 

Exhibition about blackface at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Photo courtesy of Kendra Campbell.

Rather than deny the existence of these skeletons in museum closets, cultural institutions should explore new approaches to interpret this history more empathetically. When museums engage in nuanced storytelling there is an opportunity to create space for learning and to contribute to dialogue. 

This week’s Arts Against Post Racialism Exhibition at OCAD U Grad Gallery (205 Richmond St. West) is an excellent advancement of this issue. From October 30 - November 3rd, experience video, sculpture and film installations that bring visibility and challenge blackface in Canada. 

Arts Against Post Racialism: Strengthening Resistance Against Contemporary Canadian Blackface is a SSHRC-funded knowledge mobilization initiative led by Dr Philip Howard (McGill University, Department of Integrated Studies in Education) in collaboration with artist/curator Camille Turner that challenges blackface and postracialism by supporting efforts to challenge them. Source. 

References:

 Slanely, Catherine. (2003) Family Secrets Crossing the Colour Line, p.45.

MONUMENTS IN THEIR HONOUR: MEMORY AND LANDS OF OPPORTUNITY IN NOVA SCOTIA

AFRICAN CANADIAN HISTORY

BY: KENDRA CAMPBELL

“History is not the past, it is the present” - James Baldwin 

Last week’s exciting announcement from the Nova Scotia government served as a poignant reminder that the events of the present cannot be understood without a clear sense of the past. The province announced that it will spend $2.7 million dollars to help residents in historically Black communities obtain legal title to their land. The CBC summarizes the announcement and the issue here.

“The problem can be traced back two centuries, when the government gave plots of land to Black loyalists for their support during the American Revolutionary War and to Black refugees, former slaves who sought refuge after the War of 1812. The government, however, did not give deeds, which meant those who settled never officially owned the land they lived on” – Sherri Borden Colley, CBC News 

House at North Preston, Nova Scotia, 1934. Source.

I’m struck by the intergenerational nature of this issue. The actions, or inaction of some groups 200 years ago, have direct bearing on the lives of these residents. For many, the geography of these historically Black communities are not passive sites of memory, but rather actives sites of visceral meaning-making where the past and present tensions may reconcile.

Land Titles were among several action items noted in a recent United Nations Working Group report that addresses racial disparities and discrimination against people of African descent in Canada. One recommendation stands out to me: the report lists that the Government of Canada should

"take concrete steps to preserve the history of enslavement and the political, social and economic contributions of African Canadians by establishing monuments in their honour." 

Inside the new Black Loyalist Heritage Centre in Birchtown, Nova Scotia. Source.

Monuments function as sites of memory, as they are sites of power. This perspective was validated by the significant protests that erupted this summer. With respect to Nova Scotia, building new monuments could be part of a fundamental exercise in space reclamation. I’m excited at the prospect of a necessary intervention into Nova Scotia’s narrative. At a time when we are looking at monuments with greater scrutiny, it is critical that we question who controls the story and for what purpose. It is my hope that Nova Scotia’s example permeates into broader national narratives and encourages stories where multiple and at times conflicting voices can be heard and respected.

Museums should be at the forefront of this memory work. For many institutions, this is a land of new opportunity. Intimidating perhaps, but necessary in the current sociopolitical climate.

African Canadian history reveals much about our present reality. I look forward to exploring this juncture of past and present over the next several months. A gentle reminder that you need not wait until February to dig into these issues; here’s a sample of what’s coming up in Black History in the GTA.

BAND Gallery and Cultural Centre
Emerging Artists Showcase Featuring Gordon Shadrach
September 21-October 22, 2017  

Lucie and Thornton Blackburn Conference Centre
A Freedom-Seeker’s Toronto: Celebrating the Life and Times of Cecilia Jane Reynolds
October 18-19, 2017 (Details to Follow)

"GET TO WHERE YOU'RE GOING IN A HURRY" SLEEPING CAR PORTERS & NEW DIRECTIONS FOR BLACK HISTORY IN CANADA

Since a great deal of our cohort will soon migrate to our respective internships or employment, or journey far away from the iSchool for some well-deserved rest, travel has been on my mind. Perhaps it’s the recent fervour surrounding the VIA Rail Canada150 Youth Pass, perhaps it's the feeling of chugging into the final station as we close the term, but nevertheless my brain has been fixated on travel by rail in particular. 

Source

 Like much of the African Canadian experience, the history of travel and migration is transnational, deeply nuanced, and is only recently being shared in the public forum. Stories of the underground railroad often overshadow the African-Canadian experience with travel, and so for my last African-Canadian post I want to spotlight the sleeping car porters. 

In the 1870s, the Pullman Palace Car Company introduced a new luxury line of rail cars. Train passengers were treated to the finest amenities, including access to round-the-clock service in the form of a Sleeping Car Porter.  Chosen for their servile nature, porters were originally former slaves who would be at the beck and call of white travellers.  As the role evolved in later years, it was specifically designed for and dominated by Black men. 

 “Prevailing racist attitudes held that Blacks were socially inferior to whites and were meant to work in such vocations that reinforced this attitude, such as that of the sleeping car porter. Black men from across Canada, the United States, the Caribbean and as far away as Wales and the Dutch East Indies were hired as sleeping car porters for Canadian railway companies” 

Canadian Museum for Human Rights Blog

Porter with Passengers from Canadian National Railway. Source.

As Black men, porters were denied any opportunity to advance to other roles in the company. Yet, there was a certain prestige associated with the role of porter that consistently attracted Blacks to the position. One advantage of the position was that porters travelled exceptional distances, moved from city to city, keeping abreast to the latest news on both the American and Canadian borders. This physical mobility was also connected to their social mobility. Porters were also in the unique position of occupying and existing in traditionally white spaces. The train car became a complex site of racial politics that showcased the struggle for power, agency and resistance. 

The height of this resistance came with the development of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP), a labour union that fought relentlessly to organize Blacks and improve conditions for porters.  An associated Ladies Auxiliary supported the Brotherhood and developed a complementary agenda that included progress in education.  Unfortunately, there isn't space to get into all the details in this post but there is a great National Film Board documentary on the topic here.

Ladies Auxiliary, Toronto Pullman Division, Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, 1940. Source.

This past November, one of Canada's most recognized names associated with porters passed away.  Stanley G. Grizzle (1918 - 2016), the son of Jamaican immigrants, was a leader in the Toronto Canadian Pacific Railway Division of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Moreover, he also served in World War II with the Canadian Army Medical Corps and was an active and influential leader in labour relations, immigration policy and served as a member of the Joint Labour Committee to Combat Racial Intolerance. He was an active voice in African-Canadian Civil Rights and the recipient of numerous awards. 

Governor General Michaelle Jean & Stanley G. Grizzle. Source.

I have always been fascinated by the ways in which roles that are deemed subservient are actually incredibly subversive, and I’d argue that sleeping car porters and porter agency exemplify this case.  In many ways the story of sleeping car porters is one that challenged representations of Blacks and Blackness.  One of my favourite examples of this can be found on the Virtual Museum of Canada website.

The plaque (seen below) originally hung inside one of Grizzle's sleeping cars. 

"Every porter was in charge of one sleeping car on a train. Because of at times, the demeaning names they were called by passengers, such as "George" or "boy," porters won the right in their first collective agreement with CP Rail in 1945 to have plaques erected in each car stating their name"

Stanley G. Grizzle Plaque  Source.

After years of misrepresentation and oversight, I'm excited about the ways in which the stories and the contributions of African-Canadians have been made visible and are represented in museums.  One prospect I am especially looking forward to is the exhibit Free Black North which opens next month at the Art Gallery of Ontario. There is much work to do to further integrate African Canadian history into the Canadian museological landscape. Fortunately, efforts are not slowing down. The number of exhibitions covered here in this column and the numerous others that did not receive adequate recognition are encouraging signs that this work will continue.  It is especially encouraging that new directions for Black history in Canada are not limited to one route, but rather this exploration is taking place under new conductors through roads less travelled and through intersectional terrain. 

It has been my pleasure to share the phenomenal work going on in the museum world related to Black history.  

Until our paths cross again…

                                          

"THIS IS CANADIAN HISTORY" - BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2017

The month of February marks a special occasion...  

February has been designated as a month to celebrate Black people and Black achievements in politics, science, business, art and sport. Interestingly, it was originally a week-long event championed by historian and educator, Dr. Carter G Woodson (1875-1950).  This tradition has been preserved in the United States, most notably in 1976 when it was expanded from a week to a month during the US Bicentennial. 

Charles Alston's Cartoon - New York Historical Society

The tradition of Black History Month in Canada is much more recent. Jean Augustine, the first African-Canadian woman elected to Parliament, successfully gained national recognition for Black History Month in Canada in 1995. More on her here. Last February, Augustine appeared on The Agenda and took some time to reflect on the 20th anniversary of Black History Month. 

Four takeaways from the video: 

1.  It is somewhat baffling to hear about Rosemary Brown's image on a stamp, and then to think about Viola Desmond on a $10 Bill.  Things certainly have changed in a year! 

2.  Paikin asks "Is there one thing in particular, that you think Black History Month has failed at?" 

Augustine responds with the need for Black stories to be interweaved within the existing narrative. Black stories should not just be mentioned during Black History Month, they need to be mentioned throughout the course of the year. Also, when Black stories are incorporated they should be treated as historical issues with equal weight.  Sidebar anecdotes do little to create more accurate and inclusive narratives.  Some dissenting opinions on Black History Month, (the film More than a Month as an example),  directly address the need for systemic change. This is connected to emerging ideas that seek to shift away from surface-level diversity to sustainable models of inclusion.

3. There is much work to be done, but we are taking important steps. The strong activist environment is discussed. Researchers in archives and museums are mentioned explicitly. These platforms for inclusive practices matter as much as textbooks as we move toward a more complete understanding of Black history as part of Canadian heritage. 

4. Lastly, widen the circle. Augustine affirms, "this is Canadian history and it is our history." This February I encourage you to explore the multitude of Black History happenings, giving special attention to the voices and the messages.  I have included some links below, but this is by no means an exhaustive list. There is a wide range of activities going on both inside and outside of museums.

Seek them out. Learn their stories.  Participate not only this month, but in the months to come. 

Exhibitions: 

No Justice, No Peace: From Ferguson to Toronto at BAND Pop-Up Gallery at the Gladstone Hotel

(February 2-26, 2017)

Black Enslavement in Upper Canada at PAMA 

(February 4 - September 3, 2017)

Events: 

#FNLROM Afro-Fete on Feb 3 at the ROM. 

True North: Race Sexuality and Science in Arctic Exploration on Feb 7 at the ROM

Annual Vaughn Lecture : Of Africa : Things, People and Ideas  on February 28 at the ROM 

What Black History Month event are you most looking forward to? 

SHOWCASING STRUGGLES FOR JUSTICE: RYERSON IMAGE CENTRE AND BLACK ARTIST'S NETWORK DIALOGUE PRESENT POWER TO THE PEOPLE

Museums and galleries are uniquely poised to showcase struggles for justice. The Ryerson Image Centre (RIC) in partnership with Black Artist’s Network Dialogue (BAND) has opened Power to the People: Photography and Video of Repression and Black Protest. This series of exhibitions throws light on various moments and forms of resistance by people of colour in the twentieth century.  As noted in the remarks made on opening night, you cannot fail to notice that these historical issues are timely. 

Attica USA 1971 at Ryerson Image Centre Photo: Kendra Campbell 

Power to the People includes

• Attica USA 1971: Images and Sounds for a Rebellion
• 
  
• Birmingham Alabama, 1963, Dawoud Bey/Black Star
• 
  
• Adam Pendleton My Education, a Portrait of David Hilliard 
• 
  
• Sisters in the Struggle: Angela Davis and Kathleen Cleaver

Each individual exhibition addresses the struggle of yesterday and today in a way that is poignant and profound.  The sprawling timeline in Attica, USA 1971 recounts the hour-by-hour struggle to regain control and the failed negotiations of the Attica Prison Riots.

Timeline of Attica Prison Riot at Ryerson Image Centre
Photo: Kendra Campbell

Perhaps even more sobering is the Declaration to the People of America Wall that outlines the practical proposals of the inmates. Number 1? Apply the New York State minimum wage law to all state institutions. Stop Slave Labour.  Number 4?  End all censorship of newspapers, magazines, letters and other publications coming from the publisher.

Attica USA, 1971 at Ryerson Image Centre
Photo: Kendra Campbell 

Compelling text is complemented by the voice of the struggle that can be heard in the exhibit space. Multimedia was an important tool used by the oppressed to write, sing, and resist. Songs of the era made subtle and not-so-subtle references to the political climate. TV appearances by lawyers, activists and public figures further amplified the voice of the oppressed. 

Attica USA 1971, Ryerson Image Centre
Photo: Kendra Campbell

Power to the People has framed the themes of power and representation in a way that balances the tragedy and resiliency of Black stories. I'd argue that the exhibit masterfully embodies Angela Davis who proclaimed that "I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept." 

At this critical juncture in our history, what can museums change? What can they no longer accept?

Power to the People is a striking example of the ways in which museums and galleries cannot only preserve and showcase cultural memory, but also become a site for exploring the roots of historical tensions through dialogue and action. 

Power to the People is on display from now until April 9, with a number of guest lectures offered to the public.  On February 2nd,  Ryerson Image Centre and BAND will open a pop-up gallery titled No Justice, No Peace: From Ferguson to Toronto at the Gladstone Hotel.

"WHAT'S IN A NAME? A CITY BY ANY OTHER NAME WOULD SMELL AS SWEET" RENAMING AND RECLAIMING PROJECTS IN TORONTO

How do you recognize your connection to the past and embrace it in the present? This is a topical question to ask since November has been a month of exciting renaming and reclaiming projects related to African-Canadian history in Toronto.

1. The Opening of the Lucie and Thornton Blackburn Conference Centre

Artists completing the mural for the Centre. (Source)

Transit in Toronto is a hotly debated topic. However, long before talk of subway extensions and ride-sharing licenses, finding the fastest, easiest and cleanest route around Toronto, then-York, was a common concern in the early nineteenth century. One solution? Track down a taxicab from one of the city’s earliest transit operations started by former slave Thornton Blackburn.

Blackburn and his wife Lucie Blackburn embody the complex African American-African Canadian identity politics and illustrate the transnational mobility of Blacks during this era. You can read more about their stories in Dr. Karolyn Smardz Frost’s book I’ve Got a Home in Glory Land: A Lost Tale of the Underground Railroad and in a previous Musings post.

Stories about the Blackburns have resurfaced since the opening of the Lucie and Thornton Blackburn Conference Centre last week at George Brown College.  The opening activities included tours, live performances, an artifact presentation and a lecture by Smardz Frost.  Students from George Brown also presented their mural “A Leap of Faith” that is dedicated to the Blackburns and will become a permanent feature in the space.

2.  Welcome to Blackhurst Exhibition curated by Chinedu Ukabam

Welcome to Blackhurst on at Markham House (Source)

Welcome to Blackhurst aims to unearth, dust off and reposition Black history in the Bathurst and Bloor area. As the exhibit explains, Black history in the area did not begin with the waves of Caribbean immigration in the 1960s.  Historical evidence places Black settlers in this neighbourhood as early as 1860. The focus is on the individuals who lived there, some of them escaped slaves, as well as the businesses they started as a way to support themselves when they were denied service based on their race elsewhere in Toronto.

Welcome to Blackhurst will close on December 11, but Ukabam is already exploring new ways to preserve this history.  The redevelopment of the surrounding Mirvish Village that will transform the look of the neighbourhood in more ways than one makes these efforts that much more important. 

I applaud both of these projects for several reasons. Both initiatives successfully merged archaeological findings, archival material, artifacts and contemporary art into coherent and engaging presentations. Also, both the Centre and the exhibition grew from collaboration between different community stakeholders and key sources of knowledge such as the Ontario Black History Society.

(Source)

Moreover, I appreciate that these projects launched at a time to meet a need in the community. In effect, these efforts challenge the notion that Black History is only to be celebrated in February. 

Finally, I’d argue that both projects have fully grasped this idea of Sankofa, which to the best of my knowledge is an African value that encourages people to "go back and fetch it." Said differently, only after claiming your past can you begin move forward.

So reader, how can museums better position themselves to ensure we don’t only look back but we also move forward?

What area would you like to rename to better reflect its origins?

THERE'S A NEW KID ON THE BLOCK AT THE SMITHSONIAN: WELCOME NMAAHC

AFRICAN CANADIAN HISTORY

BY: KENDRA CAMPBELL

View from outside NMAAHC on Opening Day Photo: Kendra Campbell

There's a new kid on the block at the Smithsonian.  

As an emerging museum professional and as a black woman I relished the opportunity to be part of the massive welcome wagon that celebrated the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington D.C. last month. 

If you haven’t already planned your trip to NMAAHC to introduce yourself, here’s why you should:

This kid has a house full of really neat stuff.  The NMAAHC collection is as diverse as it is comprehensive. The 37 000 item collection includes objects such as a 19^th century slave cabin from South Carolina, a Jim Crow era railroad passenger car as well as shards of glass from the 16^th Street Baptist church. Each object demonstrates the dynamism of the Black experience in America. The collection is like nothing I have seen before, and yet I was most impressed by the way NMAAHC collaborated with other museums, private collectors and community members in a nationwide collecting campaign, "Save Our African American Treasures." This initiative is truly indicative of the kind of museum NMAAHC is and what it aims to do. 

This kid tells amazing stories, including some you probably haven’t heard before.

 Not only has NMAAHC brought stories often relegated to the periphery and placed them in the centre, they have also interpreted them in a way that is accessible and inclusive.  

Exploring the Neighbourhood Record Store in the Musical Crossroads exhibit Photo: Kendra Campbell

My absolute favourite exhibition has to be the Lunch Counter interactive in the Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom exhibit. Adjacent to a Greensboro, North Carolina sit-in stool is a large interactive counter. Visitors are invited to sit and learn about African-Americans resistance and the struggle for full citizenship. Entering this space and seeing this powerful image of a busy lunch counter and hearing the dialogue was a highlight of my visit.  A seat at the table, indeed.

Exploring a Tradition of Activism in the Making the Way Out of No Way Exhibit Photo : Kendra Campbell

This kid is a really great cook. The entire visitor experience, including the eats, is steeped in Black history. The NMAAHC restaurant, Sweet Home Café, provides an incredible dining experience for visitors.  The café contains four stations each representing a different geographic area of African American culture. Come hungry! 

This kid is excited to meet you! Much has been said about the historical significance of this museum for all Americans. I would also add that this museum is important to Canadians. The two national narratives are connected and further enrich our understanding of the past. There is some truly innovative and important work going on at NMAAHC and as of September 24, 2016 the invitation is open. Won’t you say hello?