Library Spotlight: Posts

Black Heritage Month

To celebrate Black History Month and in support of The BASE Black Heritage Month 365, Humber Libraries is spotlighting resources available to Humber and University of Guelph-Humber students.

Featured Poetry Books & eBooks

• Black Writers Matter [eBook] edited by Whitney French, is an anthology of works by African Canadian writers with a focus on their Black Canadian experiences.

• 100 Days [eBook] is a collection of poems written by Juliane Okot Bitek recalling the senseless loss of life and innocence in Rwanda. 

• The Great Black North: Contemporary African Canadian Poetry [Book] by Valerie Mason-John and Kavan Anthony, tells the story of the Black Canadian experience through poetic form. 

• The Unpublished City [Book] is an anthology of poems curated by Dionne Brand featuring 18 Black Canadians who call Toronto home. 

• Voodoo Hypothesis: Poems [Book] by 2021 Windham-Campbell Prize winner Canisia Lubrin, asks “what happens if the systems of belief that give science, religion and culture their importance were actually applied to the contemporary “black experience”?” 

• I am Still your Negro [eBook] by poet, author, and public speaker Valerie Mason-John, speaks truth and unsettles readers about the scars and trauma of slavery, sexism and colonization.

Featured Videos & Playlists 

• Deeply Rooted [Streaming Video] In Deeply Rooted, filmmaker Cazhhmere will change your perception of what a multi-generational Canadian family looks like. In a country widely known for being a "global melting pot," we can easily forget not every person of colour is a newcomer to Canada. 

• Black Communities in Canada: A Rich History [Streaming video] The National Film Board (NFB) has put together a playlist of 29 films exploring a wealth of topics related to Black culture, leadership and experience in Canada

• Celebrating Black History Month: CBC Curio Collection [Streaming video] This collection includes streaming videos on Black history in Canada, the Black Lives Matter movement, the “business” of slavery, racial profiling and more.

• Living in Colour: Being Black in Canada [YouTube] Following the death of George Floyd, protests erupted around the world calling for racial equality and police accountability. But the death of Floyd also opened up conversations on the anti-Black racism faced by Black communities across Canada.

• Launching and supporting Black-owned businesses | Mandy Bowman | TEDxDover [YouTube] Watch and listen to Mandy Bowman, creator and CEO of Official Black Wall Street.

• Surge [Streaming video] The film follows three candidates who were running in uphill battles to flip their deep red districts to blue, including Lauren Underwood, the youngest Black woman to ever be elected to Congress.

Featured Library Collections Spotlights

• Black Excellence and Entrepreneurship – A list of selected resources to highlight Black excellence in business and leadership in North America and beyond.

• Black Filmmakers of Hollywood – A collection of books, documentaries and feature films about and by Black filmmakers.

• Black Queens and Modern Music Legends – Lists some recommended resources celebrating Black queens and legends of modern music.

• Featured Author, Eternity Martis – Read this throwback blog post from the Virtual Author Meet and Greet with Eternity Martis, author of "They Said This Would Be Fun: Race, Campus Life, and Growing Up".

Some previous content has been taken from past library blog posts, as well as new content featured on this page.

Co-authors include Aliya Dalfen, Dorcas Adjei, Lindsay Bontje, Shernett Bennett & Valerie Benigno.