– Campaign to amplify the impact of CBC documentary series Black Life: Untold Stories –
– The Black Opportunity Fund signs on as the National Community Impact Partner –
This International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Black Life Impact Foundation revealed the major components and partners of its ground-breaking education and impact campaign. The campaign is designed to deepen public understanding of Canada’s Black history and is a companion to the CBC documentary series Black Life: Untold Stories. Led by author, activist, and Black Life co-executive producer Sandy Hudson, the campaign includes a comprehensive, bilingual curriculum; an experiential digital museum; and cross-country public and workplace engagement screenings and events realized with key community partners and stakeholders. The Black Life Impact Foundation has partnered with the Black Opportunity Fund and additional funders to ensure nationwide awareness.
“Through this work we aim to shift the cultural understanding of Canada to necessarily include its Black history, present, and future, and to encourage sustainable and positive cultural, political, educational, and economic change,” said Sandy Hudson, Director, Black Life Impact Foundation and Co-Executive Producer, Black Life: Untold Stories (formerly Black Life: A Canadian History). “A project of this magnitude can be accomplished only with the backing of committed and like-minded collaborators. We’re enormously grateful to our partners and funders for their generous support and conviction.”
The impact campaign expounds Black Life: Untold Stories, an eight-part documentary series premiering this fall on CBC and CBC Gem. The long overdue series explores a rich history of Black experiences in Canada and showcases complex, dynamic stories of struggle and triumph. The series’ Black creative team celebrates the contributions of Black Canadians while presenting an unflinching examination of our collective past.
The Black Life Impact Foundation has partnered with the Black Opportunity Fund, whose immeasurable contribution makes this project possible. To date, Signature Impact Partners include the Canadian Museum of History, skincare brand The Ordinary, and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. UNIFOR and the Steelworkers' Toronto Area Council have also recently committed funding and support. Additional strategic partnerships for the impact initiative will be announced in the coming months. Individual and organizational contributions to the Black Life Impact Foundation’s public engagement initiative can be made through the Black Opportunity Fund.
CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES:
Digital Museum and Interactive Experience
This unprecedented, bilingual digital museum features recently unearthed and newly accessible historical artifacts, photographs, extended interview footage culled from the series, and oral history pieces. This experiential and interactive learning hub is created in collaboration with the award-winning Montreal-based design agency Akufen.
Cross-Country Engagement Events
Cross-country screenings of each episode will feature panel discussions with special guests including directors, sports figures, musicians, and more. These public events are produced in collaboration with major cultural institutions, festivals, and key community groups at historically significant sites such as Hogan's Alley and Africville, and are timed to the release of the documentary series. Further, partnerships with professional associations, corporations, and governments will see the series and accompanying learning materials spark informed conversations in workplaces across the country.
Curriculum and Teacher Training
In depth bilingual educator viewing guides and modules, aimed at middle and high school students, will accompany each of the eight episodes alongside comprehensive educator training workshops. These resources are created in partnership with the Canadian Museum of History. To further expand the reach of the educational components, the Black Life Impact Foundation is partnering with Dr. Afua Cooper and the Black People’s History of Canada project. The Black Life viewing guides, modules, and materials will be incorporated into Dr. Cooper’s broader core curriculum plans.
“We are delighted to partner with the Black Life Impact Foundation to support the development of these invaluable educational resources for the Museum’s Teachers' Zone platform,” said Caroline Dromaguet, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of History. “We are committed to engaging people and communities from across the country in diverse histories and stories and we are proud to provide space to amplify Black experiences in the history of Canada. Educators have expressed a need for high-quality and accessible history learning material that offers diverse perspectives. The resources created by the Foundation and made possible with the support of Museum donors, will meet this important need.”
Black Life: Untold Stories (formerly Black Life: A Canadian History) is produced by Studio 112 in association with Northwood Entertainment, and Ugly Duck. The executive producers are the Emmy®-award winning Leslie Norville; P.K. Subban, Miranda de Pencier, and Nelson George; Sandy Hudson serves as co-executive producer. Consulting producers are the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Shadrach Kabango, Dr. Rinaldo Walcott, and Ravyn Wngz. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual, & Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; Sandra Kleinfeld is Senior Director, Documentary; and Michelle McCree is Executive in Charge of Production, CBC Docs and The Passionate Eye.
Website: Black Life: Untold Stories Impact Campaign
Social Media:
@blackcandoc on IG, Facebook and Twitter
#FightRacism
#IDERD
Photo of Sandy Hudson, Director, Black Life Impact Foundation and Co-Executive Producer, Black Life: Untold Stories available here, (photo credit, Duane Cole).
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About Black Life Impact Foundation
Black Life Impact Foundation is a not-for-profit organization established to create and manage a public engagement campaign to accompany the CBC documentary series Black Life: Untold Stories. The Foundation is led by author, activist, and series co-executive producer Sandy Hudson. Black Opportunity Fund is the charitable partner and national community impact partner for the Black Life Impact Foundation.
About Black Opportunity Fund
Black Opportunity Fund (BOF) is a community-led registered Canadian Charitable organization, that supports a prosperous, healthy and thriving Black Canada by challenging anti-Black racism in two ways. First, they respond to long standing underinvestment in Black communities by delivering sustainable and needs-informed capital streams. Second, they work nationally to strengthen collective actions by Black organizations and leaders, helping them to create new and more impactful ways to support and advocate for our community. BOF prioritizes initiatives around education and youth, health, women and gender, criminal justice, entrepreneurship, arts, culture and recreation, and food insecurity, that impact the quality of life in Black communities across Canada.
About the Canadian Museum of History
Located on the shores of the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec, the Canadian Museum of History welcomes over 1.2 million visitors each year. The Museum’s principal role is to enhance Canadians’ knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the events, experiences, people and objects that have shaped Canada’s history and identity, as well as to enhance Canadians’ awareness of world history and culture. Work of the Canadian Museum of History is made possible in part through financial support of the Government of Canada.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
Media Contacts:
Gabrielle Free | Free Publicity (for the Black Life Impact Foundation)
416-220-0201
Frances Bedford (for CBC PR)
416-205-7673
frances.bedford@cbc.ca
