Two artists share why soul singer Jackie Shane's story feels personal

Jackie Shane was a trailblazing Black trans musician from the south who had a flash of fame in Toronto in the early 1960s. But just as she was about to become a star, she vanished.

The world had no idea what had happened to her until a few years ago, when live recordings of her music were re-released.

Jackie Shane died shortly after her music was re-released but before she passed, she recorded hours of interviews over the phone — which have been turned into a new documentary titled Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story, premiering at Hot Docs this year.

Rodney Diverlus is a choreographer and activist who co-founded Black Lives Matter Toronto. Ravyn Ariah Wngz has performed as Jackie Shane many times. They join host Elamin Abdelmahmoud to talk about her legacy, and why they're happy to see her finally getting her flowers.

We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow the Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud podcast, on your favourite podcast player.

Elamin: Maybe we'll start with really personal terms. I want to begin with the same question for both of you: why does Jackie's story matter so much to you on a personal level?

Ravyn: Jackie's story matters because it illuminates what can happen when someone is truly themself, and the impacts of bumping up against systems of oppression in multiple forms. Being yourself, being strong in your own convictions, trusting in your talents, knowing what you deserve in the 1960s, as a Black trans woman, is revolutionary.

It's important for those of us in this generation to know those stories so that we are more confident in our being, so that we are living more fully in our lives as Miss Jackie Shane wanted. I think that's part of why her legacy is so important. And on a personal note, what she looked like is similar to what I look like. It made me feel more real, more true, and allowed me to flourish as a trans woman and as an artist as well.

Elamin: That phrase, "made me feel more real and more true," is a really beautiful phrase. Rodney, I'll go over to you. Why does Jackie Shane's story matter to you on a personal level?

Rodney: I think her story is incredibly life-affirming. Every time I take her in, I feel seen, I feel present, I feel more here. I think there's a way that when we talk about trans individuals, queer individuals anywhere, any individuals within the gender and sexuality spectrum — we're often talked about when we lose our lives, when we experience violence, and we're often talked about in the context of struggle. And I think that many of us are trying not to feel so much struggle in our lives. When you hear a story of an elder that preceded you by decades that was living their lives authentically in the public eye, boldly, loudly, you can't not be affirmed.

I think for me as well, as an adult whose gender journey was more recent … realizing that I'm genderqueer, which is somewhere along the non-binary spectrum, and trying to navigate that as an adult, it can be quite alienating sometimes and it can be quite confusing. Many of us go through our gender journeys all throughout our lives. It's something that I think is a lifelong process. And to have seen an elder, an OG, as we would call it in our community, who was doing the thing that was for her, in a system and a context that was so violent, I'm like, if Jackie can do it, we can all do it. Let's all go on our own journeys. So there's something that's quite affirming and quite, dare I say it, inspirational about her story.

Elamin: That's also a beautiful answer. The idea of an elder adult is not a readily available example all the time for a lot of communities. Having an example like that of someone who said, you know what, I should choose to live the rest of my life the way that I would like to live it — and that includes withdrawing from the spotlight, by the way — it's quite a radical choice to make.

Ravyn, you played Jackie in a Heritage Minute a few years back, and you performed as her on stage a bunch of times. Talk to me about the physical, the psychological sensation, how it feels when you're channeling her.

Ravyn: Well, it's been an honor to have the opportunity to represent her. That's more how I feel about my taking on the role in the Heritage Minute. And also bringing voice to her stories and her images through live performance as well, which is a dream of hers, you know? Before she passed away, she was planning this big tour.

In an effort to introduce her to new audiences, I really had to understand the differences between us — the differences in the way that we're living and the way we're allowed to live. Jackie existed at the brim of the box that she was allowed to in her time period…. Although thrilling for me and remarkable for me, it was sort of a double-edged sword for her, in that she was constantly coming up against people telling her who to be, how to be, when to take it off. And I'm sure it was painful for her to only be able to exist within that sort of brim, knowing what she deserved.

And so for me and my journey, it mirrored my wanting to be seen for my talent. It mirrored me walking away from situations that didn't serve me. I felt more confident in those choices. I respected myself more. In the trans community we have a saying called flowers while we're living. It's this idea that we celebrate ourselves while we're alive. It is interesting to me that I came into more prominence as an activist, and the flowers that I've received as a person have been through my portrayal of Jackie Shane. That was when I actually started to feel appreciated. That was when I started to be celebrated and attributed as well. And so it's interesting to have received flowers through her image. There's something really powerful about that. And I think she would really appreciate that, too.

Elamin: I want to tell people that Rodney had the loveliest little smile as we were listening to that story. That was really lovely.

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Panel produced by Jess Low.