Meet 3 TikTokers teaching Black Canadian History
Plus the educational sources and fellow Black Canadian content creators they recommend
In honour of Black History Month, we're highlighting three content creators using TikTok and other platforms to educate and provide insight into Black Canadian history, culture and identity.
Canada's Black History Month theme for 2023 is "Ours to tell." We spoke with these creators directly for more on their work, recommended educational resources and other Black content creators to follow.
Fayola Benjamin, @thefayolajameeshow
On her TikTok account:
My TikTok channel is focused on educating viewers on Black History 365 days a year, especially Black Canadian history. This came from feeling frustrated that the conversations about the Black experience in Canada were limited to the Underground Railroad, Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks. I wanted to share with Canadians that Black history is so diverse, vast and a part of Canadian history.
What Canada's 2023 Black History Month theme, "Ours to tell," means to her:
To me, the theme "Ours to tell" speaks to the fact that Black people in Canada have the right and power to take up space, share our stories, experiences, truth and culture…[it's] a reminder to me, as a content creator, of the importance of storytelling, educating and being unapologetic in sharing Black history during Black History Month and beyond.
Educational sources Benjamin recommends:
I typically Google my topic, then search archives, articles, online journals and purchase books on Amazon to learn more.
Fellow Black Canadian content creators Benjamin recommends include:
You can support Benjamin's work by "sharing the content with a friend who may be able to learn something new, initiate a conversation with someone you know," she said. "My hope is to be able to reach as many people as I can with my content."
Jayda Hope, @girlyouhaventheard
On the content of her channels:
I focus on sharing Black Canadian history that is largely unknown. I also focus on true crime cases that do not get the attention they deserve… All topics are analyzed and shared from a critical, decolonial perspective, void of copaganda.
What Canada's 2023 Black History Month theme, "Ours to tell," means to her:
It is Black people's place to share our history, during Black History Month and always … When little pieces of Black history were previously shared, it was from non-Black perspectives, and downplayed the role of Black folks in shaping our own history. This theme …means that Black people, our voices, and our perspectives are finally honoured, respected and prioritized when it comes to our own history that has been suppressed for far too long.
An educational source Hope recommends:
The Underground Railroad: Next Stop, Toronto! by Adrienne Shadd, Afua Cooper and Karolyn Smardz Frost is a great resource.
Fellow Black Canadian content creators Hope recommends include:
You can find Jayda's work on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Medium and Patreon and listen to her podcast, Girl, You Haven't Heard??
Keisha Cuffie, @curlykeish
On her TikTok account:
My channel is used to showcase Black Canadian history as an integral part of Canadian history. I do this by highlighting the many incredible contributions of Black Canadians to our society and bring awareness to causes that specifically affect members of Black and marginalized communities.
Who can tell our stories better than we can?- Keisha Cuffie
What Canada's 2023 Black History Month theme, "Ours to tell," means to her:
"Ours to tell" returns the narrative back into the hands of those most experienced to share it: the Black community. Who can tell our stories better than we can?
An educational source Cuffie recommends:
The one book that is currently providing a fascinating amount of depth to our stories is Unsettling the Great White North: Black Canadian History, edited by Michele A. Johnson and Funké Aladejebi.
Fellow Black Canadian content creators Cuffie recommends include:
You can buy Cuffie's book, D Is For Dazzling, a children's book about diversity, inclusion and positive affirmations wherever books are sold. She also has two books coming out in 2023.
These interviews have been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
