Black Mother Black Daughter

In their predominantly white high school in Halifax, a group of black students face daily reminders of racism, ranging from abuse (racist graffiti on washroom walls), to exclusion (the omission of black history from textbooks). They work to establish a Cultural Awareness Youth Group, a vehicle for building pride and self-esteem through educational and cultural programs. With help from mentors, they discover the richness of their heritage and learn some of the ways they can begin to effect change.

Award-winning filmmaker and writer Sylvia Hamilton painstakingly unearths the story of the children, women, men who were students and teachers in Canada’s racially segregated schools in The Little Black School House. The film is a compelling illustration of how many of the students who attended Canada’s all-Black schools look back on the experience with conflicted feelings: fondness for the dedication of their Black teachers, and outrage at being denied a right, fundamental to democracy in Canada: equal access to quality education.

Part 2 of the "Hymn to Freedom" TV docuseries on the Black experience in Canada, Sylvia Hamilton documents the history of Black immigration and community in Nova Scotia.