Staying on my me ████, but hated on by both sides I’m just a kid who blowing up with my father’s name And every black “you’re not black enough” Is a white “you’re all the same”
— Childish Gambino, “That Power”, Camp (2011)
I’m not the brother you want, but I’m the one you’ve got right now.
Fear of a Black Story
Sometimes I wonder if we even want something like Live from the 3.5.
It’s been a challenging month—February often is. Horrible weather. Journeys in and out of town. A death in the family and people looking to make things really difficult for me at the 9-5.
The way it is now, I might not be the right guy for Live.
Beyond Black History Month
The older I get and the longer I keep creating content, the more realistic I get about it all. Most of the people who used to just dabble in this found other things to do with their time, like pursuing careers or raising kids. And most of the creators around me today treat content as their full-time gig, choosing the potentially lucrative influencer life over office job drudgery or raising kids. The choices I’ve made—and still make—set me apart from many others, both in how unique my lifestyle is, and also the work I need to do to keep it all going.
Which is all a long way of saying Live from the 3.5 isn’t the kind of project you plan overnight. In fact, if I wanted to do it in 2020 without a hitch, I’d probably need to start planning it today, making room for all the stuff that’ll inevitably pop up over the year.
No—if I want to continue with this project, I’ll need to make some changes: do it in a way that’s reasonable for my life and doesn’t have me scrambling each year.
And so I have a little proposition—instead of trying to shove this all into a single month each year and working well beyond my capacity already strained at the seams, why don’t we just do away with Black History Month altogether and celebrate our community every day of the year?
We’re halfway through January, and before you know it February will be up close and personal and with it, all the stories of Black history we’ve waited a year to share.
Black History Month is Back Again!
That’s not entirely true—Black people are sharing their stories all the time, but is the world ready to listen? Our culture stretches to every corner of society—those flaunting their wealth on social media and in music videos. Or those seeking separation instead of assimilation as the best way to preserve ourselves. If you’re anything like me, that culture involves a little too much code-switching—trying to find our place by working with the rules of our non-Black environments instead of fighting against them and staying true to ourselves. The world gives us a number of ways to learn each others’ stories—I found The Hate U Give as a recent example, showing that no matter how much you try riding the line, the world will try its hardest to tell you who you are.
(The Hate U Give was released on Blu-ray™ and DVD on Jan 22nd if you want to check it out for yourself!)
But that’s not the only story we have to share, and that’s why I work on Live from the 3.5 every February to tell even more.
Live from the 3.5 — Telling the Stories of Black Canadian Culture
If you’re unfamiliar with my work, I’ve been running month-long projects for Black History Month, usually either interviewing other Black Canadians to hear their stories or discussing topics that affect us all regardless of our heritage, language or beliefs. I wasn’t able to put it out last year due to some scheduling conflicts, so I’m doubling down this year to get it done right.
While past years have been almost entirely in written form, this year I want to do a better job of appreciating the oral tradition deeply rooted in our history and spend some time creating podcasts for the things I’ll be discussing this February. If you have a computer microphone or a landline phone and feel compelled to spend 10-15 minutes chatting on any of the topics below, do let me know. February’s around the corner, and I’d love to start locking the recordings in sooner than later. With anyone who participates, I’ll include a photo, mini-bio and the most relevant links that tell us what you do! If you have a computer mic or landline phone, we can make it work.
I’ll admit it—with Tales from the 2.9‘s successful completion, I almost felt like resting on my laurels and taking the day off. I mean, this year was easily far bigger than I’d expected, running the media circuit, coordinating with contributors, writing heaps of social shares for Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn… it’d be so easy to just pat myself on the back and take a break until the next great initiative. Let’s face it—I am but one man.
But sitting on my haunches didn’t get me here—it was nights spent grinding away on a project that sincerely mattered to me, and happily found it matters to others as well.
That’s not the end game, though—not by a long shot.
Tales from the 2.9 — This is Only the Beginning.
With Tales, I was able to explore part of my identity through the lens of my kinfolk’s experiences, examining its many facets through the stories told.
And the project did well—Tales saw:
5000 unique page views over the month
3.5% engagement on Twitter, where the average is 0.5-1%
44.2% engagement on Instagram, where the average is 3-6%, and
60.8% engagement on Facebook, where the average is 0.5-1%
And that’s just content I shared. Combine it with the shares from contributors and media outlets, and you start seeing numbers like:
1025 Facebook likes
245 Facebook shares
455 retweets, and
640 Twitter likes!
So yeah, this year’s Tales showed there’s a definite appetite for Black Canadian content in this nation, but why limit ourselves to February alone?
See—that right there’s the problem. The point. The crux of why we must keep pressing forward even when Black History Month’s wrapped up. Sure, the celebration’s over, and yes, we had our time to shine. But you know what?
February’s over, but we’re still Black.
Black Fridays — Because One Month Alone Cannot Tell Our Story.
We still need to speak up. We still need to keep our momentum and show the world what we’ve got. When the Honourable Jean Augustine bolstered awareness of Black history by introducing an official Black History Month over 20 years ago, it was only a first step. It’s up to us to keep that mission going and work with one another to clearly outline why we’re important to Canada’ s history and that 28 days alone won’t tell the full tale.
But that means taking action. It means doing more than just crying foul when we celebrate our achievements in the coldest and shortest month of the year. It means putting something out in the world that begins to move us in the right direction, and for me, that’s a new series I’m calling Black Fridays.
Though I wrote an introduction for each post in Tales, there’s much of my stories and viewpoint I never got around to telling. Like the three times someone confused me for staff on our honeymoon cruise. Or the double takes that sometimes happen when I first walk in an interview. There’s plenty yet to explore with sometimes as vast as Black Canadian culture, and I think a longer look at its various aspects will help us dive deeper into plenty of places we might not explore otherwise! We’ll start this Friday with a Tales submission from artist Stephanie Konu that I never got to share, as well as other tales and tidbits that I’d do a disservice not to mention.
Next Stop — #Chronicle150!
But there we go! Tales from the 2.9 217 is at a close, and we’re on to the next step — #Chronicle150: 150 Truly Canadian Stories for its 150th Birthday! If you have a story you think is perfect for the series, I’d love to hear from you—details are all in the link below:
So thanks to all the contributors, the media contacts and others who really believed in the project, and thanks to all of you who checked it out! Those who wrote, shared, and suggested others who’d make great contributors—it’d be impossible without you!
Thanks again, everyone, and we’ll see you for #Chronicle150!
Until the next,
–case p.
Tell your wife, tell your kids, tell your husbands:
This year’s been a challenging one for Tales from the 2.9.
Last year was bad timing—putting 29 daily posts out right after becoming a Dad for the second time is no simple feat, and we somehow pulled it off. I was eager to build on that success and keep it going well past February, but life as a quartet caught up with me, and my time and energy soon found themselves committed… elsewhere.
So I stood this year determined to learn from my mistakes, and I thought I had it all figured out. I started looking for contributors weeks earlier, hoping to get everything lined up at the beginning of February to make time for other things. I tried to build awareness for the project, putting out a press release and landing interviews in several major Toronto media outlets with both luck and a noteworthy story. Everything felt perfect for an amazing Tales from the 2.9… until we reached the end and I suddenly found myself without enough contributors.
Fortunately, I had access to unpublished work like Ardean Peters’ piece below, but I’m surprised that things worked out this way. I definitely get it—some were too busy to write; it is Black History Month, after all. Some too overwhelmed by the questions’ gravity in a polarised world. And I’m sure some started writing, but life had other plans for their time and they never got to finish.
Whatever the reasons, I’m just glad we got to see 28 unique stories in 2017, and it’s taught me a valuable lesson—don’t expect miracles when you’re spreading a message only one month of the year!
But these are words befitting a wrap-up post; this is not my soapbox right now—the eyes are squarely focused on Ardean. Her story mirrors that of many Black children born here in that we don’t really recognise our Blackness until we’re older. We know we’re different at first, but don’t often understand what that means in the larger world until we have the life experience to get it.
I do hope you’ve enjoyed this year’s Tales from the 2.9, and we’ll wrap this up tonight with one. More. Post!
See you then,
–case p.
Many Black Canadians come from families who sacrificed plenty to give them the lives they have today. What do you know of your family history and how has it shaped your current self?
Both my mom and dad are from the Caribbean island of St. Vincent and emigrated to Canada in 1968 and 1971 respectively. I think what I remember most is, while my parents had a strong connection to their home and instilled in us those traditions, they also always encouraged us as ‘Canadian kids’, making sure that we knew that we were Canadian and this was our home. To that end, I see myself as Canadian first, sewn and stitched together with a rich and diverse history and culture, which informs who I am today.
The Black Experience we’re largely exposed to in the media is that of our southern neighbours and the struggles they’ve faced. What’s your experience been as a Black person in Canada, and what have you learned from it?
Interesting question, because it wasn’t really until I was an older child, that I saw myself as ‘black’. As a child growing up, I just thought of myself as ‘Canadian’ and my skin colour was an afterthought. I grew up in the most diverse community in North York at the time, Jane and Finch. On top of that, the school I was in, really encouraged the belief that we were ALL Canadians and equal. I was so lucky to experience such a diversity of people and culture, which has shaped how I treat and connect with people as an adult.
On the flip side, as I’ve gotten older, had more experiences, worked in many different environments and experienced more of the city, its people and neighbourhoods, I’ve come to realise that I am a minority, which I honestly didn’t see as a young person. Because of this, and the realisation how strong an impact media has on shaping the opinions of people that have limited access and contact with black people (and people of other ethnic backgrounds), I realise the importance there is in promoting positive and normalising images of Black Diaspora people.
If I can agree on one thing with Rachel Lambo’s Tale from the 2.9, it’s our need to expect more from ourselves as a community.
It’s 2017, and there’re so many options to help a people thrive. We can bolster our business with think tanks and workshops. Or pool our resources to give opportunities to those who wouldn’t have them otherwise. We want to see the Black community thrive and prosper, but with other cultures so ahead in the game, we’ll need some creative solutions to bridge the gap!
With the second-last Tale, we’re looking for a paradigm shift—making use of tools, technologies, people and methods to excel beyond the limitations thrust upon us. It’s easy to dwell on the things that’ve held us back and cry foul on the situation… but it’s time to rely on our strength and resilience to reach out for the future that’s completely attainable.
We just need to work for it. Together.
Enjoy today’s Tale and we’ll see you tomorrow for one last go at 2017’s Tales from the 2.9!
Until then,
–case p.
What does being Black Canadian mean to you?
It represents and means community to me.
What’s your experience been like as a Black Canadian and how has it shaped who you are today?
It has been a great experience to see so many people get involved and how much information is being shared on social media, radio, and TV. Last year’s Black History Month was very uplifting, learning about the great achievements of Black Pioneers in Canada and Worldwide.
What’s something you’d like to see more of within the Black Canadian community?
More events that include think tanks, tech- and business law-related workshops. There is certainly a need for more opportunities so people cannot only network but have discussions and build consortiums.
