UNews - Dr. Jenna Bailey

Award-winning documentary about Alberta’s African-American settlers comes to Lethbridge

caroline.zentner — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 16:30:31 +0000

Audiences in Lethbridge and southern Alberta have the opportunity to learn about the discrimination experienced by black settlers in Alberta and Saskatchewan in the early 1900s when the documentary, We are the Roots: Black Settlers and Their Experiences of Discrimination on the Canadian Prairies, has its Lethbridge premiere on Sunday, Oct. 21.

The film was first shown in Edmonton in February during Black History Month and has gone on to win several high-profile awards, including the Elizabeth B. Mason Project Award and the Oral History in Nonprint Format awards from the Oral History Association, the Heritage Awareness Award from the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation and the 2018 Governor General’s History Award for Excellence in Community Programming.

Deborah Dobbins, second from left, and Dr. Jenna Bailey, third from left, accept the Elizabeth B. Mason Project Award from the Oral History Association's director, Todd More, and president-elect, Natalie Fousekis.

The history project was the brainchild of Deborah Dobbins, president of Edmonton’s Shiloh Centre for Multicultural Roots (SCMR). She teamed up with Drs. Jenna Bailey and David Este. Bailey is an adjunct history professor and senior research fellow at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Centre for Oral History and Tradition (COHT). Este is a professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary.

“It is with deep appreciation and gratitude that we receive these awards,” says Dobbins. “SCMR is humbled by these honours that acknowledge our human-rights struggle is an important part of history that needs to be brought to light.”

“We are pleased to bring this film, which highlights a little-known but important part of Alberta’s history, to Lethbridge,” says Bailey.

In making the film, Bailey and Este interviewed 19 second- and third-generation individuals from the families of the original settlers who left the United States to come to Western Canada between 1905 and 1912. Between 1,000 and 1,500 African Americans came to Canada, largely settling in the small rural Alberta communities of Amber Valley, Campsie, Wildwood and Breton and Maidstone in Saskatchewan.

“It’s a fascinating history,” says Bailey. “I learned a lot about discrimination in Alberta. What comes through in their stories is resilience. One woman said ‘It’s just a part of who we are; it’s part of our daily lives.’”

“I am a third-generation African-American Canadian,” says Dobbins. “My parents were born in Alberta and they were both African-American Canadians. Our grandparents didn’t want to talk too much about how they got here because it was terrible. The reason they came to Canada wasn’t a positive one. They left because of mistreatment. Whenever Roots or anything like that came on TV, my dad said he couldn’t watch because it just made him so angry.”

While life in Canada may have been an improvement for the pioneers, the African Americans not only faced the same hardships other settlers faced, they were also discriminated against, especially in the cities. Work was scarce; men often started their own businesses or worked as railway porters and women worked as housekeepers.

“For me, what stood out is that most Albertans have no idea about this history and these communities that helped build Alberta,” says Bailey. “In general, I think Canadians like to think that we’re not very racist or a discriminatory nation. And the number of discrimination stories that come through in the interviews through all the age groups is pretty significant.”

We are the Roots will be shown in partnership with the Lethbridge Public Library, Main Branch, in the Theatre Gallery on Sunday, Oct. 21, beginning at 2 p.m. A question-and-answer session with Dobbins, Bailey and Este follows.

A trailer is available on the COHT Facebook page.

U of L oral history project commemorates Alberta's African-American settlers

caroline.zentner — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 16:49:03 +0000

After more than a year in the making, a film documenting the lives of black settlers in Alberta and Saskatchewan and their experiences with discrimination will premiere in Edmonton during Black History Month.

We are the Roots: Black Settlers and Their Experiences of Discrimination on the Canadian Prairies was the brainchild of Deborah Dobbins, president of Edmonton’s Shiloh Centre for Multicultural Roots (SCMR). After securing funding from the Alberta Human Rights Commission, she teamed up with Drs. Jenna Bailey and David Este. Bailey is an adjunct history professor and senior research fellow at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Centre for Oral History and Tradition (COHT). Este is a professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary.

Dr. Jenna Bailey, along with Dr. David Este, interviewed 19 individuals, descendants of the original settlers who came to Canada to escape racial discrimination in the United States, to create 'We are the Roots.'.

“Here we are 18 months later and it has been amazing,” says Dobbins. “The people we interviewed told wonderful stories and their experiences focus on the positive, but there’s lots of adversity, too. Through it all, we’re here and able to celebrate our accomplishments.”

Bailey and Este interviewed 19 second- and third-generation individuals from the families of the original settlers who left the United States to come to Western Canada between 1905 and 1912. Between 1,000 and 1,500 African Americans came to Canada, largely settling in the small rural Alberta communities of Amber Valley, Campsie, Wildwood, Breton and Maidstone in Saskatchewan.

Deborah Dobbins secured funding to create 'We are the Roots' to educate and make people aware of black settlers who came to the Prairies.

“What seems to come through in the interviews is the subtle discrimination that people are experiencing on a daily basis,” says Bailey.

Even though they weren’t overtly welcomed to Canada, some African Americans joined the Canadian military to serve in the First and Second World Wars. They helped develop Alberta by building schools and churches and clearing the land. A brother of one interviewee was among the group of musicians who established the Yardbird Suite jazz club in Edmonton.

Dobbins relates a family story about one of her aunts, Velma Carter, who was a teacher. Carter had signed a contract with a small town to be their teacher. When she arrived, she was told it was a mistake and her services weren’t needed after all. She told them that was fine; she’d go back home and they could pay her for the year.

“They couldn’t afford to do that so they kept her and, of course, she was an excellent teacher and they all loved her,” says Dobbins. “She went on to be a principal after she moved back to the United States. Then she came back to Canada in the 1970s and wrote three books about our history.”

We are the Roots will be shown at the Shiloh Baptist Church located at 10727 114 St. NW on Feb. 24 beginning at 6 p.m. Following the premiere, the film will be available on Bailey’s website at baileyandsoda.com.

“We are hoping that it will lead to more discussion, awareness and education,” says Dobbins. “We’re small in number but we are representing our people and if we don’t do it, who’s going to do it? So, we’re going forward however we can to make sure our story is told.”

Oral history lecture and workshop tap local authors and stories

caroline.zentner — Mon, 15 May 2017 20:14:45 +0000

Anyone lucky enough to have visited the Bow on Tong apothecary in Lethbridge’s Chinatown took a step back in time. Closed in 2013, the apothecary allowed visitors a look at dozens of drawers that once contained traditional remedies like ginseng or powdered horns or fungi.

Natalie Appleton

The Bow on Tong Co. was home to Albert Leong, whose father had operated the apothecary. Natalie Appleton, an award-winning author and former Lethbridge Herald reporter, was led to the Leong family’s story through her research for A Century in Ink, a commemorative book celebrating Alberta’s centennial in 2005. Her research and interview with Leong became the basis for her creative non-fiction work entitled Fourth Son of Fourth Wife, which was long-listed for the 2016 CBC Creative Non-Fiction Contest.

Southern Albertans can hear Appleton talk about Leong’s story, and several of her other short works, during a free public lecture titled Poetic Justice in Southern Alberta: An Evening with Award Winning Author Natalie Appleton, scheduled for Thursday, May 25 at 7 p.m. at the Galt Museum. The lecture is sponsored by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Centre for Oral History and Tradition (COHT) and the Galt Museum and Archives.

On Friday, May 26, Appleton will then team up with Dr. Jenna Bailey, a writer, historian, oral history consultant and post-doctoral fellow at COHT, for a workshop devoted to using oral histories to write creative non-fiction.

Dr. Jenna Bailey

Bailey is the author of Can Any Mother Help Me? The book tells the story of women who replied to a letter that was published in a 1935 edition of Nursery World magazine. The letter revealed a young mother’s frustration and loneliness and struck a chord with women all over Britain. Some of the women who replied to the letter began corresponding and a secret magazine — Cooperative Correspondence Club — was the eventual outcome. The women wrote about every aspect of their lives from childbirth to broken hearts and fading dreams.

Appleton and Bailey will discuss their writing and shed light on strategies that can be used in writing non-fiction texts. They’ll explore the various ways they’ve used oral history interviews to create stories that bring the past to life. Participants will learn practical tools they can apply in their own writing. A question-and-answer session will be moderated by Dr. Jay Gamble from the U of L’s Department of English.

“Given the increasing interest in oral history in Alberta, we are extremely pleased to offer these two unique opportunities to learn more about the craft,” says Bailey. “We invite everyone interested in finding out more about how oral history and creative non-fiction can help bring history to life to attend.”

The workshop goes from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Galt Museum. The workshop fee of $20 includes lunch. For more information, email coht@uleth.ca. To register for the workshop, phone the Galt Museum at 403-320-3954. Registration deadline is May 19.

U of L’s Centre for Oral History and Tradition to offer public workshops

caroline.zentner — Tue, 03 May 2016 17:11:13 +0000

Oral history projects help bring the past to life through the voices of people who lived at the time. Members of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Centre for Oral History and Tradition (COHT), in partnership with the Galt Museum and Archives, a

Dr. Jenna Bailey

re offering their expertise as oral historians to help southern Albertans make their projects a reality.

“There’s definitely more and more interest in oral history in Alberta these days,” says Dr. Jenna Bailey, COHT senior research fellow. “People realize it’s a wonderful way to collect local history and many museums and community organizations are doing oral history projects.”

“Oral histories are found in many archives and the Galt Archives is no exception. They are valuable historical sources as much as letters, diaries and official documents,” says Andrew Chernevych, the Galt Museum’s archivist. “Oral histories help preserve experiences of people who don’t commit their memories to writing; this is perhaps the only way to capture some unique aspects of history.”

Andrew Chernevych

Oral history projects often involve collaboration amongst the generations. As people in a community get older, younger generations may realize that much local history resides in people’s memories, especially in rural areas. Oral history projects provide a way for that knowledge to be preserved.

“In an era of so much electronic communication and ever-changing technology, we must consciously record and preserve aspects of our history,” says Dr. Heidi MacDonald, history professor and director of COHT. “Oral histories, preserved in archives, will be a wonderful source for future generations of family and professional historians.”

Oral history is an intimate way of capturing the history of a place as well as the diverse histories of individual lives. Engaging stories are the result and those who offer up their own history often enjoy the opportunity to share their lives as part of a wider history.

Dr. Heidi MacDonald

“For organizations or individuals who recognize the importance of the history of an area but don’t necessarily have a huge budget or team, oral history interviews are an accessible way to capture history,” says Bailey.

Workshop participants will learn how to plan an oral history project from the ground up, including what kind of recording device to use, what questions to ask and obtaining consent.

The COHT and the Galt Museum & Archives are delivering the workshops with several co-partners — the Crowsnest Community Library, the Crowsnest Museum & Archives, Stavely and District Museum, Claresholm & District Museum, and the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre in Medicine Hat — who are hosting the individual sessions. Beginner workshops are scheduled for May 27 at the Galt Museum, June 10 at the Crowsnest Community Library, June 11 at the Stavely & District Museum and September 23 at the Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre in Medicine Hat. An intermediate workshop is scheduled for October 21 at the Galt Museum & Archives.

The keynote speaker for the workshops is Kimberly Lyall, project manager for the Governor General’s Award-winning Coyote Flats Oral History Project. She’ll share her experiences and offer tips for carrying out an oral history project. Other workshop presenters are trained oral historians.

The cost is $70 plus GST for adults and $25 plus GST for seniors and students. To register for the May 27 workshop, call 403-320-3954 or 1-866-320-3898, ext. 0 by May 20. For the June 10 workshop in the Crowsnest Pass, call 403-563-5434 by June 3. For the June 11 workshop in Stavely, call 403-549-0189 or send an email to jmbmab@gmail.com by June 4. For the Sept. 23 workshop in Medicine Hat, call 403-502-8777 by Sept. 16. The deadline for registration for the intermediate workshop at the Galt is Oct. 14.

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