About the Film
History is not the past, it is how we recount the past. A Past, Denied: The Invisible History of Slavery in Canada is a feature-length documentary by independent filmmaker Mike Barber. The film, which is currently in production, explores how a false sense of history—both taught in the classroom and repeated throughout our national historical narrative—impinges on the present. It examins how 200 years of institutional slavery during Canada’s formation has been kept out of Canadian classrooms, textbooks and social consiousness.
The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade effectively started in 1444 when Portuguese pirates, operating under the auspices of Prince Henrique, kidnapped 235 Africans from a village near the mouth of the Senegal River and brought them back to Portugal where they were sold as slaves. From that point forward, over 15,000,000 Africans would be forcibly removed from their homeland and sold into slavery in Europe and the Americas; over 30,000,000 others would die in slave wars, work camps, or during transit aboard slave ships until the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade ended in the 1860s.
Today in North America, the use of African slave labour is seen as a uniquely American institution. Canada is reputed as being the promised land to the North to where slaves could escape and live as free men and women. The Underground Railroad is our claim to fame, and we toot that horn proudly. Our history textbooks—and much less, our national historical narrative—rarely, if ever mention the two centuries of institutionalized slavery and its role in the founding of Canada.
The version of history taught in Canadian schools tends to serve the interests of nationalist pride rather than education. Figures such as René Bourassa, Colin McNabb, Joseph Papineau and Peter Russell have been made into historical icons, honoured in our texts and on our landscape. All were slave owners and some were rabid advocates of slavery, though today one would never know it. Among the multitude of authoritative biographies on such founding figures, these facts have a tendency to escape any mention, either because the authors chose not to include these facts or because they simply were not aware. Whether this act of censorship is intentional or not the error is compounded, the cycle of ignorance is perpetuated.
History Matters
The subtle underlying message this selective and filtered history conveys is one of white superiority. When students are taught that it is only white people who tend to do anything of historical importance it effectively instils them with a “white people belong on top, people of colour belong on the bottom” outlook on the world. Fed the same false sense of history, white students feel good about their heritage at the expense of non-white students who feel alienated to the point that they begin to tune out. According to figures from the Toronto District School Board, by age 16 more than half of black male teens are at risk of dropping out. In Montréal, the dropout rate among black youth is an estimated 48 per cent. The history curriculum is not solely responsible for these alarming statistics, but it is culpable.
There is a direct cause-and-effect relationship with our collective past and our collective present, as well as our collective future. To fully understand the context of current conflicts and events, we need to know the relevant past and its causal relationship. In his book Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, historian and sociologist James Loewen explains “slavery’s twin legacies” to the present as “the social and economic inferiority it conferred upon blacks and the cultural racism it instilled in whites.” Both of which, he adds, “continue to haunt our society.” Removing this substantial part of our nation’s development from our historical narrative is not just an academic or moral problem. It has deprived and continues to deprive generations of the ability to identify “the dynamic interplay between slavery as a socioeconomic system and racism as an idea system.”
The film will show the connections between the practice of slavery in the past with racial disparity, tensions, and racism in the present. It will illustrate why telling history in a neutral, accurate and more complete manner is vital to understanding the causal relationship between past, present and future. The overarching point being more than just “history matters,” but rather honest history matters.
Looks like a fascinating project. I’m very excited to share this with my students.
Wow, is all I can say. Were any slave narratives published? There’s so much more I want to know. Congratulations and thank you for your courageousness and for bringing this subject ‘out in the open’.
I can’t stress enough how important this film will be not only to me but to all Canadians. The full truth about our history must be told.
Looks like a great documentary, this is something people need to watch and learn about the ugly truth of the past…
I had no idea! I had always heard about the underground railroad operating south to north not the other may around. Got to see this documentary.
It is mentionned here that Papineau was a slave owner, and, while I I am not an expert in history, I am curious to know if it is the same Papineau who presented a petition to abolish slavery, as reported here : http://www.histoiredesnoirsaucanada.com/timeline.php?id=1700&PHPSESSID=8d21a0ad928144032e2cf08159882e95
“1799 : Papineau présente, au nom des citoyens, une pétition visant à abolir l’esclavage au Bas-Canada
En 1799, Joseph Papineau (père de Louis-Joseph Papineau) présenta une pétition de la part des citoyens demandant au gouvernement d’abolir l’esclavage, ce qui donna lieu à une série de mesures antiesclavagistes. Bien que ces projets de loi furent défaits, la société cheminait tout de même vers l’abolition de l’esclavage au Bas-Canada.”
To J. Desroches
You are indeed correct. It was the same Papineau. He petitioned the government 3 times on behalf of the slave-owners of Montreal.
Be sure I´ll be back. Found this great blog by searching for race film
When can we expect this to be released?
Greetings Alston,
Thank you for your comment. It’s hard to say at the moment. There is still much shooting to be done, but without any funding right now (other than what I manage to save up myself) it is difficult to predict.
Hi There! I didn’t realize how important A Past, Denied was. What books and or research did you do to come up with you information?
Hi Mr , This is a great new for everyone in the worldwide because Canada peinted is dark side with his Peace Maker and generosity Color . So the World must know the story not only canadians. I am an African-canadian . I am available for you as actor or volonteer for this Slavery story doc… You need help to make this hapen right . Please contact me anytime if you need head for your Docu.thanks for tour great job.
There is obviously a lot more than this. Would you mind telling me how long it took you to gather your content?
I am inspired by your dedication and loyalty to such a project. I learned a lot when researching the “schooling of Natives” in Canada and “abuse/ disappearance” of many children. People of color have endured so much oppression at the hands of whites. I wish I had money to give you…I was just as intrigued to read your post on not being able to get a page on Face Book. I went to check and saw that you had a page so I’ll be a fan and spread the word!
Keep up your work, don’t give up.
Greetings Kelly, thank you for your comment and support. My search for funding continues, but in the meantime moral support in the form of spreading the word is just as helpful.
This is going to be a fascinating documentary! Every eye should be open to it’s past~ the proudful, and if it exists, the shameful too. It is the only way to have an honest concept of “self” and individuals and as a country.
Bravo, Mr. Barber!
Hi, Mike,
I applaud your strength and insistance at exposing the truth. The public school system in North America has perpetuated lies in all subjects; it is no surprise that history has been distorted to reflect a “new truth”. While we have little money, as a school where we value the Truth above all else, we teach what Canadians need to hear.
If there is any way we can help you spread the word, please let us know.
I hope there is room in your excellent film project to include the fact that for much of Canada’s history of slavery there were more native people kept as slaves than there were Black slaves. The data is well documented — it is just overlooked. Strength and clarity of mind and purpose to you in your work. Best regards.
Greetings Rarihokwats, there certainly is. I only started with coverage of African slaves because that was what information was most readily available to me as I started out. I absolutely will be including the indigenous people who, as you have mentioned, are often overlooked. If you have any suggestions for interviewees from the native community or other resources, please do pass them along!
When will the documentary be finished?
I am passionate, and consider myself reasonably well versed in,
history yet this is news to me.
This is a vital work you have taken on.
Important for every race in canada to be aware of.
Thanks, and power to you !