Alberta's slave crop

When something terrible and racist happens you often see well meaning folks go on about how “This isn’t us,” or “This isn’t Canada.” But when you scratch the surface and dig into the history of Canada you quickly find that’s not the case. In this episode we dig into Alberta’s not-so-secret and extremely problematic past with guest co-host Bashir Mohamed.

Further reading:

• St. Albert Fire and Rescue Chief Suspended For Wearing Blackface At Party In 2016
• Officials apologize after staff member at Alberta Christian school appears in blackface for event
• Twitter thread on how Prince Rupert made his fortune (hint: slavery)
• Cheryl Foggo: My Home Is Over Jordan – Southern Alberta’s Black Pioneers
• Bashir Mohamed’s Twitter thread on Calgary’s little known race riot
• Canadaland: Two Centuries of Blackface in Canada
• Human rights struggles of black Canadians too often overlooked. (CBC story featuring Bashir)
• The Grab-A-Hoe Indians: The Canadian State and the Procurement of Aboriginal Labour for the Southern Alberta Labour Industry 
• 'You had no choice': Indigenous Manitobans shed light on exploitative farm labour program that ran for decades