Discover Library and Archives Canada presents “Porter Talk.” This mini-series explores the lived experiences of Black men who laboured as porters for both the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways during the twentieth century. Stanley G. Grizzle, a Canadian Pacific Railway porter for twenty years as well as a celebrated activist, civil servant, and citizenship judge, was also an avid historian who went to great lengths to document and preserve Black History in Canada and beyond. His collection is now held at Library and Archives Canada. Join us as we explore who the porters were, where they came from, and how they found themselves on the rails. (Episode 2 trailer)

Transcript

Narrator Biographies

Discover Library and Archives Canada presents “Porter Talk.” This mini-series explores the lived experiences of Black men who laboured as porters for both the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways during the twentieth century. Stanley G. Grizzle, a Canadian Pacific Railway porter for twenty years as well as a celebrated activist, civil servant, and citizenship judge, was also an avid historian who went to great lengths to document and preserve Black History in Canada and beyond. His collection is now held at Library and Archives Canada. Join us as we delve into the life of the man who recorded the stories of the porters working on the rails. (Episode 1) 

Transcript

Narrator Biographies

Discover Library and Archives Canada presents “Porter Talk.” This mini-series explores the lived experiences of Black men who laboured as porters for both the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways during the twentieth century. Stanley G. Grizzle, a Canadian Pacific Railway porter for twenty years as well as a celebrated activist, civil servant, and citizenship judge, was also an avid historian who went to great lengths to document and preserve Black History in Canada and beyond. His collection is now held at Library and Archives Canada. Join us as we delve into the man who turned the microphone over to the porters to record their experiences working on the rails. (Episode 1 trailer)

Transcript

Narrator Biographies

Discover Library and Archives Canada presents “Porter Talk.” This mini-series explores the lived experiences of Black men who laboured as porters for both the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways during the twentieth century. Their voices, along with those of their wives and children, relay stories of both hardship and resilience. (Podcast series trailer)

Transcript

Narrator Biographies

The hammering of the last spike into the Canadian Pacific Railway expanded access to the nation immeasurably, physically and symbolically connecting it from coast to coast. While seen as a victory in the dominant narrative of Canada, it served as a catalyst for the mass displacement of Indigenous peoples and the exploitation and even death of labourers involved in the construction of the railway. Join us as Marcelle Cinq-Mars delves into the historic image depicting this moment, and we reflect on the real human cost that was paid in the name of progress.

In this episode of Treasures Revealed we follow the journey of a rare document which is considered to be the first publication in English entirely about Canada, with the help of Senior Special Collections Librarian Meaghan Scanlon. Once carelessly discarded, this broadside is later discovered in an unrelated publication, miraculously preserved.

Did you know that 22% or roughly one in five Canadians under the age of 34 either hadn’t heard about the Holocaust, or were unsure if they had heard about the Holocaust? In this episode, Michael Kent delves into the significance of Raczyński’s Note, a Second World War publication regarded as the first official communication with the Western Hemisphere about the atrocities of the Holocaust.

In this episode we speak with Steve Moore about the most successful silent film in Canadian history, Back to God’s Country – a lusty tale of jealousy, murder and betrayal starring trailblazer Nell Shipman, Canada’s first female director. Tune in to discover why the restoration of this film received international accolades and how it projected a light on the action heroine who co-wrote and starred in this groundbreaking film.

In this episode we speak with Krista Cooke about the curious absence of pregnant women in photos from the birth of photography in the 19th century up to the Second World War. Tune in to learn why the photo of Anna Jorosz Krista chose as her treasure is so remarkable!*re-edited version of previous release*

In celebration of National Parks Day we have partnered with our friends at Parks Canada and have featured an episode from their wonderful new history and archaeology podcast ReCollections, in our feed. Through the remarkable lives of Madam Ruby Scott and her employees, we'll hear about Dawson's Gold Rush heyday and the boom/bust cycle of both the mining and sex work industries. At the heart of the story is Ruby's Place, an elegant false-front building conserved as part of the Klondike National Historic Sites… despite the threats from climate change.