Standing of the Shoulder of Giants - Storytelling for Change

Last month, I had the opportunity to attend Standing on the Shoulders of Giants at Heritage Park, celebrating the launch of a new guided historic tour and photography exhibit created through Heritage Park’s Black Heritage Committee.

The afternoon was an opportunity to continue the conversation about Black history at Heritage Park, to learn more about the contributions of Black pioneers and to reflect on what Black history looks like on the Prairies. More importantly, it was a reminder that there are still so many stories that deserve to be uncovered, preserved and told.

The afternoon began by introducing the incredible people behind the exhibitions. From finding historical photographs and researching the people featured in them to piecing together their stories and ensuring that their histories were represented accurately, there was so much care and intention behind the work.

From there, we began our tour through Heritage Park, stopping at new photographs and stories that had been added throughout the park. The tour also expanded on stories introduced through the initial launch the year before, bringing more attention to individuals and families whose contributions are part of Alberta's history.

We learned about people like Tom and Lena Selectman, Joseph Lewis, John Ware, Annie Saunders, the Gordon family, Alfred Docshad, and many others. Each story offered a different perspective on what it meant to build a life and community as a Black person on the Prairies.

We learned about the 1910 migration of Black settlers to Western Canada, the ways Black communities relied on one another for social and economic safety, the experiences of Black railway workers, and the story of Alfred Docshad, one of the first Black doctors in the Prairies. Also about the realities of anti-Black policies and racism, including the barriers Black people faced as they built lives and communities in Alberta.

One of the things that stayed with me throughout the tour was how interconnected these stories are with the history of Alberta itself. Black history is not separate from Alberta’s history. It is woven into the communities, businesses, railways, hotels, families and institutions that helped shape the province.

One quote from the tour particularly stayed with me:

“History comes out of the past and walks beside us.”

It made me think about how the contributions of Black Albertans even those that may have seemed small at the time, continue to shape the our lives today. That is why initiatives like this matter. Preserving Black history is not only about looking backwards. It is about understanding where we come from, recognizing the people who helped build the communities we are part of, and making sure their stories are not lost.

There are still so many stories waiting to be uncovered. So many photographs waiting to be identified. So many people whose contributions deserve to be remembered.

Our history is interwoven with Alberta’s history, and Black history deserves to be told, shared and carried forward.

Written by: Bolade Afolabi