February Is Black History Month: Carrie Best

We often tend to think that Canada was somehow separated from the racial segregation that occurred in the U.S. and our attitude that we were 'better than that' is quite misinformed. 

Blacks faced plenty of discrimination in this country and a fine example was the case of Carrie Best, who, in 1943, challenged the segregation law by purchasing two tickets for her and her son to the lower seating level of the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia.

Both were arrested and unsuccessfully fought the charges, subsequently being forced to pay damages to the theatre's owners. However, this experience gave Best the motivation to start a newspaper, the Clarion in 1946, which was the first published newspaper owned by a black person in Nova Scotia.

Ironically, in the first edition of the paper, Best wrote a story about another black woman, Viola Desmond, who also challenged the segregation law of the Roseland Theatre when she inadvertently sat in the lower seating area and was arrested for the 'crime'.

Desmond succeeded on a technicality but the case, brought in to the public eye by the newspaper article, helped set the wheels in motion to have these laws revoked as a milestone human rights case.

Best also started a radio show, "The Quiet Corner', which aired for 12 years and was a columnist for the Pictou advocate for 7 years. her son, James Calbert Best, went on to become a union activist, a senior public servant and served as High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago.

Carrie Best was made a Member Of The Order Of Canada in 1974 and was promoted to Officer in 1979. She received the Order Of Nova Scotia posthumously in 2002 and had a commemorative stamp issued in her honour in 2011.

February Is Black History Month: Michie Mee

Canada has had quite a few high profile hip hop artists on the charts over the past couple of years, the latest being Drake of course.  But, way back, when the music form was relatively new and there weren't that many Canadian artists in the genre, let alone women, pioneers like Michie Mee were paving the way for so many more to come.She was the first Canadian hip hop artist to be signed to a U.S. label and is still involved in the music scene today, although she has also branched out to work as a radio host and film and t.v. actress.
Her real name is Michelle McCullock and she used her Jamaican background to blend a dancehall style flow with New York type lyrical dexterity. During rap battles, she often switched to Jamaican patois to baffle and beat her competitors. She had her first big break way back in 1985 and has opened for acts like Will Smith, Salt n Pepa, Heavy D and LL Cool J, and Queen Latifah, as well as the infamous Public Enemy. Not to restrict herself however, she diversified and performed with the likes of Sinead O'Connor and even formed a metal band called Raggadeath. Michie Mee has been nominated for several Juno awards and was recently inducted into the Stylus Awards Hall of Fame.

More Mexico

Part two of the recent vacation in Mexico, including a visit to Chichen Itza. There are things about Mexico that could drive you crazy if you're not prepared, such as the fares for a taxi ride. Better practice your negotiation skills, as we found that every time we took a taxi from the same place to the same destination, the stated cost was never the same. A ride from the airport to the ferry terminal, or the reverse trip, was offered at a price anywhere from $400 Pesos to $1200 Pesos, and worse if they thought you were an American and gave you the price in U.S. dollars. "No soy un gringo" I'd say and then start the haggling. haha  

Of course, one great thing about Mexico is that you can walk around or hang out on the beach with a beer in your hand, and when it comes to eating out or stopping someplace like the 'Soggy Peso' for a drink, the 'No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem' attitude is great!! In fact I believe Country artist Kenny Chesney has a pretty funny song about the same, so Mexico has a reputation for being pretty relaxed.

The big pyramid, El Castillo, at Chichen Itza

Apparently the heads of defeated enemies were placed on stakes on the top of the wall of skulls

El Castillo is quite large and no longer accessible to climb, due to the stupidity of the average tourist

Mayan ancestry shows how tiny people were, as evident in this local woman

On our way back from Chichen Itza we stopped in Valladolid and checked out this beautifully restored fountain at La Casona 

Also in Valladolid, you can go for a swim in Cenote Zaci

The south west coast of our island, discovered on our bicycles

Sea turtles

Margaritas and shrimp tacos were delish at 'The Soggy Peso'

The sign says it all

Carnival was just starting on our last weekend

Mexican cemeteries are always interesting

Viva Mexico

Just returned recently from a holiday in Mexico, on a small island off the coast of Cancun. And when I say small, I mean small, as in 8 km long and 3 km wide small. Not that there aren't vehicles out there but it seems the preferred mode of transportation for locals is the scooter, and for tourists, the golf cart. We also took advantage of an unusually cool ( it was only 20°C ) and cloudy day, rented some bicycles, and rode around the island. A great way to see the local island lifestyle but we regretted not using the cooler weather to do our trip to the mainland and see Chichen Itza.

The latter is a set of large Mayan ruins in the jungle, about 200 km west of Cancun and it was cooking hot when we went on our exploration adventure. Make sure you wear a hat, take sunscreen and lots of water if you go, and we were told no knapsacks allowed inside, meaning we had to carry everything on our person. Thank goodness for 'cargo shorts'!! haha!

Leaving mainland Mexico to cross to our little island

Narrow streets and lots of scooters and golf carts

Quaint and colourful streets

Not one to just sit in the sun all day, we played a little cribbage while enjoying some jumbo margaritas

The east side of the island is a bit rocky and rough but has a nice breeze on the 'boardwalk'.

Some beauty amongst the chaos of the demolition  of an old building

'Let Them Free' graffiti

What would mexico be without a shrine of some sort?

And, what would Mexico be without a cool old VW Bug?

My 'artistic shot' of the day!!

We ate at this amazing little 'lancheria'

Me and "Sylvester", the Owner of La Lomita , compare goatees

Another shrine

Scooters and small c.c. bikes rule the island

"Si Senorita, our beach is the spot that everyone stops to take their photo, especially at sunset."

February is Black History Month: Jesse Owens

As one of the great Olympians and a champion for the rights of blacks in North America, Jesse Owens was a renowned track and field athlete who set many records in the NCAA, as well as a long jump World record that stood for 25 years.

Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin

One of the more controversial moments in his lifetime was when Owens competed at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, where much was made of the Nazi hosted event and Hitler, with his Aryan views,. The U.S. press made much of this and demonized Hitler, particularly after Owens won 4 Gold medals.

Not that Hitler wasn't a true demon and the press wasn't justified but it is interesting to note that at the time, Owens travelled throughout Europe with all the white athletes, stayed at the same hotels and ate in the same restaurants. He won the Gold medal in the long jump and attributed his success to some technical tips given to him by his German opponent whom he beat. Despite what the press said about Hitler 'snubbing' Owens, he even claimed himself to have been congratulated by Hitler and had his hand shaken. He took the high ground and said he thought it in bad taste to criticize the 'man of the hour' in another country.

Gold medalist at the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany

Perhaps Owens was thinking about how hypocritical the press was being considering the fact that in many parts of the U.S.,, blacks still had to stay in separate hotels from whites, including Owens himself during his Ohio Sate University days on the track and field team. In fact, he couldn't even eat with the team and had to get 'take out'.

The Olympics were a great propaganda opportunity for both Germany and the U.S. but perhaps there should have been a little more emphasis put on the U.S. 'cleaning up their own back yard'. It's really ironic to think that, after a ticker tape parade in New York in his honour, Owens himself had to ride in the freight elevator to get to a reception at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Many years later he stated that Hitler hadn't snubbed him but his own leader, President Roosevelt, did when he never invited Owens to the White House or send him a congratulatory telegram, as was the custom.

Owens achieved so much and broke down many barriers yet still had a difficult time even earning a living after his successes. Owens once said " I have four gold medals, but you can't eat four gold medals. There was no television, no big advertising, no endorsements then. Not for a black man, anyway",  He was stripped of his amateur status by U.S. Olympic officials after trying to earn some money from commercial offers. Unable to compete, the lack of public exposure subsequently took away those opportunities and he never capitalized on his athletic achievements.

After stints running a dry cleaning business, working as a gas station attendant and eventually filing for bankruptcy, he was given a job by the government as a Goodwill Ambassador, making speaking engagements as he traveled the world.

Sadly, this high performance athlete had become a pack a day smoker and subsequently died of lung cancer at the age of 66.

Owens long jump World Record stood for 25 years, a rare feat in track and field

February Is Black History Month: Anderson Ruffin Abbott

Anderson Ruffing Abbott holds the distinction of being the first black Canadian to be a licenced physician, though he had many other notable achievements during his lifetime. Born and raised in Toronto in 1837, Abbott's family had worked hard and invested wisely, becoming quite wealthy and able to afford a proper education for their children.

Abbott received his medical licence in 1861 and actually served the Union Army during the American Civil War as a 'private contractor'. Part of his duty saw him doing service in Washington D.C. and he became quite popular in that city's high society. He met and became friends with Abraham Lincoln and eventually attended the deathbed of  Lincoln after he was assassinated.

Amongst his many accolades and achievements were starting his own medical practice in Chatham Ontario, becoming president of the Wilberforce Educational Society of Toronto, his appointment as coroner of Kent county in Ontario, and his contribution to the Chatham newspaper. He was also Associate Editor of the British Methodist Episcopal Church journal, president of the Chatham Debating Society and the Chatham Medical Society. He eventually moved to Chicago when he was appointed Surgeon-in Chief at Provident Hospital, eventually becoming Medical Superintendent in 1896.

Abbott eventually returned to his medical practice in Toronto, where he lived out the rest of his life, writing for several publications and furthering the cause of blacks in Canadian society.

February Is Black History Month: Mathieu De Costa

February is Black History Month and, in honour of that, here's a little story about the first free black person to arrive in Canada. Dating back to the 17th century, Mathieu De Costa (sometimes recorded as D'Costa) was from the western coast of Africa and became a valued interpreter and translator, as Portuguese trade ships first started making their way to that region.
he eventually traveled with them to Europe and from there made several expeditions across the Atlantic to Canada, when the Portuguese were establishing fishing outposts in and around Newfoundland and Labrador. Those were eventually abandoned but Da Costa learned the Mi'kmaq language and on subsequent trips with the likes of French explorer Samuel de Champlain., he picked up Algonquin. The ability to learn these languages quickly, 7 in all, aided him in breaking communication barriers between the European explorers and North American natives.
He is recognized for this with commemoration at the Port Royal Habitation National Historic Site Of Canada in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. As well, the Department of Canadian Heritage holds an annual Mathieu De Costa Challenge, a creative writing and artwork contest that focuses on Canada's diversity and pluralism.