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- Welcome to Independent Lens.
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I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS
Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
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When we think of Canada,
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we typically think
of cold weather, culture,
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fun accents,
and very friendly people.
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All of those clichés might be
true, but in tonight's film,
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True North: Canadian Myths
and Black Power,
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we will learn that not everyone
shares the opinion
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in regard to our neighbors
to the north.
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As we will see in just a bit,
for a Black person,
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sometimes arriving in Canada
can be as unsettling
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as the reasons they wanted
to go there in the first place.
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True North does a deep dive into
the Sir George Williams affair,
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which took place when students
took over a classroom
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to protest unfair
grading practices by professors
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at Canada's Sir George Williams
University in Montreal,
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now called Concordia University.
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The school was
a popular destination
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for international students,
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especially those who could not
get accepted
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into Montreal's prestigious
McGill University.
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The college gained international
attention on January 29, 1969,
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when over 400 students refused
to leave the computer lab
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to protest the lack of response
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given to six students
from the West Indies
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who accused biology professor
Perry Anderson
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of racist grading practices.
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The protest was peaceful
for the most part,
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until authorities started using
questionable methods
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and a mysterious fire broke out,
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putting protesters' lives
at risk.
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The media was no help either,
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portraying the protesters
as instigators of violence
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and demonizing the students.
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The incident lasted for 13 days,
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with the students
agreeing to leave
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after the university promised
to look into biased treatment
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of minority students.
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The film is directed
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by Brooklyn-based
Michèle Stephenson,
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who is of Haitian
and Panamanian descent.
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She is an award-winning
documentarian
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and director or producer
of close to 20 films.
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Stephenson brings
an interesting background
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to her current profession.
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She was a human rights attorney.
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Prior to that, she was
in international development.
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When it came to making
True North,
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Stephenson and her
filmmaking team discovered
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and were able to use
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never-before-seen
archival footage.
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They also tracked down people
who were there,
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giving a genuine and true voice
to the story
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as they speak of the occupation
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and Canada's Black Power
movement.
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Her subjects are affectionately
known to the director
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as the elders.
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Stephenson takes us back
to the '60s
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with their weathered,
experienced words
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as they recall
the tumultuous time.
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During a recent interview,
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she says her biggest takeaway
from this project
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is how much respect she has
for the elders
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and anyone
who has created change,
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saying movements for equality
cannot be stopped.
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Stephenson acknowledges that
at times during her film,
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people will feel uncomfortable
and awkward,
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but that that is how
positive change happens.
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True North: Canadian Myths
and Black Power starts now
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on PBS Wisconsin,
your home for independent film.