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