Overview

The Black Press brings together original, multidisciplinary research that explores the history and impact of Black newspapers in Canada. This collection of essays introduces readers to the rich archive of Black Canadian journalism, spanning the period from the abolitionist to the modern civil rights era, and reveals the extensive network of African and African-descended activist-journalists. The book positions Black Canadian journalists, editors, publishers, and readers as influential intellectual activists whose efforts shaped the press to drive socio-cultural change both in Canada and abroad. Through historical analysis and archival research, each essay highlights how Black journalists countered mainstream portrayals of their community, challenging dominant narratives of Blackness in the Canadian imaginary. The essays demonstrate how the Black Press served as a crucial space for reflecting on Black Canadian identity, belonging, social justice, and human rights within the colonial contexts of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Combining historical, archival, and cultural analysis, the book uncovers the profound and often overlooked influence of the Black Press on Canada's cultural and political landscape.

Full Product Details

Author:   Claudine Bonner ,  Boulou Ebanda de b'Beri ,  Nina Reid-Maroney
Publisher:   University of Toronto Press
Imprint:   University of Toronto Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.70cm , Height: 1.40cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   0.360kg
ISBN:  

9781487526672

ISBN 10:   1487526679
Pages:   184
Publication Date:   09 September 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements An Introduction to The Black Press: A Shadowed Canadian Tradition Claudine Bonner, Boulou Ebanda de B’béri, Nina Reid-Maroney Part One: The Black Press and the Abolitionist Context 1. An Education without Walls: The Voice of the Fugitive and the Provincial Freeman as an Unconventional Classroom Lorene Bridgen-Lennie 2. The Black Press and The Voice of the Bondsman Neil Brooks, Nina Reid-Maroney, Scott Schofield Part Two: Reconstructing the Black Press, 1870–1900 3. As Seen in the News: Representations of Blackness in the Mainstream Nova Scotian Newspapers, 1867–1910 Claudine Bonner 4. Georgiana Whetsel and the Case for Nineteenth-Century Black New Brunswick Newspaper Culture Jennifer Harris 5. “Read. Important.” Anderson Ruffin Abbott’s Missionary Messenger Scrapbooks Nina Reid-Maroney Part Three: Representation and Activism in the Twentieth Century 6. “You Will Do the Race and Yourselves Much Good”: The Black Athlete and Sport Discourse in The Clarion (1946–1949)  Ornella Nzindukiyimana 7. Brand Advertising in Contrast in the 1970s: Selling Race and Culture Through Beer Cheryl Thompson List of Contributors Index

Reviews

“The Black Press makes a bold and direct intervention into Black Canadian intellectual history by daring us to imagine the vibrant legacy of Black Canadian print culture and its continued impact on Black Canadian life and politics. This work will absolutely transform our understanding of Black Canada.” - Kristin Moriah , Associate Professor of African American Literary Studies, Queen's University “The Black Press is a wonderfully comprehensive primer on the existence and development of Black Canadian print media. Well-researched and replete with engaging stories and characters, this timely collection is not only foundational, it generously presents a blueprint for future exploration in this long ignored field of study.” - Sylvia D. Hamilton, C.M., O.N.S., 2019 Governor General's History Award for Popular Media, Inglis Professor Emeritus, University of King's College

“The Black Press makes a bold and direct intervention into Black Canadian intellectual history by daring us to imagine the vibrant legacy of Black Canadian print culture and its continued impact on Black Canadian life and politics. This work will absolutely transform our understanding of Black Canada.” -- Kristin Moriah , Associate Professor of African American Literary Studies, Queen's University “The Black Press is a wonderfully comprehensive primer on the existence and development of Black Canadian print media. Well-researched and replete with engaging stories and characters, this timely collection is not only foundational, it generously presents a blueprint for future exploration in this long ignored field of study.” -- Sylvia D. Hamilton, C.M., O.N.S., 2019 Governor General's History Award for Popular Media, Inglis Professor Emeritus, University of King's College

Author Information

Claudine Bonner is the Canada Research Chair in Racial Justice and African Diaspora Migration and an associate professor of sociology at Mount Allison University. Boulou Ebanda de b’BÉri is a professor of Communication and Cultural Studies and the founding director of the Audiovisual Media Lab for the study of Cultures and Societies at the University of Ottawa. Nina Reid-Maroney is a professor of history at Huron University College at the University of Western Ontario and co-director of the Huron Community History Centre.

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