‘Our humanity will not be ripped from us’: Michèle Stephenson on new CBC civil rights, Black Power documentary

Black Life: Untold Stories is an epic eight-part documentary series that reframes the rich and complex histories of Black people in Canada over 400 years. Watch now on CBC Gem.Each episode is directed by a different director, who shares their experience in a series of video essays.

In directing the episode "Revolution Remix," from CBC's docuseries, Black Life: Untold Stories, filmmaker Michèle Stephenson found herself on the front lines in a battle of narratives.

"Whose story will be told? Who gets to tell whose stories?" she said. "And how do we challenge systemic injustice to push back against what we've grown up learning and really speaking truth to power?"

"Revolution Remix" explores two era-defining Black empowerment events in 1960s Montreal: the Sir George Williams affair — Canada's first major Black-led student protest — and the World Congress of Black Writers and Artists, which has been called the largest Black Power conference ever held outside the U.S.

"I grew up really not knowing that history here in Canada," Stephenson said. "So having the privilege to be able to build a narrative around that, that counters what we've been taught, is extremely important."

The episode includes testimonials from Black Canadians about their lived experience in 1960s Montreal — their unfair treatment and the subtle and blatant racism they and their children faced in all facets of society.

"We sort of embody what our ancestors have gone through — both the intergenerational trauma of it, but also the energy to continue moving forward," Stephenson said.

"Not only are we here, our humanity will not be ripped from us through ignorance and/or negligence and/or state-sanctioned violence.

"The episode should resonate [with] the communities that I'm a part of, in understanding that struggle is a process and that the struggle continues, but we can be inspired by our ancestors and our elders to continue the work — and that the backlash can be intense, but we have to do it anyway."

About Michèle Stephenson

The Canadian filmmaker, artist and author has roots in Haiti and Panama.

She tells emotionally driven personal stories of resistance and identity that centre on the lived experience of communities of colour in the Americas and the Black diaspora. Her feature documentary, Going to Mars, won the 2023 U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at Sundance Film Festival, and her earlier feature, American Promise, was nominated for three Emmys and won a 2013 U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award at Sundance. Her 2020 feature documentary, Stateless, was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for best feature length documentary.

Stephenson also collaborated as co-director on the magical-realist virtual reality trilogy series on racial terror The Changing Same: American Pilgrimage, which was nominated for an Emmy in the outstanding interactive media: innovation category and premiered at the 2021 Sundance. Episode 1 of the series also won the Best immersive Narrative Competition Award at the Tribeca Festival.

"Revolution Remix" is streaming now on CBC Gem. Watch it on CBC-TV on Nov. 1 at 9 p.m. (9:30 p.m. NT).

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.