Trailblazers

Book excerpt: Canada has a rich Black history filled with fascinating stories of resilience, advocacy and innovation. Black people have been in Canada for over 400 years - for as long as the first Europeans. Their labour helped to build Canada's economy, their skills led Canada's innovation and their activism helped make Canada a better place. Trailblazers: The Black Pioneers Who Have Shaped Canada is a disruptive children's book that introduces readers to Canada's Black history through the incredible and undertold stories of over forty important Black agents of change in Canada. Some of these trailblazers such as Josiah Henson have saved lives through their bravery, others such as Viola Desmond and Bromley Armstrong have improved laws through their advocacy. Some such as Bernice Redmon have broken down barriers by being the first in their field while others such as Elijah McCoy have invented new or better ways of doing things. With representation across regions, time periods and experiences and each short story carefully written in poetic form and accompanied by beautiful illustrations, this anthology brings complex topics and historical facts to life. Readers will finish this book with new knowledge gained, challenged ideas and a guide on how to blaze their own trails.