Stories about Black Atlantic Canadians inspire young readers

Lindsay Ruck comes from a family steeped in the history of the contributions of Black Atlantic Canadians and she wants to pass along those stories in a form accessible to children.

Her father Douglas was the valedictorian of his graduating class at the University of King's College in Halifax and went on to study law at Dalhousie University. He founded his own law firm and became the first Black ombudsman of Nova Scotia.

Ruck's grandfather, Calvin, was a social worker and social activist who pressed for equal rights for Black residents in the Halifax area. When a barber refused to cut his son's hair because he was black, Calvin fought back and ensured that no one in the city could be refused a haircut based on the colour of their skin. Residents tried to stop him from moving into their mostly white neighbourhood — he ended up living there for 50 years. 

Ruck said her father and grandfather did a lot of work "with social activism and standing up for human rights for their different black communities." 

She tells their stories, and the stories of other Black heroes, in her children's book, Amazing Black Atlantic Canadians, and she's currently on a tour of the region during Canadian Children's Book Week.

Originally, Ruck planned on writing a children's book about an all-Black unit during the First World War. Her grandfather, Calvin, had already written a book for adults called The Black Battalion and Ruck wanted to write an illustrated version for kids. 

She approached a publisher and they said, "Great idea, but how about you do 50 profiles on amazing Atlantic Canadians?"

The resulting book, published in 2021, is a compendium of stories, with artwork by James Bentley, about more than 50 Black athletes, artists, social activists, military heroes and ground-breaking rights advocates.

Stories about Black N.B. artists, athletes

They are from around the Atlantic region and include New Brunswickers like Chris Skinner, a Saint Johner who played in the CFL, Fredericton's Willie O'Ree, the first Black player in the NHL, world-renowned Fredericton opera singer Measha Brueggergosman and Saint Andrews-born 19th-century painter Edward Mitchell Bannister. 

Ruck said she hopes kids are inspired by these important historical figures.

"I have two young children and when I share some of these stories with them, I'm always interested to see the information that they take away," she said. "But the biggest thing is [these Black leaders] lived in the same region [the kids] lived in, which is really exciting for them."

"They were [also] just people who had a passion about something … an artist or an athlete or an activist who just decided to do the right thing."

Ruck wrote the book as a way of teaching young people about Black history, but she hopes people of all ages are inspired by these stories of courageous people who accomplished great things in the face of resistance and racism. 

"I hope people are inspired by that and understand that these are still things we can do today," she said. "Standing up for what is right or following your dreams. These are all things that young and old can still pursue."