The killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012 by a white assailant inspired the Black Lives Matter movement, which quickly spread outside the borders of the United States. The movement’s message found fertile ground in Canada, where Black activists speak of generations of injustice and continue the work of the Black liberators who have come before them.

Until We Are Free contains some of the very best writing on the hottest issues facing the Black community in Canada. It describes the latest developments in Canadian Black activism, organizing efforts through the use of social media, Black-Indigenous alliances, and more.

"Until We Are Free busts myths of Canadian politeness and niceness, myths that prevent Canadians from properly fulfilling its dream of multiculturalism and from challenging systemic racism, including the everyday assaults on black and brown bodies. This book needs to be read and put into practice by everyone." —Vershawn Young, author of Your Average Nigga: Performing Race, Literacy, and Masculinity and co-author of Other People's English: Code Meshing, Code Switching, and African American Literacy

Contributors:

Silvia Argentina Arauz - Toronto, ON

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson - Toronto, ON

Patrisse Cullors - Los Angeles, CA

Giselle Dias - Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON

Omisoore Dryden - Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS

Paige Galette - Whitehorse, YK

Dana Inkster - University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB

Sarah Jama - Hamilton, ON

El Jones - Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS

Anique Jordan - Toronto, ON

Dr. Naila Keleta Mae - University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON

Janaya Khan - Los Angeles, CA

Gilary Massa - York University, Toronto, ON

Robyn Maynard - University of Toronto, Toronto, ON

QueenTite Opaleke - Toronto, ON

Randolph Riley - Halifax, NS

Camille Turner - York University, Toronto, ON

Ravyn Wngz - Toronto, ON

Rodney Diverlus is a Haitian Canadian multi-hyphenate artist and artivist whose work samples from dance, theatre, media, and public-arts-based interventions. They are co-founder of the Wildseed Centre for Art & Activism, Black Lives Matter—Canada, Black Lives Matter—Toronto, and was previously Lead Canadian Organizer for the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation. They choreographed the premiere production of Blackout.

Rodney Diverlus' profile page

SANDY HUDSON is a multidisciplinary creator, writer and activist, and the founder of Black Lives Matter Canada. She also co-founded the Black Legal Action Centre, a specialty legal aid clinic, which provides direct legal services and test-case litigation for Black communities in Ontario. Her work has appeared in the Washington Post, the Toronto Star and the Huffington Post, among other publications. She holds a JD from the UCLA School of Law and a master of arts in social justice education from the University of Toronto. A co-host of the podcast Sandy and Nora Talk Politics, she is also co-author of the bestselling anthology Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada. Currently based in Los Angeles, Hudson is co-executive producer of the CBC documentary series Black Life: Untold Stories, an official selection of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

Sandy Hudson's profile page

Syrus Marcus Ware is a Canadian artist, activist and scholar. He is currently a CLA Assistant Professor in the School of the Arts at McMaster University. He has worked since 2014 as faculty and as a designer for The Banff Centre. Ware is a founding member of Black Lives Matter Toronto. For 13 years, he was the coordinator of the Art Gallery of Ontario's youth program. During that time Ware oversaw the creation of the Free After Three program and the expansion of the youth program into a multi pronged offering. He has published four books and in 2020 co-edited (with Rodney Diverlus and Sandy Hudson) Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada, a collection of reflections on the Black Lives Matter movement in Canada.

Syrus Marcus Ware's profile page