Heritage Toronto

Derailed: The History of Black Railway Porters In Canada, a project nominated for the 2022 Heritage Toronto Awards, Toronto, 2021. Courtesy of Myseum Toronto

Derailed: The History of Black Railway Porters In Canada, a project nominated for the 2022 Heritage Toronto Awards. Courtesy of Myseum Toronto

Derailed: The History of Black Railway Porters in Canada

Winner: 2022 Public History Award

Project Organization: Myseum of Toronto

Project Website: Derailed: The History of Black Railway Porters in Canada

Date of Release: November 30, 2021

“Derailed: The History of Black Railway Porters in Canada” is a digital multimedia exhibition that captures the lived experiences of the Black railway porters and their often under-told narrative, through the use of theatrical performances, interviews, mediascapes, and archival content. The exhibition highlights the important role that Black railway porters played in the history of the city, province, and across the country.

This program allows for attendees to experience a new and innovative way of interacting with history. Instead of simply watching a theatrical interpretation or hearing a lecture or reading, this multimedia digital exhibition captures the performances and integrates them into a transformative experience that brings the history and real life stories of the Black railway porters to life.

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Derailed: The History of Black Railway Porters in Canada

From the late 1800s to mid-1900s, Canada’s Black railway porters were a group of workers who disrupted the system, becoming instrumental in leading the fight for fair employment practices and anti-discriminatory laws. This multimedia digital exhibit and online program looks at the lives of these pioneers whose tireless work, on and off the track, was instrumental in paving a new path for greater equality in Canada.

Jurors found this exhibition to be the epitome of a public history project. The exhibition provides an innovative way of delivering important stories to a diverse audience. The project also ties the legacy of Black porters to the present in an engaging way, which the jurors believed is especially important in highlighting the significance of history as a field.

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Additional Project Team Members
- Panelists: Cecil Foster (Author, They Call Me George), Meagan Swaby (Playwright, Venus’ Daughter), Natasha Henry (President, Ontario Black History Society) Andria Babbington, John Cartwright
- Partner: Toronto & York Region Labour Council, Derailed Digital Exhibit
- Curator: Cecil Foster
- Playwright: Meghan Swaby
- Director: Byron Kent Wong
- Partners: Zero11Zero, Iron Bay Media, Union
- Performer: Peter Bailey (Actor)
- Moderator: Cheryl Blackman (Director, Museums and Heritage Services, City of Toronto)
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Derailed: The History of Black Railway Porters in Canada

Derailed: The History of Black Railway Porters in Canada

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