BLK: An Origin Story

Synopsis

Look beyond the Underground Railroad to explore the untold stories of Black Canadians from the 1600s to the present.

First Air Date: 2022-02-26

Last Air Date: 2022-03-19

Number of Seasons: 1

Number of Episodes: 4

Created By: Sudz Sutherland, Jennifer Holness

Networks: History

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

Kosa Akaraiwe as Black Loyalist
Abdul-Shakur Alawi as Minister David George
Abigail Amsterdam as Jamaican Maroon
Osa Atoe as Black Loyalist
Addison Becker as Loyalist
Patrick Marlon Bender as Labourer
Dashawn Lloyd Blackwood as Jamaican Maroon
Al Braatz as Rioter
Sarah Bransfield as Loyalist Wife
Alex Nathaniel Campbell as Child

Seasons

Season 1 (2022)

BLK: An Origin Story is a four-part doc series that looks beyond the Underground Railroad to explore the Untold Stories of Black Canadians from the 1600s to the present. These four hours aim to show that Black History is Canadian History.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: Three Epic Migrations, One People (2022-02-26)

Descendants of The Black Loyalists, Jamaican Maroons and The Black Refugees represent Canada's largest Black population today. Their incredible story begins in Nova Scotia in the 1700s and challenges our understanding of what should be considered a distinct society.
Ep. 2: John "Daddy" Hall (2022-03-19)

Born free of an Ojibwe father and an escaped-slave mother in Upper Canada, John Daddy Hall fought in the war of 1812, was captured and sold into slavery. 13 years later he makes a daring escape and finds his way back to Canada.
Ep. 3: Hogan's Alley (2022-03-12)

Before Urban Renewal, before displacement, and before dispersal, there was life. For many years Hogan's Alley was the heart of Vancouver's Black community. But that community began in the 1850s, when James Douglas, (the father of British Columbia) Invited Blacks to settle Vancouver island in an effort to stave off American annexation.
Ep. 4: Little Burgundy (2022-03-05)

Tucked between Griffintown and St. Henri in Montreal's Sud Ouest is Little Burgundy, home to a Black population led by Black men who worked in Canada's railway industry as sleeping car porters. They were the first Black trade union to organize in North America and were among the leaders in the struggle for civil rights.