The Black Hum

Today, we bring to you an interview with author Yolanda T. Marshall. Yolanda is an award-winning author of more than 20 books for children, including C is for Carnival, A Piece of Black Cake for Santa, Hot Cross Buns for Everyone, and Brown Girl in the Snow , which was selected by both CBC and The Globe and Mail as among the Best Books of 2025.  Marching North is her latest book. When Aunty E...

In this episode, we chart the path of E. Lionel Cross — soldier, trailblazing Black lawyer, and civil-rights advocate — and his campaign to hold the Ku Klux Klan accountable after the Oakville cross burning and kidnapping. It is a story about the power of the courtroom and the unfinished work of justice in Canada. *Download our Discussion Questions for your class* Host Cindy Charles Writer Nuruddi...

In this episode, we trace the rise of Rufus Rockhead and the making of Rockhead’s Paradise — the club that became the epicentre of Montreal’s jazz scene. It’s the story of how one man’s ambition transformed a city’s nightlife and created a powerful space for music, community, and resistance. *Download our Discussion Questions for your class* Host Cindy Charles Writer Nuruddin Qorane Executive Prod...

George Alexander Downey was a veteran of two world wars and the patriarch of one of Nova Scotia’s most storied families. From the forests of wartime France to the communities of North Preston, this is the story of his service, sacrifice, and the legacy he passed on to generations who would carry his fighting spirit into the boxing ring and beyond. *Download our Discussion Questions for your class*...

A Black medical student. An all-Black battalion. A war that needed his skills but never fully recognized his service. In this episode of  The Black Hum , we look at the life of Dr. Hewburn Greenidge as it stretched from British Guiana to Winnipeg to the timber camps of the Jura Mountains and back to the heart of the Amazon. *Download our Discussion Questions for your class* Host Cindy Charles...

In the season premiere of  The Black Hum , we trace the extraordinary life of Charlie Kelly, a standout baseball player from Ingersoll, Ontario, and a member of Canada’s No. 2 Construction Battalion. From local ballfields to the First World War, Kelly’s story reveals how sport offered both escape and opportunity. The episode culminates in the legendary “Forestry Game,” where Kelly took the mo...

The Black Hum returns for a second season, tracing five lives that reflect the broader Black Canadian experience in the twentieth century. These include Rufus Rockhead, founder of Montreal’s legendary Rockhead’s Paradise nightclub; E. Lionel Cross, Toronto’s first Black lawyer and a key figure in early civil rights battles; Charlie Kelly, a barrier-breaking baseball player whose career unfolded ac...

In this, a special bonus episode of The Black Hum, we speak with historians Kathy Grant and Mathias Joost to untangle several often repeated myths about No.2 Construction Battalion. *Download our Discussion Questions for your class* Written & Hosted by Cindy Charles Produced by Ryan Barnett & Cindy Charles Voice Director Sonia Gemmiti Recorded by Tyler Rauman This series features interview...

How does a forgotten piece of history become uncovered? In this, our final episode in the series, you will learn about what happened to the men of the No.2 after the war, and how their story came to light decades later. Join us as we explore the remarkable history of the No. 2 Construction Battalion, Canada’s only all-Black battalion during the First World War, uncovering their legacy, contributio...

If you were once rejected, would you still want to serve? It's 1915, and the Canadian Expeditionary Forces are taking heavy casualties. The growing need for more recruits leads Canadian military leadership to turn toward the very men they had previously barred from service. Join us as we explore the remarkable history of No. 2 Construction Battalion, Canada’s only all-Black battalion during the Fi...

Why did Canada not want a so-called "checkerboard army"? In 1914, the Canadian government called on all able-bodied men to serve their country in the Great War. However, when Black men went to enlist, they were turned away. In this first episode in our new series, we look at those early years of the war, when Black Canadians found themselves having to fight for the right to fight. Join us as we ex...

In 1914, the world was at war. Thousands of Canadian men rushed to their local enlistment centres, eager to join the fight. But, when Black men went to enlist, they were turned away. It was "a white man's war," they were told. Canada didn't want a "checkerboard army." What followed is a story of rejection and resilience, and of service in the face of bigotry. From Knockabout Media, this is The Bla...