One of the saddest photographs I have seen is the immigration passport image of Dad鈥檚 Polish family from 1925. Dad was just a baby in the picture. They all look so forlorn, destitute and detached, clustered together in their lonely, joyless and grim shadowy 颅little huddle.
Luckily for Dad, he made a grand 颅success with his life from his poor 颅beginnings, becoming a well-known 颅artist (his career began as an official Second World War 颅artist) and settling in a New Brunswick, a province he adored; Dad spent years 颅sketching in the wild meadows and 颅abandoned orchards, fly fishing on the Miramachi River and growing giant (rather pithy) tomatoes by combining seeds which he named 鈥淏runo鈥檚 Best.鈥�
Throughout sa国际传媒鈥檚 young history, 颅thousands of immigrants were not as lucky as Dad due to racism, fear, greed, elitism and simply a downright lack of compassion and a bullying mentality.
In current times, much of this has come to light, therefore it seems topical and 颅relevant that I introduce you to a 颅wonderful series of beautiful books titled Righting sa国际传媒鈥檚 Wrongs (Lorimer and Company, 2011-2021).
I obtained all seven volumes and am 颅thoroughly enjoying each, although the 颅topics are not of a cheerful tone.
The series is written for older 颅children but is extremely suitable for adults 颅(perhaps more so). Each book describes an issue which, well, to be blunt, sa国际传媒 should be ashamed of and has in fact 颅apologized for. The books are full of photographs, 颅fascinating texts, diagrams, maps and charts and all sorts of images and 颅illustrations.
There are references with websites to numerous documentaries and videos that link to the topic addressed on the 颅particular page, and at the end of each book is a description of the government鈥檚 apology for our past wrongs (mostly by prime ministers Brian Mulroney, Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau) as well as a detailed timeline of events.
These are terrific and highly readable, informative books!
Here are the titles and topics: Anti-颅Semitism and the MS St. Louis, sa国际传媒鈥檚 Anti-Semitic Policies in the Twentieth Century by Rona Arato; Africville, An African Nova Scotian Community Is Demolished 鈥� and Fights Back by Gloria Ann Wesley; Residential Schools, The Devastating Impact on sa国际传媒鈥檚 Indigenous Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation鈥檚 Findings and Calls for Action by Melanie Florence; The Chinese Head Tax and Anti-Chinese 颅Immigration Policies in the Twentieth Century by Arlene Chan; The Komagata Maru and sa国际传媒鈥檚 Anti-Indian Immigration Policies in the Twentieth Century by Pamela Hickman; Italian Canadian Internment in the Second World War by Pamela Hickman and Jean Smith Cavalluzzo; and Japanese Canadian Internment in the Second World War by Pamela Hickman and Masako Fukawa.
You will learn a vast amount about the disregard and dismissal of humanity in our history which we see now as 颅despicable. In Africville, for example, a 颅community 颅established in Halifax in the mid- to late 1800s by the recently arrived Black 颅immigrants from the United States, the city, completely lacking an ounce of respect and flouting their dislike towards the new 颅inhabitants, conspicuously constructed toxic and unsanitary facilities all around the vicinity of their new little neighbourhood, the hub being the church.
The book provides a map of these 颅鈥淣oxious Neighbours鈥� and describes the foul situation as including 鈥溾�� The 颅Infectious Disease Hospital 鈥� human waste pits, a slaughter house, a city dump, a prison, a bone meal plant 鈥� an 颅incinerator, and a stone crushing plant. In addition, power lines and railway tracks were routed right through the community 鈥︹��
As disgusting and inhumane as the 颅situation was, it is also encouraging to see how far we have come as a civil society by comparison.
Another shameful inhumane act as described by author Arato was the 颅anti-Semitism expressed toward the 颅persecuted Jewish citizens on the MS St. Louis, a passenger vessel that was 颅assisting in their escape from Nazi Germany; the boat was supposed to dock at Cuba but at the last minute the government there changed its mind; the boat then carried on to the United States, also to no avail, and then to sa国际传媒, which shamefully also refused her docking.
The sad boat chugged back with a heavy heart to Europe and unloaded the tired 颅passengers, many of whom then perished in the hands of the Nazis. The photographs and story are heartbreaking.
These books may be difficult to digest, but are historically necessary to read and ponder over; they are respectful, tasteful and highly educational, a fabulous addition to your reading material.
We have indeed come a long way and the journey continues today, and perhaps one day there will be no more 鈥渨rongs鈥� to put right.
