Articles By: Mike Barber

Mike Barber is an independent filmmaker with a particular interest in issues surrounding social justice. He is currently directing “A Past, Denied: The Invisible History of Slavery in Canada,” a feature documentary exploring how a false sense of history—both taught in the classroom and repeated throughout the national historical narrative—impinges on the present. It examines how 200 years of institutional slavery during Canada’s formation has been kept out of Canadian classrooms, textbooks and social consciousness. He is currently based in Toronto, Ontario. You can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mike_barber (@mike_barber) and his film at http://twitter.com/apastdenied (@apastdenied)

Canadian government apologizes to Inuit for the past, while screwing Barriere Lake Algonquins in the present

During the 1950s, the Canadian federal government enacted policies to relocate Inuit families from their homes in Inukjuak, located in northern Quebec, to the remote High Arctic areas of Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord. Their traditional homeland provided all they needed to sustain, including plenty of...

August 31st, 2010 | Politics, Racial Equity, World | Read More

Africville apology is a start, not an end

Last week’s apology by city of Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly, for the evictions and razing of the African-Canadian community of Africville in Nova Scotia during the 1960s, marks a small but significant moment in the history of slavery and racism in Canada. The official apology issued February 24, 2010,...

March 1st, 2010 | Featured | Read More

Canadian Aboriginals need justice, not tributes

The 2010 winter Olympics kicked off in Vancouver, British Columbia with its opening ceremonies on Friday, February 12, 2010. Being perhaps one of the least athletically-minded people on the planet, I wasn’t even aware the ceremonies were happening until comments started flooding my Twitter timeline....

February 16th, 2010 | Talk About Race | Read More

Does British Columbia only want White tourists?

In the weeks leading up to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia (BC), Tourism British Columbia released a new commercial it spent millions of dollars on in order to promote tourism in the province. The fact that most of the world already knew the 2010 winter Olympics were being held there...

February 15th, 2010 | Talk About Race | Read More

“Belinda’s Petition” a perfect primer on the subject of reparations

The timing of my reading Belinda’s Petition: A Concise History of Reparations For The Transatlantic Slave Trade by Dr. Raymond A. Winbush (2009) coinciding with Black History Month was completely random, but obviously fitting. Back in December 2009, I shot an interview with Dr. Winbush for my documentary...

February 8th, 2010 | African Americans, Featured | Read More

Words of advice for White would-be writers on race

Lisa Solod Warren’s December 16th, 2009 article (which has since been deleted) in The Huffington Post titled Two Black Role Models Done In By Hubris invoked a great deal of outrage. I caught wind of the article via Twitter where people were expressing emotions ranging from utter dismay to outright...

January 4th, 2010 | Talk About Race | Read More

Ending racism starts with educating youth

Engaging with issues regarding race and racism are critical in the fight for social justice. Due to the inherent complexities of such discussions, they easily become minefields for those who would casually wander such terrain. Two salient examples of such dilettantism from this past week are Lisa Solod...

December 22nd, 2009 | Talk About Race | Read More

White Man’s Burden Redux: The Movie!

As I am typing this, I am five hours and 25 minutes into a 15+ hour trip on a slow train to Baltimore. I’m on en route to D.C. to interview sociologist and author Dr. James Loewen for my documentary film, A Past, Denied: The Invisible History of Slavery in Canada. This interview is two years in the...

December 3rd, 2009 | Culture, Pop culture | Read More

Slavery in Canada forgotten, until now

History is not the past, it is how we recount the past. A Past, Denied: The Invisible History of Slavery in Canada is a feature-length documentary by independent filmmaker Mike Barber. The film, which is currently in production, explores how a false sense of history—both taught in the classroom and...

November 19th, 2009 | Culture, The Arts | Read More