Stephen Weir articles, editorials and popular social media weir postings

Black History Month  The # 22 Willie Coin Is Worth $20 And Sells For A C-Note Art Bites: By Stephen Weir: Fresh on last week’s announcement that Canada Post has issued a new stamp to honour Black History Month, the Royal Canada Mint matched their Ottawa crosstown rivals by releasing a $20 pure silver coin in tribute to Willie O’Ree , the first Black hockey player to appear in the National Hockey League.    Willie O'Ree's determination to play at the highest level of professional hockey has inspired generations of Black players to carve their own paths as NHL legends.   “The Mint is delighted to immortalize his special place in history on a skillfully crafted silver coin," explained Marie Lemay, President of the Royal Canadian Mint. O’Ree had a very short NHL career – just 43 games with the Boston Bruins –  but that was all it took to take down the NHL colour barrier and open the doors for Black players.  He was called up as a short-term replacement player in 1958 and agai

Abbey Lincoln (above) Canadian movie about six iconic Black female stars coming to Canadian TV Feb By Stephen Weir Yes when you look south you realize it is a tough time to be anything but white in the Land Of The Free these days. But, as veteran American actress Pam Grier says “ our culture is revered and it inspires people all around the world."   Pam Grier (left) in Hit Man How It Feels to Be Free  is a new documentary movie that airs on CBC’s GEM TV on February first. The full-length movie celebrates  six iconic Black female singers and actresses (including Grier)   and documents their fight for diversity and inclusion. Toronto’s  Yap Films  worked with singer  Alicia Keys  to produce this revealing look at the American dream machine.     How It Feels to Be Free ,  tells how six trailblazing performers,  Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Diahann Carroll, Nina Simone, Cicely Tyson,  and  Pam Grier , changed American culture through their films, fashion, music, and their politics.   Di

  Art Bites: Cultural News That Arrived On My Virtual Desk This Week  By Stephen Weir Cian Knights Joins the AGO On Wednesday morning Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario announced that  Cian Knights  has joined the gallery as their first Manager  of Diversity and Inclusion. She leaves the  Toronto based Centre for Young Black Professionals to take on this new role at the AGO. In announcing her appointment the Gallery said that following  “the Black Lives Matter protests sparked by George Floyd's death the AGO took heed to the urgent call to accelerate our efforts and take a more critical eye towards (diversity). How do we, as a leading Canadian museum, pledge to accurately reflect the diversity of our community through our internal culture, exhibitions, collections and programming?”  “I am looking forward to taking on this new role to lead and partner in efforts of equitable transformation at the AGO,” Knights said. “This is going to be a journey of introspection and accountability in

24 Outa 25 Isn’t Bad! (if you ignore that Mike Harris is # 25) By Stephen Weir In any other year, the release of the names of people receiving the Order of Ontario is greeted with loud cheers and applause. This year, the January 1st announcement brought out the Boo Birds and Nay Sayers because of one name on the list – former Ontario premier Mike Harris. “Go to Hell, Mike Harris and take the now devalued (Order of Ontario) award from your friends with you!” screamed the lead editorial in a recent edition of the Caribbean Camera newspaper. A group representing seven Ontario First Nations feels the same. They told the CBC that giving Harris the Order of Ontario is an “insult”, a “slap in the face “and a “step back in reconciliation.” Why the backlash? It all depends who you listen to. For the Caribbean community it is all about the cutbacks to social support that the Harris Government made when he was at the helm (1995–2002). Meanwhile Indigenous chiefs are critical of 75-year-old Mike

 Rev Jesse Jackson Senior says he just #Gotit! Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Dr. Kiran Chekka CoChair of Covid Task Force By Stephen Weir : Chicago based civil rights leader Jesse L Jackson invited reporters and photographers from around the world (including this office) to come to Chicago to witness his getting a needle in his arm.  Normally watching a person receive an injection is neither fun or newsworthy, however, this past weekend’s presser was a joyful kick-off an awareness campaign to get people of colour, be they in the US or Canada, to be vaccinated.  "We need to ensure eradicating this horrible virus from our lives and move on to our new normal," said Rev. Jackson. "COVID-19 is surging across our country and the world. People of colour are the most affected by this pandemic, not just health-wise, but economically."  Jackson was administered a dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine and showed no ill-effects during the presser. Right after this picture was taken, h

Antonio Michael Downing’s story is a true tale for the Diaspora.   By Stephen Weir   If you have pigged out on  poulourie , studied from   Nelson’s West Indian Reader or had a  rumbo  yell at you walking home from school, then Antonio Michael Downing’s  Saga Boy, My Life Of Blackness And Becoming  will soon deeply speak to you.  This Saga Boy is a local  musician, writer, and activist and his wild ride autobiography is set to loudly drop early next month. Saga Boy is the real deal that takes readers from Trinidad’s Monkey Town to the wilds of Northern Ontario and finally to fame and fortune here in the Six. Don’t recognize the name? Maybe you know him as  Mic Dainjah, Molasses or have caught him on stage playing cutting edge music under the name John Orpheus. “ Throughout the years, I would give myself many names,” writes Downing in the new book. “They called me Tony in Trinidad, Michael in the gleaming boardrooms of corporate Canada, Mic Dainjah when I toured England with my rock ’n’