Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre and The Prairie Place-Ancestors Collective, in partnership with Calgary Public Library and Historic Calgary Week, present:

Black History in the Prairies: a mini film series

Saturday, August 2, 2025
11:30 am-4:30 pm (see schedule below)
Patricia A. Whelan Performance Hall, Central Library
800 3 St SE, Calgary, AB
Book your free tickets here!

Join us for this Historic Calgary Week mini film series highlighting Black Life and History in Alberta and Canada, curated by The Prairie Place-Ancestors Collective & Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre. Featuring: Keystone Is, We Call Him Sir Charles, Trax, Kickin’ Up A Fuss, Walking With Ghosts on John Ware’s Land, and a Film Reel highlighting Cheryl Foggo’s 35-year film career.

The event will include free snacks and non-alcoholic beverages, and a Q&A with members of the Prairie Place-Ancestors Collective.

EVENT SCHEDULE

Note: these times are approximate, and the schedule may shift.

• 11:30 AM – Opening remarks
• 11:45 AM – Trax
• 12:30 PM – Kickin’ Up A Fuss
• 12:45 PM – We Call Him Sir Charles
• 1:00 PM – Break
• 1:45 PM – Keystone Is…
• 2:30 PM – Walking With Ghosts On John Ware’s Land
• 2:40 PM – Film Reel
• 3:00 PM – Closing Remarks
• 3:15 PM – Q&A with The Prairie Place-Ancestors Collective

FILM DESCRIPTIONS

KEYSTONE IS…

A group of Black Alberta artists visit the community once known as Keystone, now Breton, founded by Black farmers in 1909. In search of connection to the land and their history, the collective meets with Allan Goddard of the Breton Museum as well as descendants of the original founders. The journey leads to creative explorations of their experience.

WE CALL HIM SIR CHARLES

In an explosive collaboration of tap and spoken word, dancer Lisa La Touche and poet Wakefield Brewster retell the story of Charles Daniels, a Black man who initiated one of Canada’s first civil rights cases after being refused a seat at the Grand Theatre in Calgary.

TRAX

A Tap Dancer returns from Harlem to her home province of Alberta, Canada and discovers unknown Tap Dance ancestors which sends her on a journey exploring the borderless Black History unimaginable right underneath her feet.

KICKIN’ UP A FUSS : THE CHARLES DANIELS STORY

Charles Daniels entered a Calgary theatre with a paid ticket in 1914. However, he was denied entry to his seat, solely because he was a Black. KICKIN’ UP A FUSS: THE CHARLES DANIELS STORY brings insight to this little-known local civil rights story. With actual images of the transcripts from the court case and interviews in the theatre today, Daniels reminds us that history is full of forgotten heroes.

WALKING WITH GHOSTS ON JOHN WARE’S LAND

Seven years after finding a buried horseshoe on the Millarville homestead of famous Black cowboy John Ware and his wife Mildred, filmmaker and historian Cheryl Foggo revisits the site with archaeologist Lindsay Amundsen-Meyer to unearth more secrets being held by the land.

FILM REEL

Highlights of Cheryl Foggo’s 35-year film career, exploring Black life and history in Canada