CEED’s mission has always been to center youth in vulnerable communities and empower them by equipping them with the necessary skills that will place them in an ideal position to support their communities. As the Black Lives Matters movement is sweeping the world by storm and becoming globalized, we recognize and acknowledge that Canada, too, has work to do to combat systemic injustices perpetrated against black and brown peoples. With the understanding that this wave is a movement and not simply a moment, this project will contribute to the narrative shift that is happening around black people in Canada.

Documentaries created as a result of this project will center the voices and stories of black folk in Montreal – and ultimately Canada at large. Issues such as systemic injustice and discrimination in various sectors, police brutality, and incarceration rates will not be shyied away from. However, black people are not just their struggle. In an act of resistance, black people continue to seek and chase joy; these stories also need to be amplified. Thus, exploring the role of black community workers, black people succeeding in their respective fields, and the everyday life of a black person will also be topics this project can amplify. The positive and negative aspects are not mutually exclusive and will be filmed with that understanding.

This project will explore, analyze, critique, and challenge the current narrative surrounding black lives in Canada – particularly in Montreal, Quebec, and in so doing, advocate for social sustainability in communities that have often been underrepresented in the conversation for global sustainability.