Stories

Stories categorized: People

Edmonton’s Caribbean Journey

Donna Coombs-Montrose

The flights touched down at a Canadian International Airport bringing scores of eager Caribbean nationals, their suitcases packed with their…

Vivacious Caribbean Teachers

Etty Shaw-Cameron

During the 1960s, school jurisdictions in Alberta advertised for teachers in leading newspapers and at teacher training colleges in the…

Sam the Shoemaker: Cobbling Together Community

Harma-Mae Smit

It was the turbulent sixties. In the United States and Canada, teenage unrest was making headlines. Even in the small…

Louise Umphreville: Edmonton’s Forgotten First Lady

Tom Long

History is how we understand the past and that understanding is based on records made and kept by biased hands….

The Last Best West: Hattie’s Place, Part 3

Dr. Russell Cobb

Disclaimer: Please note that this piece references anti-Black violence, brutality, and white supremacy. A reference to a specific act of…

The Day Bill Coull Disappeared from the Airwaves

Terry Jorden

For David Ward, the memory of Bill Coull and his sudden departure from CKUA has left a strange taste in…

Dr. Lila Fahlman: The First Muslim Woman Awarded the Order of Canada

Bruce Cinnamon

Lila Fahlman’s career as an activist began with a riot. It was Canada Day 1935, and the 11-year-old Lila was…

After the Pisces Bathhouse Raid: John Kerr – Dance for Gramma

Darrin Hagen

In the years before John Reid launched his career as owner of Flashback, Edmonton’s first gay disco, he worked cleaning…

After the Pisces Bathhouse Raid: Michael Phair – LGBTQ2S+ Activist and Community Leader

Darrin Hagen

As of this writing, Michael is one of the few men charged as a “found-in” to speak publicly on the…

After the Pisces Bathhouse Raid: Dr. Henri Toupin – Dignity in the Eye of the Storm

Darrin Hagen

Henri Toupin was born in Legal, Alberta, on March 15, 1923. He acquired his B.Sc. in 1947 from the University…

After the Pisces Bathhouse Raid: Millie – I’m Number One

Darrin Hagen

Paul Chisholm’s first contact with another gay man occurred as he hitchhiked out of Saskatchewan in the late 1960s. Legend…

Committed to Community: Hilwie Hamdon and The Muslim Ladies’ Association of Edmonton

Dr. Nadia Kurd

Edmontonian Hilwie Hamdon (née Taha Johma, 1905-1988) was a community leader and founding member of the historic Al Rashid Mosque, the…