Sandra Dammizio

Black History & Ontario's Rivers

This is editorial illustration is intended to accompany an article in the Narwhal magazine on the topic of underrepresentation of Black narratives in the context of the history of Canada's National Parks. The author specifically talks about the history and relationship of several Black individuals to Ontario rivers, such as Harriet Tubman's many crossings of the Niagara River to bring former slaves to safety. In this illustration, I wanted to show individuals from the article intertwined with imagery from Canadian natural landscapes, with the rivers connecting them all, and in a context in which you would usually see historical imagery of your stereotypical white colonists.