Black Soldiers from Guelph in the Great War

A community-engaged teaching and learning collaboration between the Guelph Black Heritage Society, U of G College of Arts, and CESI has used film to explore the lives of Black residents of Guelph who served in World War I. Working together with the Guelph Black Heritage Society, students in Dr. Jade Ferguson's English 2130: Literature and Social Change class created the short film Black Soldiers from Guelph in the Great War. This video shares the story of the No. 2 Construction Battalion, the only all-Black unit in Canadian military history, and provides insight into the lives and motivations of Black veterans who were either born or resided in Guelph. The students tell the story of Black Canadians in the early 20th century, illustrating that they served their country by fighting two wars - the Great war, and a war at home to make a more just society. 

Read the project's feature in CBC Kitchener-Waterloo.

See the Black Soldiers from Guelph in the Great War video transcript.