Media Kit
Last updated: October 2021
Media Contact: contact@counterstory.ca
Sample Media Interviews: CTV’s The Social, Quill & Quire, Ottawa Citizen
The Background:
After several years of intentionally learning and unlearning about Blackness in Canada, Tiyahna began writing Trailblazers in 2017. The work began as a personal project. However, before long, Tiyahna had written a children’s book that she knew she needed to share with others. She connected with Merryl-Royce, a self-taught artist based out of Ottawa, to help bring the work to life through colourful illustrations.
In late 2019, Tiyahna and Merryl-Royce sent their manuscript to eight different publishers. Seven never responded. One requested so many changes that the creators could barely recognize their work. Following the tragic death of George Floyd that sparked widespread interest in anti-Black racism discourse, more publishers began reaching out to Tiyahna, however nothing felt right. Frustrated and feeling disempowered by the gatekeeping of traditional publishing, Tiyahna and Merryl-Royce considered self-publishing Trailblazers.
In August 2020, the pair launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the $10,000 minimum funding they needed to self-publish their book. When the Kickstarter was launched, the pair did not feel hopeful that they would meet their funding goal. After a disenchanting experience navigating the publishing sector and a lifetime of being told that Black stories in Canada didn’t matter, the pair were not hopeful that they would reach their fundraising goal. They were shocked when their campaign raised their $10,000 goal in just 10 hours. By the end of their 40-day campaign, Trailblazers had raised nearly $50,000 with the support of over 700 supporters.
Two weeks before the books were scheduled to print, Tiyahna and Merryl-Royce were approached by Indigo Press – the retailer’s Canadian publishing arm. Unlike the other offers that they had received, Indigo Press promised the creators a fair deal and creative control - an offer that few new authors, especially authors of colour, are afforded. Thanks to the power of community support, Tiyahna and Merryl-Royce were able to reclaim power in an industry where publishers have historically acted as gate keepers to which stories get to be told, how and by whom. Trailblazers was published in November 2020 by Indigo Press, a subsidiary of Indigo Books, and quickly went on to become one of the retailer’s bestsellers.
Regardless of how well-written, interesting, and needed the stories featured in Trailblazers were, Tiyahna recognized that the only reason the book achieved such success is because of the power of the community that mobilized behind it. However, the reality is that there are thousands of well-written, interesting, and needed stories by and about Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour that have not had the power, privilege, or resources needed to be heard. This experience became the origin for Counterstory Press, a nonprofit publishing press committed to creating space for more equitable storytelling.
The Book:
Trailblazers: The Black Pioneers Who Have Shaped Canada is a children’s book, a love letter, an anthology, and a call to action. The book introduces readers to Canada’s Black history through the undertold stories of forty of our country’s Black pioneers. Each short story is written in rhyme form and accompanied by beautiful illustrations.
Some of the featured trailblazers, such as Josiah Henson, have saved lives through their bravery. Some, such as Viola Desmond have improved laws through their advocacy. Others, such as Albert Jackson have broken down barriers by being the first in their fields. With each short story written in poetic form and accompanied by beautiful illustrations, this tribute brings complex topics and historical facts to life.
The Creators:
Tiyahna Ridley-Padmore: Tiyahna is a storyteller, an equity and inclusion strategist, and the Director of Counterstory Press, a non-profit organization that works with Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and Artists of Colour to encourage more equitable storytelling. In 2020, she authored Trailblazers, a bestselling children’s book published by Indigo Press about Black leaders in Canadian history.
Tiyahna is the co-chair of Cooperation Canada’s Anti-Racism Taskforce and a member of Ryerson University’s Presidential Implementation Committee to Confront Anti-Black Racism.
She has delivered hundreds of talks and workshops on topics related to social inclusion and holds training in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion from the University of British Columbia, an MA in Public Policy, Administration and Law from York University, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Ottawa.
Merryl-Royce Ndema Moussa: Merryl-Royce is the illustrator of Trailblazers:The Black Pioneers Who Have Shaped Canada. From a young age, Merryl-Royce has been passionate about art and has developed his own unique style over the years. His work has been featured at the "Festival International du Film Panafricain de Cannes" and the Art of Sounds live exhibit in London, England. Merryl-Royce has amassed a social media following of several thousand supporters who follow his popular culture artwork.
He has an educational background in biochemistry and environmental sciences from the University of Ottawa and has been able to balance artwork and sciences in many aspects of his life.
As a new father, Merryl-Royce hopes to leverage his artistic skillset to foster a more equitable world for the next generation.
The Assets :
High resolution images that can be included in media communications can be accessed here.
Frequently Asked Questions Answered by Tiyahna:
Tiyahna, tell us about what Counterstory Press is and why you started it
Counterstory is a nonprofit publishing organization led by QTBIPOC creators. We work with artists, schools, and organizations to promote equitable narratives in storytelling and knowledge sharing.
We started this organization because storytelling is not neutral. Storytelling reveals whose experiences are worth sharing, preserving and celebrating. It produces and reproduces narratives through which we can understand ourselves, others and the world around us. It determines who gets to be the hero and who has to be the villain (or the victim). It tells us who is credible enough to listen to.
Across cultures, people have long created, shared and preserved their own stories. And yet, a history and legacy of colonialism and oppression has enabled a dominant narrator (and accompanying dominant narratives) to monopolize the storytelling space. Our media has centred the experiences and biases of dominant culture. As a result, people on the margins are subjected to harmful tropes or erased from the story all together. Further, when marginalized folk do want to tell their own stories, they face additional barriers from publishing gatekeepers.
Solorzano & Yosso define counter-storytelling as “a method of telling the stories of those people whose experiences are not often told”. Counterstory draws on anti-racist pedagogy, critical theory and an expanded conception of knowledge to challenge dominant narratives and create space for more equitable narratives to emerge.
Tell us about why you wrote Trailblazers
I don’t think there’s any one thing or moment that made me decide to write this book. In fact, I don’t even remember deciding to write this book. I started writing because I had to. I was tired of only learning about civil rights leaders from the United States. I was frustrated with the narrative that Blackness in Canada was inconsequential. Canada has a rich Black history dating back 400 years. It is filled with interesting stories of resilience, advocacy and innovation. I wanted to know these stories and I wanted young people to grow up knowing and celebrating these stories too. Our history, and what we come from, is so much more than what we’ve been taught.
Who is the person in the book who MOST inspires you?
Each person featured in Trailblazers inspires me profoundly. My answer to this question changes depending on the day that it’s asked. Today, I am most inspired by Bernice Redmon.
In the 1940s, there was a huge demand for health workers in local hospitals. Bernice had always wanted a career in nursing. However, at the time, nursing schools in Canada refused to admit Black students. She sent out several school applications and each was rejected. Bernice realized she would not be certified here.
So Bernice packed a suitcase and went to the United States where Black women could go to school. A few years later, she came back to Canada with her nursing degree in hand. Just like that, Bernice found a loophole and casually became the country’s first Black nurse. Her subtle rebellion led to nation-wide changes in racist admission practices. And, as a result, more diversity in Canada’s health care.
I often find myself caught between two competing approaches to confronting systemic racism. Sometimes, I think the best way to make a difference is to build allies. To work at transforming systems from within. Most times, I believe that systems can be so inherently oppressive they need to be abolished entirely. Bernice Redmon reminds me that those are not the only options. When you can’t work within and you can’t go against, Bernice reminds us that you can sometimes go around.
Why did you decide to write in verse?
When many think about history, they imagine dense, dry, and dusty textbooks. In reality, history is so interesting. It is entirely responsible for the way we navigate life today. Each historical person featured in Trailblazers lived dynamic, colourful, and important lives. I wanted young readers to be engaged and excited as they learned about these pioneers. I thought that rhymes were the best way to do that. Further, I’ve always loved playing with different writing techniques. I'm a big fan of alliteration, repetition, and rhyming, so verse was a writing style that naturally came to me.
What are some of your favourite kids books that you recommend ?
Well…how much time do you have? When I was young, I used to love the works of Itah Sadu, Fred Crump Jr, and Robert Munsch. At the time, those were some of the only authors I could find that would feature characters that looked like me. More recently, there’s been an increase in diversity among children's book authors and characters. Although, there still aren’t nearly enough. I would recommend My Hair by Danielle Murrell Cox, Homemade Love by Bell Hooks, Islandborn by Junot Diaz, A Likkle Miss Lou by Nadia Hohn, and The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson. I also want to champion other children’s books that are writing unsung trailblazers into history. Books such as Vashti Harrison’s Little Leaders, Ann Shen’s Bad Girls Throughout History, and L.A. Amber’s 101 Black Women in STEM.
If you could get a book review from anyone, who would it be and why?
Hmmm, there are many incredible Black thought leaders that I look up to and would love to hear from. However, if I could get a book review from anyone, I would want a review from a child. More specifically, eight years from now, I would love a book review from a young Black Canadian who read Trailblazers as a child. Does she remember most of the stories? Which trailblazers did she see herself in? Does she know that, just as the people who have come before her, she is worthy, capable and deserving of belonging?
There is something so powerful about seeing yourself in books. In never having to question whether your story is worth telling and preserving. I want to hear from the children that get to grow up knowing these stories and knowing their value.
Do you have plans create another book in the future? If so, can you give us any hints?
Yes, definitely! Right now I am working on getting Trailblazers translated to French. Teachers and parents keep reaching out to ask when the translated version will be ready. So my current priority is making these stories accessible to French speakers. Once that is out, I will work on the important stories that I want to help tell.
What has been the best part of publishing this book?
I thought I was writing Trailblazers to honour the Black change makers left out of our history books. I didn’t realize the personal impact it would have on readers hearing these stories for the first time. The best part of publishing this book has hands down been the feedback. I received many emails from children, parents, and teachers who felt so connected to and seen in these stories. In a way, Trailblazers became more than a commemoration of forty Black Canadians. It became a celebration of Blackness in Canada.