The Shared Histories Project invites you to honour Black changemakers whose stories resonate with you. Submit a creative profile featuring a Black changemaker whose story you think should be remembered. Young storytellers will each identify one story from Canada’s Black past and present that they want to feature. Storytellers will research and develop an artistic written piece and illustration celebrating the life and contributions of their selected Black changemaker.

A number of submissions will be selected to be featured in a published book.

The Shared Histories Project invites submissions featuring Black individuals, past or present, who made an important difference. Featured individuals must have been born and/or lived in Canada. The project welcomes submissions in a range of areas including science, technology, engineering, arts, math, sports, advocacy, politics, education, and more.

Tip: To increase chances that your submission will be selected for publication, pick a lesser known changemaker with a big impact. Submissions featuring changemakers published in Trailblazers: The Black Pioneers Who Have Shaped Canada (2020) will not be considered for publication.

The Shared Histories Project is accepting submissions between February 1 to April 1, 2024.

Submissions can be made by completing this online form and attaching the creative profile.

To be considered for publication, creative profiles should include an original:

(1) summary (up to 200 words),

(2) illustration, and

(3) short poem (optional) about the Black changemaker you've chosen to honour.

The creative profile submissions include three parts:

(1) Summary: A blurb introducing readers to the Black changemaker you’ve selected. The summary should be no more than 200 words and should answer the who, what, where, when, why, and how of their story.

(2) Illustration: A hand-drawn or digital illustration portrait of the Black changemaker you selected. If possible, keep the background white.

(3) Short poem (optional): Using rhyme, write a short poem in honour of the Black changemaker you selected. Think about the poem as a nursery-rhyme-like summary to help people remember the changemaker’s story. The poem can be as short as 4 lines.

Counterstory will convene a selection panel who will review all submissions and select 20-40 storytellers to advance to the next level. Submissions will be chosen in consideration of the lived experience of the storyteller as well as diverse and equitable representation of both the the changemakers being featured with respect to ethnicity, region, time period, lived experience, disability, sexual orientation and gender expression.

Important note: Submissions featuring changemakers published in Trailblazers: The Black Pioneers Who Have Shaped Canada (2020) will not be considered for publication.

Anybody can submit a creative piece to the Shared Histories Project. Preference will be given to young people (under the age of 19) who identify as Black for publication.

Through a process of knowledge co-creation, storytellers are invited to participate in shaping the ways in which our history is told.

Storytellers who are selected to be featured in the final publication will have their names credited alongside their work and will receive a small gift.

Submissions selected for publication will be professionally fact-checked, edited and visually formatted and returned to the young storytellers for review and approval. In some cases, the Counterstory team will connect with young storytellers to provide support in finalizing the creative pieces.

Teachers and legal guardians are also invited to support young storytellers in finalizing and submitting their artistic works to the Shared Histories Project using the project guide.

Counterstory is committed to the accessibility and meaningful inclusion of persons with disabilities.

If additional accessibility accommodations are required to ensure full participation, please let us know at contact@counterstory.ca. Description goes here

Recognition that Black history is history, the Shared Histories Project aims to engage young Canadians in a collective effort to uncover and preserve the stories of Black leaders throughout history.

This project will also serve as an introduction to age-appropriate discussions about race and racism and Black joy, excellence, and flourishing.

Lived experience, community connections, and shared histories are invaluable and will be treated as such.