This Black History Month heralds the dawn of a new administration in the U.S.A . It promises hope to all citizens of the U.S.A. as well as to people of colour all over the world. Witness the busloads of the hopeful who travelled from Ontario to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the U.S.A. and the celebrations in other countries as well. Why?

The answer may be that there are Black Canadians who want to share in that hope. The documentary, Journey to Justice, chronicles the journey of Black Canadians from the 1930s to the 1950s. This has, at times, been a difficult road but with perseverance Black Canadians have made great progress in pursuit of justice and equality.

The documentary opens with Stanley Grizzel, a citizenship judge, welcoming a group of new immigrants and administering the oath. Then it cuts to Grizzel recalling his volunteering for the Canadian Army and being relegated to being a batman - a shoe cleaner - for his sergeant. When he complained, he was given ongoing latrine duty. He was forced to reflect on the wisdom of offering to fight for his country when some did not think him worthy. On further complaint about continual latrine duty, he was moved to the mess hall. At the end of the war he was unable to find work except as a railway porter. People whom he fought against in Europe were emigrating to Canada and finding work he was denied.

The documentary further describes the plight of Ray Lewis, a bronze medal sprinter, who was also denied work for which he was qualified. He too ended up as a railway porter called George, as all black porters were called.

The film also suggests that Canada had its own Rosa Park. Viola Desmond was a business woman from New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, who was dragged physically before the court and charged with theft. She had allegedly sat in an area of a cinema where the tax was two cents more than she had paid on her ticket. She was convicted. She appealed but the conviction was upheld. Similar situations occurred in other parts of the country with equally unsatisfying results for Blacks.

Another incident described is the situation in Dresden, Ontario, which has the dubious distinction of having held a referendum to support discrimination. A provincial court upheld a decision to allow discrimination determined by the colour of one's skin This decision was challenged by Bromwell Armstrong, a Jamaican Canadian. View this enlightening documentary to follow his journey and that of Donald Moore and others. The film ends with another shot of Stanley Grizzel, who journeyed from war time batman to present day citizenship judge.

Journey to Justice is an award winning documentary. In 2000, it was nominated for a Gemini and received the prize for Best Documentary in the Reel Black Festival . The director, Roger McTair and the producer Karen King-Chigbo are both Trinidad Canadians.

The documentary is available at Toronto Public Library in DVD and VHS format.