Episode 307: Jamila Pomeroy on the past, present, and future of Vancouver’s historic Black community
The award-winning documentary feature Union Street chronicles the ongoing effects of racism, displacement, and the cultural erasure of African-Canadians in Vancouver. Before systemic and political mechanisms destroyed Hogan’s Alley – the historic Black neighbourhood located on Union Street – in the 1970s, the area was the home of train porters, speakeasies, juke joints, and a thriving community, and a regular touring stop for iconic musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald. The reverberations of this thriving community and its intentional and egregious erasure are still felt – and in the face of adversity, a new generation of Black Vancouverites is working tirelessly to rebuild community and facilitate Black joy.
Union Street elevates and amplifies the voices of Black Vancouverites who have decided to create their own spaces. It examines how community spaces can help people heal from racism-related trauma, which is especially important in a city where the powers-that-be actively worked to erase you. Union Street was an official selection of the 2023 Vancouver International Film Festival and the 2023 Reelworld Film Festival, where Jamila Pomeroy, the film’s director, won the award for Outstanding Director for a Feature Film. The film is now available on Telus Optik TV Channel 8 and the Telus Originals website. Jamila joins Sabrina Rani Furminger to talk about the past, present, and future of Vancouver’s Black community, and how what happened when she tried to organize a party on Union Street speaks volumes about the barriers that exist today.
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This episode of the YVR Screen Scene Podcast is sponsored by Fish Flight Entertainment (http://www.fishflightentertainment.com).
RELATED LINKS
Watch Union Street on the Telus Originals site: https://watch.telusoriginals.com/view/64d406d6ba890cd11a05e583
Watch the trailer for Union Street: https://vimeo.com/861749903
https://jmpomeroy.com/
SOCIAL MEDIA
https://www.instagram.com/j.m.pomeroy
https://www.instagram.com/telusoriginals
https://www.tiktok.com/@j.m.pomeroy
https://www.instagram.com/unionstreetfilm
http://www.facebook.com/yvrscreenscene
http://www.instagram.com/yvrscreenscene
http://www.instagram.com/sabrinarmf
http://www.twitter.com/sabrinarmf
http://www.twitter.com/yvrscreenscene
CREDITS
Host and executive producer: Sabrina Rani Furminger
Editor: Simon Furminger
Producer: Paul Furminger
Patreon ad reader: Mariana Furminger
Original music: Dane Deviller
