Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Starting this Friday, come and experience our newest permanent exhibit, "At the Knees of Our Ancestors"

It explores Canada’s participation in the European slave trade, the legacies of racism, colonialism, and slavery, and the overlapping experience of Indigenous and Black people during these years.

Visitors are invited into the setting of a family home where these histories have been told through objects, documents and oral histories, revealing the lives of the first Black individuals and communities who shaped the country’s early social fabric.

At the Knees of Our Ancestors is just the first phase of The Ancestors Project. Other parts of this project will feature new films and collaborations with Black and Indigenous scholars, artists and communities, including modular, travelling installations. Each of these elements will introduce new stories, regional histories and critical perspectives on Black presence and belonging in Canada.

This exhibit would not be possible without the support of our sponsors: Winnipeg Foundation , TD , Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries , Myron & Marion Klysh, and the Canadian Race Relations Fdn / Fondation canadienne des relations raciales

Click here to learn more about the exhibit: https://humanrights.ca/exhibition/knees-our-ancestors

We're putting the final touches on our newest exhibit, "At the Knees of Our Ancestors"!

It opens this Friday. Stay tuned for all the details.

Camera and typewriter: Courtesy of Brown Atwell Family Fonds
Journals (reproductions): Originals in the collection of Brown Atwell Family Fonds

Many people know about Louis Riel and his fight for Métis rights in Manitoba. But Riel didn't work alone. Today, we're sharing the story of Elzéar Goulet to commemorate the anniversary of his death on September 13,1870.

Without Elzéar Goulet and others who fought alongside Riel in the Red River Resistance, Manitoba would be very different today. Click to read his full story.

The murder of Elzéar Goulet and the struggle for Métis rights | CMHR Elzéar was raised in the Métis trapping and trading tradition and was killed for his role in the Red River Resistance. His story reflects the long struggle for Métis rights that includes the founding of Manitoba.

How did a parking ticket help protect the constitutional rights of the Franco-Manitoban community?

September 10 is Official Languages Day, and we're sharing the story of Georges Forest.

In 1976, Georges Forest received an English-only parking ticket in the Francophone community of St. Boniface in Winnipeg. A few years earlier, Winnipeg had passed a provision that municipal communication must be bilingual - a decision in direct conflict with Manitoba's unilingual status. Forest decided to challenge the ticket and fight for his constitutional language rights.

After three years of legal battles, Forest took his case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. Unanimously, the court ruled Manitoba had to uphold its constitutional obligations to use both languages in the Legislature and the courts.

The case marked an important moment for the Franco-Manitoban community. Their resilience allowed them to preserve their language despite years of cultural repression.

To read the full story, click the link:

Language rights are human rights | CMHR Exploring Canada’s official languages framework.