Virtual Exhibits and Stories
HHSY has curated a collection virtual exhibits produced by historical and cultural institutions that contribute to Canada’s rich, diverse and contentious history.
Note, the following exhibits and stories will open another window in your web browser when selected. Enjoy!
The Alaska highway: A Yukon Perspective - Black Regiments in the Northwest
As complex as the Alaska Highway history is, one aspect that is often overlooked is the fact that approximately 35% of the men that built the highway were black soldiers from the American south. The experiences of these soldiers in “Jim Crow’s army” was challenging and at times even fatal.
Ordinary Men Build A Legendary Road: Black Engineers and The ALCAN Highway
Christine and Dennis McClure’s vast collection of stories, experiences, and telling images of the Black men that served with Christine’s dad, a white officer during the building of the Alaska Highway.
British Columbia – An Untold History
This interactive historical timeline represents the diverse stories and communities in all geographical regions throughout British Columbia and the west coast across 200 years of history.
Writing Wrongs: Japanese Canadian Protest Letters of the 1940s
This visually stunning and interactive exhibit is based on a collection of more than 300 letters protesting the injustice against Japanese-Canadians whose personal property was seized and sold without their consent. Writing Wrongs brings to life the story of Japanese-Canadian internment and dispossession during the Second World War, along with a powerful and moving exploration of citizenship, justice and equal rights.
Chilliwack’s Chinatowns: A Story of Diversity, Racism, and Arson
From the 1880’s to the 1930’s, two distinct neighbourhoods known as Chinatown North and Chinatown South emerged in Chilliwack. After a series of destructive fires (suspected arsons) destroyed the majority of businesses and settlements in Chilliwack’s Chinatowns between 1921 and 1934, most of the Chinese community left the area.
One woman’s resistance: Viola Desmond’s Story
Discover the story behind Canada’s $10 bill at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Viola Desmond helped inspire Canada’s civil rights movement by refusing to give up her seat in a movie theatre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1947.