What: ‘An Evening with Lawrence Hill’ – Public Education Equality and Rule of Law Series
Where: The Law Society of Upper Canada, Toronto
When: Tuesday, February 7, 2012
A crowd of about 175 people packed the Law Society of Upper Canada’s Convocation Hall Wednesday night to hear from acclaimed Canadian author Lawrence Hill.
The award-winning author of The Book of Negroes and Black Berry, Sweet Juice: On Being Black and White in Canada was the main draw for an event celebrating Black History Month. The talk was hosted by the Law Society and the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers (CABL).
In a short speech, Hill jokingly wondered why Black History Month had to take place during the shortest and coldest time of the year. He also revealed his father had first encouraged him to become a human rights lawyer when he was young. “The last thing an immigrant of Canada — particularly, a black immigrant of Canada — wants to see their son or daughter become is a novelist,” Hill told the crowd.
Hill’s father was Daniel G. Hill, a black Canadian historian who moved to Canada from the U.S. in the 1950s. He eventually came to accept that his children were drawn to the arts (Lawrence Hill’s brother is singer-songwriter Dan Hill).
After reading a brief excerpt from his 2007 bestseller, The Book of Negroes, Hill sat down for a Q & A session with CP24 News anchor Nathan Downer (pictured above). Their conversation focused on Hill’s upbringing in Don Mills as the child of an interracial couple. Hill also discussed The Book of Negroes being made into a film and the controversy of the novel’s title in the U.S. and overseas. The book is called Someone Knows My Name in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand due to cultural sensitivity surrounding the term “negro.”
The event ended with a book-signing, where the illustrated edition of The Book of Negroes was sold to benefit Crossroads International, a developmental organization close to the author’s heart.
“When it comes to Black History Month, we need to examine all aspects of our history,” CABL president Andrew Alleyne told Precedent. “This audience can learn from any great speaker and we want to make sure they have the opportunity to do so.”
As he eyed the long snaking line-up of people waiting to meet Hill, Alleyne declared the event a success. “I think Lawrence may be leaving tomorrow morning!”
Photo: Tim Fraser / Law Society of Upper Canada