2021 Winner

There’s a massive hole in Ontario’s curriculum. Although Black Canadians have made important contributions to Canada for more than 400 years, their history is not properly captured in Ontario textbooks and curriculum, which skew towards the predominantly white men who wrote them.

The Ontario Black History Society (OBHS) wanted to draw attention to this historical narrative-shaping inequity. Working with DDB Canada, it blacked out all the non-Black history from a Grade 8 textbook currently being used in Ontario schools – leaving only 13 pages untouched of the 225-page book.

The blacked-out textbooks were then sent to policymakers, activists and the media, along with a letter from the OBHS demanding Black History become a mandatory part of the curriculum, a call to action to participate in the conversation online using #BlackedOutHistory, and a link to the PSA. The campaign earned more than 5.6 million earned media impressions and a 90% positive sentiment score.

Credits

Entry Name: #BlackedOutHistory
Client: Ontario Black History Society (OBHS)
Advertising Agency: DDB Canada
Date of First Appearance: October 20th, 2020
Executive Creative Director: Craig Ferguson / Erin Kawalecki
Associate Creative Director: Allie Keith / Dan Szczepanek
Copywriter: Dan Szczepanek, Rebecca Skinulis
Art Director: Allie Keith, Mariam Alqasim
Designer: Allie Keith
Group Account Director: Laura Rodriguez (Account Team)
Account Supervisor: Alexa Prest (Account Team)
Integrated Producer: Vivian Poon (Producer)
VP, Head of Strategy: Graham Candy (Strategy)
SVP, Managing Director: Megan Hardisty (Account Team)


Production House: Alfredo Films
Executive Producer: Alexander Henry
Executive Producer: Holly Rowden
Director: Alexander Henry
Post Production House: Sauce Digital
Editor: Shivam Pandya, Nick Brooks


Music/Sound: Vapor Music
Creative Director: Ted Rosnick
Executive Producer: Lindsey Bates
Recording Studio: Vapor Music (music & sound)