Honouring Mary Ann Shadd Cary’s Legacy of Fearless Journalism
Field Notes Profile
Nana aba Duncan, Carty Chair in Journalism, Diversity and Inclusion Studies
By creating the Mary Ann Shadd Cary Centre for Journalism and Belonging, Nana aba Duncan is working to expand how we think about journalism—by amplifying underrepresented voices, challenging the lack of diversity in Canadian newsrooms, and carrying forward Shadd Cary’s legacy through a new lecture series.
What led you to create the Mary Ann Shadd Cary Centre for Journalism and Belonging?
When I learned about Mary Ann Shadd Cary, I thought, why am I just learning about her now? She was the first Black woman to publish and edit a newspaper in Canada—The Provincial Freeman in 1853. She’s also the first woman to publish a newspaper in North America.
My hope was to create a place where people are inspired to continue thinking about journalists and journalism and media in a more expansive way. I mean, I’m Black and my research has to do with reporting in Black communities and the experiences of Black journalists. But my goal for our industry is to always be thinking about those who are not represented or underrepresented or misrepresented, and to consider them at the intersection of journalism.
How diverse are newsrooms in Canada in 2025?
The Canadian Association of Journalists runs a diversity survey every year and invariably every year you see that there are low numbers of Black people who are part of the industry. In about 66% of the newsrooms that participated in the survey, there are no Black people, no people of color.
And so for the center, my hope is that we just are always thinking about inclusion and diversity, deeply and in whatever ways that maybe we haven’t thought of before. For example, I have lived most of my life not thinking about disability because of my privileges, but this is a place where I can consider disabled journalists.
It’s really important because so many of our newsrooms, if you go and look at their mandates, many of them say they want to represent the diversity of Canada. And if you’re going to do that, it means that you have to have those folks in your newsrooms, and you have to support them in the way that they need to be awesome.
How does a newsroom change when marginalized voices are heard?
It’s really important that we take the opportunities that we can to highlight the achievements of Black people in journalism and to recognize the impact that they have when they do enter newsrooms.
Something that I say to my students is that, when it comes to Black people or any person who is part of a marginalized community, if they come into a newsroom and they say that this issue is important to my community, who is the expert?
You’re the expert. It doesn’t mean that you know everything, but it means that if you are saying something is important to your community, then other people should listen.
You’re hosting the first ever Mary Ann Shadd Cary Lecture on October 6, as part of the Mary Ann Shadd Cary Lecture Series: Voices of Change in Canadian Journalism. How will this contribute to Shadd Cary’s legacy?
This lecture series, which was the idea of my colleague Trish Audette-Longo, is the first lecture series in the School of Journalism and Communication named after a woman. It will feature leading women and non-binary journalists from historically under- and misrepresented communities who will share their stories and expertise.
Our inaugural lecturer is Camille Dundas, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of ByBlacks.com, Canada’s leading Black online magazine. We’ll also hear from Adrienne Shadd, a descendant of Shadd Cary.