Winnipeg author Jamie Michaels and illustrator Doug Fedrau created Christie Pits, a new graphic novel about the largest race riot in Canadian history.
The event took place in 1993 at public baseball game in Toronto. More than 10000 people were involved. Now, a new graphic novel tells the story of the event.
"We certainly don't live in the same hateful conditions of 1933, but I believe that there are lessons to be gleaned from the Christie Pits riots that are as relevant today as when they occurred," Jamie Michaels said.
The book mainly describes the events of 1993, but at the same time it makes people think about the goodness and understanding of other cultures and values.
"I think when we look back on this history, it almost seems — to many who were unfamiliar with it — incongruous. How could such a thing happen in Canada?" Michaels added. "Whereas when we were enacting the same uncertainty and the same vitriol to new immigrant populations today, I think that that will be looked at with a similar lens in the future."
Michaels is the son of a Jewish immigrant who moved to Canada when he was a child. His father grew up at a time when the rights of his people were curtailed a lot. The man also added that a lot of time has passed since then, but the Jewish people still face humiliation and hatred.
Statistics Canada showed that the number of hate crimes has greatly increased over the past few years.
Christie Pits is the second book that was created by Jamie Michaels.
"There's a lot of these anti-Semitic tropes embedded in literature and that's the unique thing about comics is, because it's got such Jewish origins, it's kind of one of the first modern mainstream mediums to be free of those stereotypes," he said. "So it was meaningful on both levels, it was a correct medium. But also the history around that medium."
The author said that the presentation of the book will take place on March 23 in Winnipeg and on March 31 in Toronto.
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