This play is teaching kids about a Toronto race riot — right where it happened – By Jessica Wong (CBC News) / May 21, 2023
Christie Pits Riot recreates massive 1933 brawl
Perched next to a city park baseball diamond one sunny day this week, a group of Toronto teens took in a vivid lesson about a Canadian story that remains unfamiliar to many.
An on-site performance transported them to Depression-era Toronto, when exploding antisemitism and anti-immigrant sentiment in the city ran parallel to the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany — ultimately erupting in the Christie Pits Riot, one of the largest race riots in the country’s history.
Watching performers depict the era — when swastika-brandishing provocateurs and skyrocketing racial tensions sparked a brawl involving more than 10,000 people in the downtown park — truly brought history to life for Grade 8 student Hanah Isse.
“It’s much more effective, because it’s easier to understand when you see it right in front of you,” the 14-year-old said.
CONTINUE > https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/christie-pits-riot-play-1.6846337
