Arts Elevated (FAC)

In this interactive session, participants will explore the powerful local history of Charles Daniels, a Black Calgarian whose 1914 civil rights case remains one of the earliest known legal challenges to racial segregation in Western Canada. Using Cheryl Foggo's "Kicking Up a Fuss", a comprehensive arts‑based resource featuring documentary film, poetry, movement, and primary archival materials, we will guide attendees through strategies for engaging with sensitive historical content, and facilitate discussions around primary sources that contain harmful or outdated language. Educators will have the opportunity to move through lesson plans designed for Visual Arts, Drama, Music, English Language Arts, and Dance, experiencing first‑hand how arts disciplines can act as catalysts for representation, empathy, and social justice learning. By the end of the session, teachers will leave with practical, adaptable tools to embed culturally responsible storytelling into their classrooms, ensuring that students not only learn history, but see themselves reflected within it, feel empowered to advocate for equity, and understand the transformative power of the arts in shaping a more inclusive society.