The Poet, The Preacher, and The Painter: A Walking Tour with Cheryl Foggo

Join author, historian, and filmmaker Cheryl Foggo for a walking guided tour on Calgary’s Black families and their histories. Walk through Calgary's Black history as told through the lives, works, experiences, and connections between 3 seminal figures: ‘The Poet’ Ethel Lewis who lived off and on in Calgary and southern Alberta from 1892 till her passing in 1960; ‘The Preacher’ Andrew Risby (brother of Deanna Bowen’s grandfather) who was born in Campsie, AB in 1917 and pastored a Black church in Calgary from 1946 until his passing in 2002; and ‘The Painter’ Phillip Risby, an artist born in Calgary and still alive today. Phillip Risby will be joining us for the tour.

Cheryl Foggo is an award-winning author, playwright, and filmmaker whose work over the last 30 years has focused on the lives of Western Canadians of African descent. She directed the short film Kicking Up a Fuss: The Charles Daniels Story and is a recipient of the Sondra Kelly Award from the Writers Guild of Canada, as well as the 2015 Alberta Literary Award for Drama from the Writers’ Guild of Alberta. A well-known author, she has been published in dozens of anthologies. Her books include the recently released 30th-anniversary edition of Pourin’ Down Rain: A Black Woman Claims Her Place in the Canadian West; the young adult novels One Thing That’s True and I Have Been in Danger; and a children’s picture book, Dear Baobab.

Registration essential. The tour will be starting in Olympic Plaza, downtown Calgary.

Important note: Please register with an email address that you monitor regularly. You will receive a confirmation email prior to the program.

Image: Reverend Andrew Risby in front of Glad Tidings Holiness Mission, Calgary AB - Courtesy of the Risby Family

Respect and Inclusion

By registering for this Program you agree to co-create, in collaboration with Esker Staff, Artists and Volunteers, an atmosphere of mutual inclusion and respect for all persons. This includes speaking, acting and behaving in a way that is absent of violence, harassment, racism, intimidation, bullying or discrimination of any kind regardless of, and not limited to gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, culture, age and ability. This includes in online/digital forums.

Should you require any support, or have any questions, please reach out to: [email protected]

Host or Publisher Esker Foundation