Dear Jackie (dir. Henri Pardo) x DOXA 2022.

Discussing Black history using the milestone of baseball legend Jackie Robinson’s arrival in Montreal’s Little Burgundy neighbourhood as part of the Royals baseball team (the Brooklyn Dodgers minor league affiliate at the time), Pardo shows us have far the city’s race relations have (and have not) come since the iconic athlete broke the colour barrier in major league sports.

It’s an intriguing way to explore the Black community’s contribution to society in the context of notable cultural figures. We see what it meant for Canadians to see a prominent African-American man succeed despite so much inequality elsewhere. Dear Jackie gives a fine lesson in providing cultural context to racial history.

• Screening at the 2022 DOXA Documentary Film Festival as part of the Rated Y for Youth program at The Cinematheque on May 14 and also available virtually online from May 5–16.