Actor and playwright Anyika Mark makes moves to free up Little Jamaica
Anyika Mark's performance is a part of FreeUp! Emancipation Day 2021, now streaming on CBC Gem
Making Moves, the debut theatre play by actor, playwright and activist Anyika Mark, is a showcase of a day in the life of young Black people in Toronto's Little Jamaica.
In this clip from FreeUp! Emancipation Day 2021, Mark offers up a snippet of Making Moves. What starts as a chat on where to eat to take a break from essay-writing leads to two young Black people (played by Anyika Mark and Nathan Baya) reminiscing about Eglinton West, a.k.a. Little Jamaica, and how gentrification has stripped the community of its identity.
Inspired by the words of Angela Davis, the two resolve to reclaim community and give it back to the people — to "free up" Little Jamaica.
FreeUp! Emancipation Day 2021 is a youth-led celebration of spoken word, dance, theatre and music, as we gather together to celebrate freedom. Stream it on CBC Gem and YouTube.
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.
