Steadfast: The Messenger and the Message – A story of the Honourable Jean Augustine: A prolific Black leader
By Olivia Barrett
Powerful and empowering; two words to describe Steadfast: The Messenger and The Message.
This film tells the story of the Honourable Jean Augustine, the first Black woman to become a member of parliament in Canada for the Etobicoke-Lakeshore ward. Her list of accomplishments is anything but short, including becoming a Federal Minister of the Crown, a Member of the Order of Canada, and receiving seven doctorates from numerous universities across Ontario.
Directed by Fahim Hamid Ali, the film shows Augustine’s journey from Happy Hill, Grenada to her beginnings in Canada as a domestic worker to her political achievements in a variety of different positions. In addition to the story of her success, the film included interviews of people Augustine knew and inspired directly and those who look to her as a story of hope and resilience for creating a life in Canada.
“It’s not a resume of Jean,” said Majid Kazmi, the scriptwriter for the film, “it’s about what Jean has accomplished for other Canadians.” He explained that Augustine did not just fight for the Black community, but for everyone because inclusion was at the forefront of her work.
Augustine’s sense of humour had a remarkable influence on the film, as the production team made sure to include it as much as possible throughout the film.
One way they did this was through creating enactments of key moments in Augustine’s life.
“You will see some light enactments, and you will love those enactments,” Ali said, explaining how that these scenes showed the life of 20-year-old Augustine during her early years in Canada. Kazmi noted that these enactments added “some humour in the documentary,” explaining that his favourite was a phone call between Augustine and a friend about a cottage trip.
The film focused mainly on the impact of Augustine’s story rather than the hardships and discrimination she faced. While her struggles were included in the film, they were often surrounded by humour or a light-hearted resolution, which reinforced the idea of her resilience.
The story of Augustine applying and going to teacher’s college is a great example of her resilience because she refuses to back down despite the discrimination she faces as one of the very few Black individuals there.
Steadfast not only focuses on the story of Augustine but merges her timeline with other pivotal moments in Black history. Ali Umair, the creative director, said that the film “[weaves] these events together to build a narrative.”
Umair described working on this film as “a passion project of sorts.” He added that his favourite part about this experience was getting to “uncover Black history in Canada at a more nuanced level while revolving it around Jean’s story.”
Overall, Steadfast: The Messenger and the Message is an inspiring film, not because it is a success story, but because Augustine opened the door for many who came after her to stand up for their rights and her story defines Canada as it today.
As said by Ali during his address after the film, “Jean’s story is our story.”
Olivia Barrett is a Bachelors of Journalism and Humanities student at Carleton University. Her interests include photography and poetry which she uses to explore social justice issues and other intriguing fields. She also loves learning about history and ancient religions. Olivia writes on social issues, well-being, and out of curiosity.