In Defence of Hopes Profound
Canada & The Korean War

In Defence of Hopes Profound: Canada & the Korean War is a commemoration of Canada’s participation in the Korean War (1950-1953) as told through the individual lived experiences of diverse and often marginalized Canadian veterans.
Read more about the project
In Defence of Hopes Profound explores the Korean War exclusively through a microhistorical lens, reflecting the diversity of Canada’s population and its armed forces. The aim of this project is to share and showcase the stories of veterans whose voices have been historically underrepresented and even excluded from traditional commemoration narratives. In Defence of Hopes Profound sheds new light on Canada’s participation in the Korean War by framing that participation in the context of significant societal changes through the 1950s and 1960s (ie. movements for the rights of women, 2SLGBTQI+, Indigenous, and racialized communities across Canada).
Most recent project content

Education Resources
Gus Este & The Black Canadian War Experience Learning Guide
This learning guide looks at some key themes that are involved in the
discussion of Black Canadian involvement in Canada’s war efforts.
It includes Key Questions and instructions for prompts for students, before, during and after listenning to the podcast.

Stories
Gus Este & The Black Canadian War Experience Podcast
This podcast was created by Birkett Educational Consultants Inc as part of Defining Moments Canada’s project titled In Defence of Hopes Profound: Canada and the Korean War. The Korean War, often the forgotten war, is very much a part of Canada’s Defining Moments. Another forgotten aspect of the Korean War and other wars in which Canada participated is the involvement of Black Canadian soldiers.

Story Maps
Gus Este & The Black Canadian War Experience StoryMap
This StoryMap collection includes all the resources linked to the Black Canadian Experience Podcast, organised visually to help learners interact with the content in different ways.