Othermothering and Life Notations of Daisy Sweeney

The life story of Mrs. Daisy Sweeney, an African Canadian native of Montreal, Quebec, helps fill a void in the historical documentation of Montreal Blacks (especially female elders). Of particular significance is her prominence as a music educator and othermother during her life. What did it mean to be a first generation ‘Negro’ working class bilingual female in a largely hostile White francophone Quebec metropolis in the early 20th Century? How can her narratives help shape and inform life history and African Canadian othermothering research? In spite of blatant racial discrimination that plagued Montreal’s Black communities during that time, Daisy Sweeney fulfilled a life-long dream and taught hundreds of children the canon of classical piano for over 50 years. She lived her voice through her music, finding ways to validate her own identity, empower others and draw invaluable connections between social differences. Daisy Sweeney’s generation of othermothers is dying out and, as the carriers of culture it is time to write in African Canadian female elders and diversify the exclusionary genre of life history.