Tapestrywith Mary Hynes

For decades, a pervasive myth that Black men fought for the South in the American Civil War has plagued historians and distorted collective memory of that event. Historian Kevin Levin says that false narrative fuels the racial divide today.

Nygel Turner was expecting a history lesson when he toured a Louisiana plantation with his dad. His experience illustrates the harm that can come when parts of the story are distorted or erased.

From plantation tours to the myth of the Black Confederate soldier, the history of slavery and the American Civil War has often been whitewashed. In this special episode, Tapestry investigates how distorted versions of the past can do so much harm in the present.

As a portrait artist, Riva Lehrer says faces are her whole life. She’s also someone with spina bifida - and that means people give all kinds of unwelcome attention to her body. When that happens, her face has always been her ally. With our faces necessarily hidden under masks - she is navigating a new way of connecting with the world.

We're giving away a copy of Riva Lehrer’s book, Golem Girl. If you'd like to be entered in the random draw, email us at tapestry@cbc.ca with "FACES" in the subject line. Follow this link to learn about CBC's contest rules.

Our continuing series on music as a soothing source of company. Five guests share the songs accompanying them into 2021.

Henry Lee Heinonen and his father Eric have very different perspectives on how they see the world, but over the summer, they both concluded they wanted to help people living in Toronto’s homeless encampments.

On the surface it might seem like an almost bureaucratic detail - a piece of information that helps the government to find you … when it’s time to pay your taxes. But your address can mean a lot more.. Deirdre Mask explores the link between where you are - and who in her book The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power.

Candice Marie Benbow is a writer and theologian who has decided to pursue her dream of being a mother on her own in 2021 because, she says, “We literally were given the gift of surviving one of the hardest and most difficult years that any of us have ever seen. We didn’t survive all of that to play small. To not live these big, beautiful lives that are of our making.”

Stephen Johnson tried to weigh out whether he should move to California and in the process discovered a whole world of long-term planning tools. At a time when planning for the future feels impossible, Johnson talks about how to thoughtfully make big plans.

When you’re faced with the really important decisions in life, how do you know you’re getting them right? Steven Johnson studies the art of making decisions, big-ticket items like having children, changing careers, proposing to your sweetie, moving to a new city (when the pandemic permits.) He is the author of Farsighted: How We Make the Decisions that Matter the Most. Candice Marie Benbow is a writer and theologian who has decided to pursue her dream of being a mother on her own in 2021, saying: “We literally were given the gift of surviving one of the hardest and most difficult years that any of us have ever seen. We didn’t survive all of that to play small. To not live these big, beautiful lives that are of our making.”

Ronald Purser, a Buddhist teacher and a professor of management, advises us to approach mindfulness techniques with a critical eye. He says mindfulness practices have been co-opted by capitalist interests, freeing corporations and governments from responsibility for the larger issues at play in our stressful society.

After ensemble singing was deemed a potential superspreader activity, choirs looked for other ways to continue to make music together. Erick Lichte of Vancouver’s Chor Leoni and Elaine Quilichini of the Calgary Girls Choir share what they did.

We spoke to five Canadians who’ll be turning to music this darker-than-normal winter, to keep them inspired — and keep them company — in the new year. If you have a song and story to share, please send us an email: tapestry@cbc.ca.

Christmas this year might be unlike any other. But the Jewish calendar has already had many celebrations this year during isolation. S. Bear Bergman wants to share what he’s learned this year by celebrating virtually.

After months of working from home and being indoors, many are discovering that there’s something about their homes that just needs to change. The founder of Design With Science believes that this instinct to nest comes from somewhere deep in the human mind.

A locked down winter is in the cards for many Canadians. Tapestry talked to two people on how to endure, through nesting and celebration, a very unusual winter. After months of working from home, many are discovering that there’s something about their homes that just needs to change. The founder of Design With Science, Sally Augustin, believes that this instinct to nest is a deeply human one. Christmas this year might be unlike any other. But the Jewish faith has already celebrated key holidays. Jewish writer S. Bear Bergman wants to share what he’s learned by celebrating virtually.

Erica Lenti hoped she could hide her sexual identity from her grandmother until Lenti either married or her grandmother died. Getting engaged meant she couldn’t hide it for much longer

If it hadn’t been for his mom’s daily correspondence while he spent eight years in prison, Marcus Bullock may not be the dad and business leader he is today. He created an app that connects families with incarcerated loved ones.

John Portmann, author of When Bad Things Happen to Other People, has long mulled over the implications of schadenfreude, and how the word has been perceived over the centuries. It’s a common feeling, but not always a morally clear one.

If it hadn’t been for his mother’s daily correspondence while he spent 8 years in prison, Marcus Bullock may not have become the man he is today. Bullock created an app that connects families with loved ones in prison in a similar way. Erica Lenti’s grandmother didn't know she was gay. For years, Lenti chose not to tell her out of fear of rejection. She hoped to keep this information from her grandmother for as long as possible, but getting engaged made it so much harder.

Writer Ian Leslie believes we’re missing out on a very human need when we can’t gossip. The murmured stories we’d normally share as we meet at a pub after work, or when we pass by neighbours, are the most informative, says Leslie. Without those conversations -- which we can’t have during a pandemic -- we risk living in a world that’s “a lot less human.”