Several Black youth speak out against insufficient representation of Black culture in school curriculum and elsewhere. Videotape of the 1991 Peace and Justice March organized by the Cultural Awareness Youth Group in Halifax shows the Group's response to a widely publicized disturbance in a Halifax bar. Many youth and their supporters felt the incident and its subsequent interpretation revealed underlying racism.

In the environment of their predominantly white high school, a group of Black students face daily reminders of the presence of racism, ranging from abuse (racist graffiti on washroom walls), to exclusion (the seemingly "innocent" omission of Black history from texts). They work to establish a Cultural Awareness Youth Group, a vehicle for building pride and self-esteem through educational and cultural programs. With help from mentors, they discover the richness of their heritage and learn some of the ways they can begin to affect change.