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From
Windsor,
there
was
honoree
Sheila
Barker
who
moved to
Canada
from
Jamaica
in 1959
after
high
school.
Barker
was
recognized
as a
long
standing
community
leader,
and
founding
member
of
Women’s
Enterprise
Skills
Training,
Inc.
(WEST)
in
Windsor
and
Essex
County.
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Canada’s
Trailblazing
Women of
Color
Honored
By
Karen
Hudson
Samuels
Tell Us
Toronto
TORONTO,
CN - A
festive
gala
celebrating
100
Accomplished
Black
Canadian
Women
was held
recently
in
Toronto
Ontario
with
over 400
in
attendance
to honor
Canada’s
trailblazing
women of
color.
The
event
showcased
the
breadth
of
talent
and
experience
of Black
women
with
diverse
backgrounds,
from
government
and
not-for-profits
to
finance,
law,
medicine,
academia,
entertainment
and the
fine
arts.
Every
honoree
was
unique,
reflecting
the
nature
of the
individual’s
successes
in their
field of
endeavor
and
their
lasting
impact
on the
history
of
Canada.
From
Windsor,
there
was
honoree
Sheila
Barker
who
moved to
Canada
from
Jamaica
in 1959
after
high
school
where
she
represented
all
island
schools
in a
presentation
to Queen
Elizabeth
II and
Prince
Phillip.
Barker
was
recognized
as a
long
standing
community
leader,
she was
a
founding
member
of
Women’s
Enterprise
Skills
Training,
Inc.
(WEST)
which
works to
improve
the
employability
of
visible
minority
and
immigrant
women in
Windsor
and
Essex
County.
From
the
perspective
of an
African
American
woman,
it was
interesting
to note
that the
heritage
of most
honorees
was from
the
African
and
Caribbean
diaspora,
emigrating
with
their
families
as
children
or
moving
to
Canada
for
employment
or to
study at
university.
Take the
Honorable
Dr. Jean
Augustine
Oueen’s
Privy
Council,
Companion
of the
Order of
Canada,
born in
Grenada
and came
to
Canada
in 1960.
Dr.
Augustine
is the
first
African
Canadian
woman
elected
to
Canada’s
House of
Commons.
The
renowned
Dr.
Augustine
greeted
each
honoree
to the
stage
along
with
Dauna
Jones-Simmonds,
President
at DEJS
Consulting
and Dr.
Denise
O’Neil
Green,
first
Vice-President
Equity
and
Community
Inclusion
(VPECI)
at
Ryerson
University
in
Toronto.
The
three
women
also
co-authored
“100
Accomplished
Black
Canadian
Women –
2018” a
book
launched
at the
gala
intended
to
inspire
Black
girls
with its
profiles
of each
honoree,
their
greatest
accomplishments
and
their
advice
for the
next
generation.
A
database
of
future
100
women
publications
is being
developed
to be
accessible
online.
“Above
all, it
would
make it
possible
for
Black
Canadian
women to
realize
an
opportunity
that had
not
previously
existed.”
Proceeds
from the
2018
edition
will be
donated
to three
grass-root
organizations
that
have
programs
supporting
marginalized
black
women
and
young
girls.
The
highlight
of the
gala was
the
escort,
by men,
of each
honoree
to the
stage
where
they
were
greeted
by Dr.
Jean
Augustine,
Dr.
Green
and
Dauna
Jones-Simmonds.
The
evening’s
program
also
tapped
into
elements
of black
American
culture
including
a solo
of Lift
Every
Voice
and Sing
and a
tribute
to
Aretha
Franklin.
Music
from the
diaspora
was
heard in
the
performance
of the
Pan
Fantasy
Steel
Band.
Guests
and
honorees
reveled
in the
rhythms
of
Caribbean
music
bringing
them to
their
feet in
an
evening
that had
heralded
the
contributions
Black
Canadian
women;
the bi
¬annual
event
will be
held
again in
2020.
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