As we wrap up the month of February, how is everyone doing and what did you all do for Black History Month?
The month was not only busy for me, but also quite interesting as I had a few speaking engagements. One I quite thoroughly enjoyed was the opportunity I had to moderate a panel for the University of Windsor earlier in the month. The discussions were centred around Black excellence in the Media. The panelists were University of Windsor alumni, which made it special. It was touching to meet other alums who had not only paved the way for themselves but then came back to tell their stories and offer support to current students. It actually felt like a really cool family reunion, but since I had never met them before, it was like meeting cousins for the first time and getting to know each other within such a short period of time. And before long, we were praising each other for our accomplishments. Jermain Franklin, the Black sports anchor for TSN is one of the very few Black anchors in Canada. He spoke openly about his journey and the obstacles he faced prior to making it as an anchor. The second panelist, Alain Arthur, is the Executive Producer at Caribbean Vibrations TV, while Alison Duke, such a phenomenal woman, is the co-founder of the media group OYA. She has done some rather incredible work in media over the years and in producing films about Black Canadians. She also has a program that helps other Black Canadians get into the industry which I believe to be so fantastic. Something that might be of interest to you: Alison is the first Black woman to produce a heritage moment in honour of Black History Month. Talk about amazing! It was hands down such a great discussion and I truly enjoyed talking to them about their challenges and successes.
Another panel I was a part of was the “Breaking into community development”, a panel discussion that touched on the number of ways to help build Black communities in Canada. There were four of us on the panel; two from Dominica, one from West Africa and myself. We spoke about our experiences tapping into both the corporate and entrepreneurial world while trying to build strong communities for Black women to thrive in. One aspect of our journeys that we could all agree on was trying to find ways to tap into our superpowers as women without looking at our differences as hindrances but rather as assets to the communities being served. At times we view our own differences as stumbling blocks, when in fact, to others around us, they are indeed strengths.
Finally, I held a one hour workshop at Fanshawe College and spoke to the Elevate Entrepreneur group about leadership, highlighting what it means to be a Black leader in Canada. It was a good one hour spent.
This month was also special to me on a personal note. I celebrated both my husband and sister’s birthdays. I mean, there was not much celebrating going on, but I’m glad they were able to add on another year. We did spend quality time together though, so that was great.
It was definitely an eventful month. And as we close off February, feel free to head over to our YouTube channel to re-watch some gems from last year’s Black History Month. There’s quite a bit of informative content that I uploaded back then.
Also, while you’re at it, remember to subscribe to the channel for your chance to win one copy of each of our newly launched CSBW planners!
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