All posts on November, 2019

Newly signed with Warner Records, his sound is bold and exciting Rosie Awori Montreal songwriter, producer and rapper CJ Flemings has been steady on the musical grind for much of his young life, and it seems as if his dedication will eventually pay off and the world will get to know his music up close and personal. He recently achieved what so many other Montreal artistes have been striving for over the past several decades when he landed a record deal with Warner Music. Something he attributes to patience and practice, saying that he kept on releasing music and EPs …

Contact Staff Marlene Jennings, who in 1997 became the first Black woman elected to Parliament in Canada, was tasked by Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge to serve as administrator of the English Montreal School Board, which was placed under trusteeship by the Quebec government on November 6. Her appointment comes in the midst of a drawn-out conflict between the Coalition Avenir Quebec government and administrators of the school board, whom it accused of poor governance and irregularities in the awarding of contracts. The accusations stemmed from a report delivered to Roberge following an investigation he launched into the EMSB earlier this …

Contact STAFF The Black Coalition of Quebec has attached a figure to its class-action lawsuit against the City of Montreal for racial profiling, abuse of authority and other injustices carried out by the police against visible minorities. Dan Philip, executive of the BCQ says the $171,000,000 that the organization is demanding is justifiable because of the high number of Montrealers who have been victimized by the police. “As we have seen from the recent report by those two researchers, more visible minorities than we anticipated have been victimized by the police and many of them are coming forward to be …

Fund raising “baby shower” on Friday Nov. 22 Rosie Awori In the spirit of togetherness, several individuals and community groups are getting together to extend a hand to a family here, a refugees from the hurricane-stricken island of the Bahamas. The Carey Family–husband Howard, his eight-month pregnant wife Sonovia and their five children–was forced to abandon their home in the Grand Bahama after Hurricane Dorian devastated the island in September. They lost everything they owned and some of their relatives were killed. Their story of survival was first published by the CONTACT two weeks ago and since then many members …

No More Flashy Saturday Night Outfits on CBC – For Now I am no hockey fanatic by any stretch; but there was a time when I did watch hockey – a lot, but never played the game. In my younger years I looked forward to weekends, especially Saturday night. It meant tuning in to CBC television for Hockey Night In Canada; a bunch of us (old school friends) regularly got together to enjoy games featuring les Canadiens de Montreal while chomping on pizza and guzzling some brand of beer. It was a nice time to be a hockey fan back …

I recently spoke to someone who said that they would “never forgive,” a particular person. This person seemed particularly angry, bitter, and just plain miserable as they shared their feelings with me. Forgiveness is a tough one, especially when you’ve been really hurt by someone or by a circumstance; but the thing about it is if you choose not to forgive you will be the one that suffers. To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you – L.B. Smedes Colossians 3:13 says: Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends …

Yvonne Sam A recent, detailed purveyance of students’ school report cards painted a glaring portrait of indifference and irresponsibility regarding the academic experiences of Black students in Quebec’s elementary and secondary schools. This display of indifference embraced a scarcity of access to appropriate reading materials, as well as a paucity of supportive teachers and administrators. The School Boards were certainly not meeting the educational needs and interests of the students. A failing grade was obvious. Findings of conflicts, mismanagement and serious governance issues has now been corroborated by Quebec’s Education Minister Jean Francois Roberge in a recent report in which …

Nothing is more heart breaking for a parent than the inability to provide for, or protect their children. These are the main motivating factors for many African immigrants to go to Europe, by hook or crook. Increasing instability, poverty, insecurity and even drought are the main factors for many to leave Africa with the hope that Europe will be their saving grace. So when the option to squeeze on the back of an intercontinental ship or small boat presents itself, they take it. The Mediterranean crossing remains the deadliest mode of migration worldwide. People are four times more likely to …

As the year draws to an end many of my supporters are still voicing their disappointment over the postponing of the annual Touch Of Red party, Montreal’s biggest end-of-season event, which But on a brighter note we can still look forward to a live show featuring Soca artist Terra D Governor and ShortPree, and the start of Parang season. The 7th edition of Touch of Red was set for Saturday, November 9th, but unfortunately due to circumstances beyond our control, it had to be postponed and rescheduled to next year, 2020.. Touch Of Red has been running for six years …

The definition of colour has always been somewhat enigmatic, and in my opinion, nothing could be more misleading than the term, applicable to any person who is not “white.” In today’s world the term has become all-encompassing. Unlike the term coloured, which was previously used to refer to Black people, colour is now used to refer to anyone, who is non-European. Recently, I came across, via social media, a call for women and applicants of colour to apply for consideration for admission to medical school at an acclaimed university. Do not, for one moment, harbor the thought that the call …