All posts on September, 2020

Petition launched to keep FM license in the hands of the Black community By Egbert Gaye Aubrey Clarke, remembers the day in 2001, when he strolled into the offices of Flow 93.5 Canada’s first Black-owned radio station to collect on a prize that he had won and meeting an executive who introduced him to the prospects of a career in media sales and marketing. “Flow, as a Black owned and operated radio station opened doors to the industry not only for me but to dozens of others in our community, providing opportunities for us to get involved at different capacities” …

Black Entrepreneurship Program first of its kind in Canada Egbert Gaye Black businesses across Canada stand to benefit from an initiative recently announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau totaling about $221 million aimed at helping entrepreneurs access capital and support for new and existing companies. The prime minister heralds the Black Entrepreneurship Program as the first of its kind in Canada saying it will “help support Black entrepreneurs and create new opportunities for Black-owned businesses, so they are well-positioned for our economic recovery.” The program hinges on three pillars: • The National Ecosystem Fund, which will assist Black business owners …

COVID -19 numbers on the way back up across Canada Contact Staff As the number of positive cases of COVID-19 continues increase almost by the day in the province, the Quebec government decreed that people not wearing masks in the public, where it’s mandatory to do so will face fines. At a recent daily briefing, Premier Francois Legault said that the vast majority of Quebec are following the government’s directives and wearing masks, but a small minority is putting in the danger the lives of others by refusing to comply with the law. According to the Premier, these people not …

Emeka was an outstanding student and dedicated community volunteer. Scholarships offered in his name Contact Staff When Emeka Ngadi died on November 29, 2018, at the tender age of 21, relatives and friends were left trying to put meaning to a life that impacted so many in such meaningful ways in the relatively short time he was with us. The McGill University Engineering student will be remembered for his prowess as an athlete, his gift as a musician and dedication as a community volunteer but most importantly, Emeka’s legacy is one of companionship, with which he blessed his mom Ihedinma, …

Rosie Awori – LJI Reporter Even though their 39th season has been dampened by the dreaded coronavirus, Geordie theatre is getting ready for their 40th season dubbed When the Stars Come Together. This season Geordie is looking to honor the stories of young people who inspire and challenge the world every day. Each year Geordie develops two new works from emerging and established playwrights and produces two plays; one for elementary schools and one for high schools and CEGEPS. Together, they have become the highly anticipated annual 2Play Tour! But in light of the unusual times, Geordie has added a …

Novel THOMASCoronavirus COVID-19 and Racism: Call it a double socially-impacting whammy for Black people… In her historic vice-presidential nomination acceptance speech the night of Wednesday, August 19, Kamala Harris stated, “There is no vaccine for racism…” Harris hit the proverbial [political] nail on the head. Racism, by virtue of its multi-ple manifestations as we see and understand it in America has been at the core of that society since the nation’s existence, and continues to impact the first pri-mary imported euphemistic labour force in a most deleterious way multiple gen-erations on. The Democratic party’s vice-presidential nominee’s speech that night was …

Officers suspended for 13 days without pay Rosie Awori (LJI) “That’s not justice, but I am not someone who gives up easily, but that’s not right,” Kenrick McRae’s voice is colored with disappointment as he talks to the CONTACT about the penalties issued to the two officers who were found guilty of arresting him illegally. In 2017, McRae was stopped by the police while parked in his white Mercedes Benz as he waited for his friend to finish an errand outside the bank in western NDG. He says the police car pulled up behind him and officers begun flooding him …

Recent indicators shows that South Africa’s economy plunged by 51% in the second quarter of 2020 a frighten new reality that sent shock wave across the nation, one of the continents more stable and developed economies. The sharp decline has been linked to COVID-19 and the total lockdown that shut down the economy for three months since March. However, economists say that the decline has been happening since President Ramaphosa took power and the pandemic acted as a catalyst for the fall. At the beginning of the year, the country’s Gross Domestic Product, (GDP) fell by two percent following a …

A few more days before it’s officially Fall season and the government has been warning us to brace ourselves for the second wave. Maybe music therapy can help us through the second wave. After my long absence from my Community Contact column, I’m back with a new online Soca mix titled “SOCA IN YUH 514” that can become your personal musical therapy during these tough times. No one would have ever expected that abruptly, in March 2020, life, as we know it would be turned upside down. The music and party scene has been hit hard by the coronavirus with …

Children learn more from what you are, than from what you teach: W.E.B DuBois. There is an urgent need to talk about issues that are staring us in the face. After all you know that I am all about progress for the race and the community as a whole, so I have got to tell the truth regardless of whose ox it gores. I am fully aware that raising children is not an easy task; however, I hope that the single parent in the home raising the children that they are conscious of the messages they are conveying. Recently, I …