All posts on January, 2021

It takes a lot to stop the celebration of Black excellence, that’s why Black Theatre Workshop has made it a priority to offer the entire community an opportunity to join in this year’s honouring of two special Montrealers, Mr. Eddy Toussaint and Ms. Thelma Johnson at their annual Vision Celebration Gala on January 30. This year the event goes virtual and will be presented in all its past glory with awards and musical tributes along with great company via Facebook Live and on YouTube. As it as been in the past, the highlight of the celebration will be the presentation …

Rosie Awori (LJI) After completing four years in the faculty of Law at McGill University in 2019, Brittany Williams is back in a key administrative position in the department, a place she says she has grown to love. The young Montrealer was recently appointed Acting Assistant Dean (Admissions and Recruitment) on a one-year mandate, becoming the first Black woman to hold the position that oversees the admissions process and student recruitment activities for the department’s double-degree program, as well as manage the Admissions office. In her new position, Williams will work closely with the Dean and the Faculty’s Equity Committee …

In 1968, when the Quebec Board of Black Educators (QBBE) was established, the community as we know it today was taking root. The influx of immigrants from the Caribbean and elsewhere was adding to the population of Blacks and heightening the need for institutions to assist in consolidating their place in a society that was not truly accommodating. Among the objectives of the QBBE was to advocate on behalf English speaking students entangled in a system in which they were stunted by faulty perceptions and low expectations. For the educators who were the founders of the organization, high school dropout …

It has been a grueling couple of weeks for family and friends of Michael Stanley, a well-known Montrealer who on December 21, was seriously injured in a vehicular accident in Barbados. The incident, which took place just outside the home Stanley shares with his wife, is described as a “freak accident.” He was sitting in car in the driveway of his house waiting on his wife Margareta Brathwaite and obviously blacked-out. Witnesses reported seeing the car careening down the short, dead-end street in front of his house and striking a gas-meter just moments before it plummeted down a 40-foot precipice. …

Rosie Awori (LJI) There he goes again: Black this, black that. Black, black, black, black… ad infinitum. Sure it may be irritating to some… but being Black is my identity, my daily reality. It’s the first thing that comes to mind just about everyday I awake. And it’s not a burden, but a reason to live… in spite of these COVID-19 times. Once I open my eyes it’s a good thing. I roll out of bed and do my daily spiritual exercise — say a little prayer for being blessed with another day of life — then walk to the …

There he goes again: Black this, black that. Black, black, black, black… ad infinitum. Sure it may be irritating to some… but being Black is my identity, my daily reality. It’s the first thing that comes to mind just about everyday I awake. And it’s not a burden, but a reason to live… in spite of these COVID-19 times. Once I open my eyes it’s a good thing. I roll out of bed and do my daily spiritual exercise — say a little prayer for being blessed with another day of life — then walk to the bath-room to prepare …

“We never know the worth of water until the well runs dry”‘, for me that sums up 2020 in a nutshell. Let me first and foremost wish all the Community Contact readers and Soca & Reggae lovers a Happy, Prosperous and Healthy New year. During this past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has turned our lives upside down and changed not just the way we live and work but also how we think and behave. Every part of the world has been affected, and every aspect of life has been impacted. Our everyday routines were brought to a stop, and any …

The late Indian lawyer and political ethicist Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi is quoted as saying, “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” Such a statement rings true following the recent death in Laval of a seven year old girl. Once again, yet another death has brought to the surface the deplorable state of Quebec’s youth protection system. Sad but true only death brings the system under scrutiny, of which it is no stranger. Solutions have been proposed on how to fix the problem, but nothing substantial has been imposed. In October …

It’s a New Year and the CONTACT is boldly kicking off 2021, with a brand new wellness initiative. How? By leading the way and prioritizing a focus on mental health awareness within our community. I am excited to announce that the Contact will be launching a series of articles featuring the latest information on mental wellness. As a licensed therapist, I will be sharing my expertise with tips and strategies in each article, as well as answering your questions such as: • How does counseling work anyways? • Does counseling involve lying down on a couch? • What is the …

The new year is here, it’s time to reflect and look at this past year and ask yourself how you’ve changed, what you‘ve learned and where do you want to go in 2021. You might ask yourself why anyone would want to do that and the simple answer is… So that you know what worked and what didn’t work for you in the previous year. These questions will also make you aware of what is actually going on in your life and then you can then base your 2021 goals on this reflective information. So… What did work for you …