All posts on March 6th, 2023

Nompumelelo Moyo (LJI) Two Montreal students, Mathem Maluak and Mallory Lowe Mpoka made the cut for the RBC Future Launch Black Youth Scholarship worth $10 000 per year (for up to four years) for their academic excellence and strong community involvement. The RBC scholarship is designed to help Canadian Black youth achieve their goals in education and training without financial constraints. As evidenced by statistics data, 94 percent of young Black students want to obtain postsecondary education but cannot afford it that and other issues. The scholarship is especially helpful to Maluak originally from South Sudan, majoring in Civil Engineering …

“I want Montreal Sud-Ouest Aces Football program to be an option for children in all of the south-west…. not only in Little Burgundy, but also for those growing up in Pointe St. Charles, St. Henri, Verdun, Ville Emard and Griffintown because the more options there are for children in the community, the more options they have at finding success in life.” I’Jaaz Hendrickson-Payne knows a thing or two about the value of football and other organize sports in the lives of youth in marginalized communities. The 34-year-old Montrealer grew up in Little Burgundy surrounded by temptation. But, he says he …

On February 17, 2023, the Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (DPCP) announced that no charges would be laid in the death of Jean René Junior Olivier, who was shot on Aug. 1, 2021, after police were called to his mother’s home in Repentigny. Not surprisingly it was deemed a “justifiable homicide” where the issue of race did not enter the equation. From my perspective, when dealing with the death of a Black man at the hands of the police in this country, “race” should always be considered in the analysis. Here is why: Racial profiling is a practice by …

I had a session with my doctor a couple weeks ago, one of my recurring meetings with her to determine my present state of health under her medical care and guidance. I always tell people that if I owned an automobile, much the same way many to most of them make a habit of visiting a garage an ongoing basis to consult their mechanic whenever they hear a strange noise coming from under the hood or somewhere else, I treat my body and health as such, a piece of machinery that endures a lot of mileage and punishment almost every …

Ray Fankhauser If we ourselves do not understand the purpose of Black History (not just as a Month) from a global perspective, how can we ever rise to equality? While it may have been desirable and even possible for many of us in Canada to “shelter” ourselves from international issues during the first two decades of the 21st century, the global pandemic and the war in Ukraine have destroyed the notion of ignorant bliss in the Western world. In order to successfully wage the war against discrimination in all its forms, we need to understand the origin of the ideas …

By Gemma Raeburn-Baynes Last week managers, directors, faculty, and staff at John Abbott College in the West Island gathered to surprise O’Carroll Seales on his 80th birthday, a two-fold recognition that includes 50 years of services as an employee at the institution, something only two other members on staff can boast. “This is a rare occasion to celebrate such a long-standing employee”, says a co-worker. O’Carroll, a quiet family man migrated to Canada from Trinidad & Tobago in 1969 at the age of 26. He met his wife, Verna Pinder, and they raised five daughters. Tracie, one of his twin …

The 2023 Trinidad & Tobago Carnival season has ended and left us with lots of wonderful memories and the usual carnival Tabanca as many of us make our way back to Montreal to face the winter, which still lingers. Let’s recap some of this year’s Carnival highlights. • This year “Hard Fete” took the 2023 Road March • “Lost Tribe” is NCC’s Band of the Year winner 2023. • Nicki Minaj Turns Up the Heat at Trinidad Carnival 2023 and • Nine-year-old Katelin Sultan won the Queen of Chutney Soca Monarch 2023. Bunji Garlin’s Hard Fete won the 2023 Road …

I was speaking with my Dad a while back, who took up Tai Chi and now started integrating riding a stationary bike in his workout regimen. I think I may have caught him right after a workout on his stationary bike and he was telling me how great it made him feel. I was so excited to hear that and echoed this sentiment. I’ve been saying this for many years, essentially ‘touting’ the energy and morale boost that one can get from exercising. At the time, I got a lot of eye rolls, some smirks and I think even, ‘it’s …

Lisa J. Weiss Have you ever noticed how often you hold your breath throughout the day? Are you aware holding your breath impedes your body’s ability to process the information (feelings) moving within it? This is the first in a six part series of articles, based on my book, Breath Sensations Words, which will invite you to become curious, and consider shifting how you perceive and engage your world. We will explore the power of breath, the sensory cues in your body, and how the words you use, internally and externally, have the power to shape your reality. This week’s …

If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today – T. Hanh. We all go through stormy seasons and wait expectantly for the storm to end. Life can be a challenging road to travel. It can be full of frustrations, heartbreaks, losses, disappointments, and challenges. We know that rain helps things to grow; it nurtures and replenishes dry places and that we need water to live. But sometimes, it feels like when it rains, it pours. It seems like everything is going wrong in our lives, and it begins to feel overwhelming, scary, and hopeless; …