All posts on April, 2024

This past Monday, April 1, the city mourned the passing of civil rights advocate Dan Philip, at the age of 88. Dan Philip, former president of the Black Coalition of Quebec, was renowned for his unwavering commitment to justice and the defense of the rights of the Black community. He embodied and exercised leadership that significantly transformed the Black Coalition over several decades, championing the aspirations of the Black community. As a true pillar of the community, Dan Philip represented not only Afro-descendants but also an ideal that resonated with and was embraced by many Quebecers. The news of his …

When you speak to Alexander Basuk, popularly known as Basics its clear that his desire is not for fame and applause but to lift the next generation. To allow them his shoulders to stand, so that they can rise even faster than he did. He has 10 years under his belt in the music industry with a laundry list of accomplishments. With songs like, Let Me Know, Cigarettes and Poutine, Lotus Wrap among others as he tells it, Basics is just getting started. Basics grew up in Little Burgundy, “in the 80’s when Little Burgundy was Little Burgundy,” he asserts. …

At the core of what he does, Montrealer Kidel Reid’s goal is to promote safe spaces for all people to thrive in. A community worker and the Executive Director of The Multicultural & Diversity Project, Reid prides himself in promoting wholistic development in an equal and equitable fashion. “Things seem to repeat themselves,” he recounts to the CONTACT. “My parents told me about the racism they experienced back then, I had my fair share of that and unfortunately my son had his own experience too, and this made him stop playing hockey.” For Reid and Multicultural and Diversity Project the …

“We must confront the uncomfortable truths of our history in order to create a more just future. It is only by acknowledging the past that we can move forward.” Derrick Bell. In this province, the “N-word” holds deep historical significance, with roots dating back to the 1600s in New France. However, the recent controversy surrounding Quebecois artist Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge’s use of the N-word took me by surprise. In an online video, Lemay-Thivierge is shown strolling through a forest, discussing the concept of hard work, while embracing a birch tree with the offensive term “nigga” clearly written on it, a reference …

Montreal is finally having a Caribbean Carnival this year. I feel I could run in town again, jump and shake the ground again. Wave with all my friends and them, no place like home, home, home. words of road March king Mical Teja song “DNA”. 2024 is the year we say bye bye to Montreal Carifiesta and welcome to”MONTREAL CARIMAS”. Some might say it’s a bittersweet feeling, but I feel like everything had to work out the way it is. On April 3, 2024, the city of Montreal posted the List of organizations supported in 2024. Where the (CCNM) The …

Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you. John Maxwell We are the end result of the choices that we’ve made. We are faced with making choices every day. Sometimes, we go through the day making spontaneous choices, and other times, intentional and purposeful choices, but whatever choices we’ve made… we’ve made them, no one else. Remember… You are free to choose your actions, but you are not free to choose the consequences. It’s important to always consider the consequences of your choices! Think about it… If I choose to __________, the (positive or negative) …

 Product origin, destination, and end use: Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is responsible for administering and enforcing the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) requirements found in the Automated Import Reference System (AIRS). This online database is routinely updated and free to the public. Take note products that may have been accepted on your last trip could now be refused. Ignorance of the law is not a defence: Upon arrival in Canada, travellers are required by law to declare all food (cooked or raw), plants, live animals and animal products. If you are uncertain about regulations, seek clarification before submitting your …

James Brown would run into confrontations with the police later on in his life in the late 80’s and thanks to a drug habit that would dominate the latter part of his life. Always anti-drug throughout his career with anthems like “King Heroin” and “Public Enemy #1” which he was rewarded by The White House for, it remains mindboggling that James would decide to start doing angel dust as a middle-aged man in his 1st serious foray into drug experimentation. Domestic violence and a high speed car chase with the police landed him a prison for a year and a …

Jesus Christ lived on the earth for 33 years and during that time He was fully God and fully human. He obeyed His Heavenly Father and obeyed His “adopted” earthly father. In doing so, the Bible tells us that He followed in the family trade of carpentry. The Bible records, in Matthew 13:55, that Joseph, Mary’s husband, and Jesus’ earthly father, was a carpenter. In biblical times, a carpenter generally would have been a person of manual labor who worked primarily with wood and sometimes stones. The creations of a carpenter in Jesus days would have been the doors, furniture, …

We have all heard the saying, “The youth are our future.” But is the Black community looking at its future? And how is the community supporting the wellness of that future? Are we checking in on the young? Is no one concerned about the future? Hitting the youth from all sides are academic demands, hectic, disorganized social life, financial challenges, social justice and community issues. This affects their mental health, just like it does with adults. Please stop counting for a moment, and loosen your grip on the holster while allowing me to shed some light on the challenges that …