Category Archives: 2016 Honorees

Prior to becoming an MPP, Hunter was CEO of the Greater Toronto Civic Action Alliance where she championed solutions to some of the region’s toughest social, economic, and environmental challenges. Prior to that, she served as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) ...

Rose-Ann interprets her personal observations, the vulnerability of her subject’s body image, gender identity, and sexuality, through a post-colonial identity construction and health equity lens. Her discursive and figural production on the visual representation for non-conforming racialized, sexual and gender ...

Zanana Akande was born in downtown Toronto in the Kensington Market district. Her parents came from St. Lucia and Barbados, where they had worked as teachers. They were prevented from continuing their careers in Canada, because at that time, Blacks ...

My advice to the next generation would be to become literate, because I am seeing a new breed of illiterate young people, and hopefully the next generation will be better equipped to compete in the global market.

My most significant achievements have been shared achievements. I believe the most significant is my enduring relationship with so many former students who are now actively engaged in many social justice causes, moving the yardstick further. I also believe my ...

Nerene is guided by words her mother instilled in her as a child, “You come into this world owning your dignity and decency, and you will leave with those traits intact unless you forfeit them along the way.”

Even at six years of age, adults were astounded by her art skill, not believing she had drawn such intricate pieces herself. At eleven, Yara moved to Canada where her passion and skills blossomed. When she arrived in the country, ...

Her best advice for the next generation: Never allow your circumstances to dictate your place in life. I grew up in a very dysfunctional environment and was forced to leave home at the tender age of thirteen. I had to ...

On her greatest accomplishment she states: My role as a mother is my greatest accomplishment. Raising my two children in an inhospitable environment has given me immeasurable strength. My community work and the contributions I have made over the years ...

My best advice is “consistency.” Do what you love and always improve upon it. If you pursue your passion, success is imminent. Stay focused and keep pushing through. Go the extra mile and add value to everything you do, at ...