Marjorie Villefranche

Earning a law degree, my admission to the Quebec Bar, and having practiced law in both official languages. Overcoming my fear of public speaking and earning the Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award. Being a vocal advocate for the marginalized and the voiceless in the workplace and in the community.

There are many stages in the process of becoming a justice of the peace. One must have a significant interest in their community, demonstrate humanity, attain the necessary educational qualifications and exhibit a high level of achievement. A Justice of the Peace plays a critical role in the administration of justice; their two main areas of jurisdiction are criminal law and regulatory law court proceedings. With respect to criminal law, a Justice of the Peace presides over virtually all judicial interim release (bail) hearings in the province and the majority of criminal remand courts. They also preside over other criminal hearings.

Her Worship De Gannes was the first black female Justice of the Peace appointed in Durham Region and she was further selected to the position of Local Administrative Justice of the Peace which is responsible for local issues pertaining to the jurisdiction of her bench. This past year, Her Worship received a second Lieutenant Governor Order in Council appointment to become the first black Regional Senior Justice of the Peace in Central East Ontario.

My top three accomplishments would be being the first black woman to hold the position of Vice- President and President of my local union and being the first black woman to hold the position of Vice-Chair of the Unifor Prairie Regional Council

The ability to use the knowledge I gained in my Master’s Degree in Christian Counselling that enabled me to counsel many blacks through difficult times. Founder of Scrabble clubs (100 tiles ) also (200 tiles } bringing black women and girls together to share and think. Being a participant of two community choirs that have brought joy and happiness to the elderly in nursing or retired homes. Helped in the 55 Plus to organize, execute and as team made its 10th Anniversary a smashing success. As a single parent I have raised three adults who have made significant contributions to its 10th Anniversary

Maxine currently teaches in the Child and Youth Care program at George Brown College and Sheridan College. She continues to be involved in numerous community-led initiatives that support children and youth of African descent. And advance social justice.
In her role as Project Coordinator for an accredited Children’s Mental Health Agency in Toronto, she led a community engagement project that highlighted the stigma of mental illness among African Canadian youth. Maxine developed and implemented Resiliency, Identity, Transformation, Empowerment, Self-Determination(RITES), a program to affirm African Canadian strength and resilience, address systemic racism, increase cultural identity and support youth to identify and break down systemic barriers.

May-Marie has over 16 years’ experience specializing in community development strategies, public policy implementation, accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion, across various sectors including not-for-profit, municipal and provincial government.

May-Marie has held various positions including Refugee Case Manager with the Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey, Family Service Specialist with the Division of Youth and Family Services (State of New Jersey), Community Developer with Hamilton’s Centre for Civic Inclusion, Economic Development Adviser with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Accessibility and Equity Specialist for the City of Hamilton. She is also the Founder and Publisher of Illuminessence e-Magazine, dedicated to showcasing exemplary fem-leaders and guys who get it for their remarkable accomplishments.

Born in Jamaica, Megan Whitfield and her family immigrated to Canada when she was at a very young age. She wholly thanks her mother, Joan Gooden, who gave her the back bone and inspiration. She would not be the woman she is today if it were not for her encouragement and motivation.

She has been a trailblazer since graduating from Humber College. She was the first woman hired in the security department at the Regal Constellation Hotel. While there, she encountered injustice in the workplace. She organized and assisted in unionizing the department. She then became a mother of three lovely boys (now men) and returned to school at George Brown College.

In 1998, Megan was hired as a temporary worker at Canada Post. Once she became a part-time postal clerk, she immediately became a Shop Steward and a Health and Safety Representative.  She also sat on the Local Union’s Women’s Committee and Human Rights Committee. Megan is also  a Human Rights investigator. Additionally, she was elected to several committees at the National Level.

My academic, professional, spiritual and personal(being a mother) accomplishments.

NCAA DI Student-Athlete
Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees, pursuing PhD

Michèle Newton, is an Activist, Changemaker, and Entrepreneur.  She was born in Hamilton, Ontario.  Michèle and her family lived in the Hamilton area, spent one year in England, and when she was nine years old, they relocated to first St. Johns, then Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Michèle lived in Corner Brook until completing high school and then moved to Ottawa, Ontario, to attend Carleton University. Michèle spent 14 years in the Ottawa area, kick-starting her communications career and business education. She and her family currently make their home in Barrie, Ontario.

Michèle completed a Bachelor of Science in Biology at Carleton University. Upon learning that just three percent of Biology graduates went on to work in their field, she decided to pursue her love of people and relationships. This led her to enroll in a Marketing Certificate program at Algonquin College which gave her a business framework in which to employ her creative writing, public relations and organizational skills. After working in the Marketing and Communications fields, her leadership skills and growing business acumen resulted in her promotion to business management roles. Working concurrently, Michèle completed her Master of Business Administration in Project Management at Athabasca University, through their executive MBA program.

The Honourable Madame Justice Micheline Ava Rawlins was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1951 to Pearl and William Rawlins, both of whom had moved to Canada to attend McGill University.  Her formal early education there culminated in an undergraduate degree at McGill University in 1974. She moved to Windsor, Ontario to attend Law School in 1975, graduating with an LL.B. in 1978 and was called to the bar in 1982.

She worked as a defense counsel and part-time Crown Attorney in the City of Windsor prior to accepting a position, which she held from 1986-1992, as an Assistant Crown Attorney in Chatham, Ontario.  In October 1992, Justice Rawlins was appointed to the Provincial Court of Ontario (now the Ontario Court of Justice) sitting in Windsor, Ontario, as the first Black female Judge in Ontario and the second in Canada.  She also served as the Local Administrative Judge for seven years.

Prior to her appointment, Justice Rawlins served on many Boards and Associations, including the Girl Guide, Boy Scouts, Windsor Media Council, and the Race Relations Committee for the Windsor Board of Education and Christchurch Anglican Church.   She sat on the Board of Governors of the University of Windsor from 1985-87 and again from 1995-2004, was President of the Chatham Youth Soccer Association from 1990-1993, participated as an Assistant Hockey Coach from 1996-98 with the Windsor Minor Hockey Association,  achieving her Trainer Qualifications in 1998, travelled to Ottawa on behalf of the Judiciary, to sit on the Social Context Advisory Committee coordinated by the National Judicial Institute; and served as President of the North American Black Historical Museum (2003-07 and of the Association of Black Judges of Michigan.

Michelle McCullock – better known by her stage name, Michie Mee is popular within the music industry for her unique rap style of combining reggae and dancehall with hip-hop. She is a Canadian rapper and actress and the first notable female M.C. She is considered a national hip-hop pioneer.  Many successful artists have followed in Michie’s footsteps using her gifted technique. With over two decades in the entertainment industry, the Juno nominated rapper and actress is not only an inspiration for female musicians, but also all artists nationwide.

Michie was born in Jamaica, later moving to Toronto, Ontario at a young age.  She was raised in the city’s Jane and Finch neighborhood and began performing at the age of 14. In 1985, during a concert in Toronto, Boogie Down Productions introduced her to the audience and she performed on stage. She later teamed up with DJ L.A. Luv (Phillip Gayle) and formed the duo Michie Mee and L.A. Luv. The duo was featured on the 1987 Canadian Hip Hop Compilation Break’n Out, which was produced by KRS-One and Scott La Rock of Boogie Down Productions. The duo’s first single, “Elements of Style” made an impact on the United States and it signed with First Priority/Atlantic Records in 1988. Then in 1991, the debut album, Jamaican Funk-Canadian Style which incorporated dancehall reggae music was released. Over 60,000 copies of the album were sold in the U.S. and it was nominated for a Juno Award in 1992. The duo subsequently broke up and Michie went solo, opening shows for other artists. She became a founding member of the alternative rock band Raggadeath, which had a Canadian chart hit in 1995 with “One Life”. In the late 1990’s Michie began an acting career and “In Too Deep”, was her first film appearance in the 1999’s. In 2000, she starred in the CBC Television series Drop the Beat, playing a rapper named Divine. Later that year, she released a comeback album, The First Cut is the Deepest, which spawned the single “Don’t Wanna Be Your Slave”.