Dominique Claude Armelle Dennery
2018 Honourees
Dominique Dennery – Growing up in the 60’s in Canada with forays into the American segregated south, exposed Dominique to the challenges faced by Black people in all aspects of their lives. She gained inspiration from her parents who are first-wave Haitian immigrants. They had to earn their degrees again, with children in tow, to practice their professions. She pursued a Master of Arts degree instead of following in her parents’ footsteps in the medical field.
In the 80s, she joined the federal public service and was one of a few Black employees to reached senior levels. Dominique used her position at the Privy Council Office to advocate change with a group of executives tasked with reviewing HR practices and proposing ways to break the “visibility ceiling” for visible minority groups. She also brought executive women and men of colour forward for Governor in Council appointments and advocated for women in the top echelons.
Linda McCurdy is one of the greatest high jumpers in Windsor / Essex County track and field history. In addition to an All-American career at the University of Texas El Paso, (UTEP), she successfully represented Canada on the international stage around the world.
Born and raised in Windsor, Linda first started high jumping at age six and quickly became adept at the discipline, winning a bronze medal at the 1997 OFSAA championships as a grade nine Vincent Massey student. The following year, Linda attended school at Lansing Everett while her mother completed her master’s degree at Michigan State. While at Everett, Linda lettered in track and field and finished fifth in the Michigan state track championships. She returned to Windsor the next year and finished her high school career at W.D. Lowe High School, where she was a multi-sport star for the Trojans and a record-setting three-time OFSAA champion in the high jump. Outside of school competition, Linda also claimed the Canadian National Junior High Jump Championship in 1980, was a silver medalist at the 1980 Junior Pan American Track and Field Championships, and won gold at the 1981 Canada Summer Games.
“Headed several campaigns and projects which in total have awarded over 600 student scholarships in Canada and the Caribbean. Built two schools in Jamaica and was part of the team that built over 50 schools and homes. Along with the Food For the Poor Canada team, we shipped food, medicine and school supplies to the most vulnerable in Haiti, Jamaica and Latin America.
Greatest Accomplishments
“Having both a family and a satisfying career. I was always very close to my mother and grandmother and it gives me a real sense of accomplishment to have that same special bond with my daughter and grandson. Lots of women are mothers but not all can say with total confidence that their children love them and that the feeling is mutual.”
Eleanor Wiltshire Rodney: An active member on the Hamilton-Wentworth Mayor’s Committee on Race Relations, the only teacher on the Race Relations Roman Catholic Policy Development Committee, successful champion of students facing challenges stemming from their Caribbean and African origins, and gained the name, “Fighter for Justice” Hamilton Spectator, March 23, 2003.
Eleanor, a Trinidadian by birth, migrated to Hamilton, Ontario with her family. A qualified teacher, B.A., M.Ed., and several specialist certificates, Eleanor was hired by the Hamilton-Wentworth Roman Catholic School Board. She believes in representation in education, so observing that the curriculum needed supplementation, Eleanor initiated the first African Studies and Black History credit course in her school system, originated the, “Celebrate Your Heritage Projects” for all races, and pioneered her Board’s Adult Canadian Citizenship Course. Based on her coaching, she brought many Trophies to her school from the Royal Canadian Legion, Odd Fellows Society and Hamilton-Wentworth Roman Catholic Trustees Championships.
Beyond the school system, Eleanor found time to be a Public Affairs Journalist for the Hamilton Spectator’s First Community Editorial Board, published, “Nurturing The Trillium,” a book documenting the Caribbean and Black educators in Hamilton, and “Caribbean Recipes;” fostering Caribbean unity via its cuisine. She also served as a Recruiter Community Representative choosing potential candidates for Hamilton-Wentworth Police Department.
Eleanor never lost sight, of her focus on children and youth. Aware that a number of children in Hamilton were of Caribbean and African descent, she founded, Caribbean Potpourri, to be a component of ‘that village needed to raise a child’.
Emily Mills is founder of How She Hustles, a network that connects 5000 diverse women through social media and special events. Since 2010, her women’s networking events have sold-out in hours, consistently trending on Twitter, with up to 400 guests from Olympians to CEOs. Without corporate funding or government assistance, she has grown her virtual village through word of mouth and digital engagement with women following the How She Hustles movement to make new connections, find inspiration, information and get tips for success.
Through this network, Emily created HERstory in Black, a Toronto-based digital photo series that profiled 150 inspiring black women and pitched the idea to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), her former employer that led to a project featured on TV, radio and digital platforms to mark Black History Month and Canada’s 150th anniversary. HERstory in Black became the subject of a 1-hour documentary, sparked an unprecedented celebration at the CBC and created a big buzz online – earning the Prime Minister’s attention on social media. Elements of her work were integrated into CBC’s Up Close national project featuring black women across the country, plus the ‘What’s Your Story?’ brand campaign, and the Canada 2017 limited-edition book. Emily received the prestigious CBC President’s Award and was commended for making the public broadcaster more relevant to Canadians.
Prior to HERstory in Black, Emily played a pivotal role at CBC, as a senior communications strategist in the most competitive media market in Canada. She organized high-impact special events, negotiated sponsorships and partnerships, developed strategies for community outreach and crafted marketing plans for top-rated programs.
Estella Muyinda is a lawyer with a background in management and in human rights pertaining to the constitutional rights of vulnerable communities. She has established a general law and alternate dispute resolution practice and has experience working with government and non-profit organizations.
Estella holds a Masters of Laws (LL.M), from York University, a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from Makerere University, the University of Manitoba (Acc.), a Diploma in Legal Practice, from the Law Development Centre, a Certificate in Mining Law from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University and a Certificate from the Executive Director Institute, Non-profit Management and Leadership Program Schulich School of Business, York University. She was called to three Bar Societies, the Law Society of Ontario, the Manitoba Law Society and the Law Society of the Northwest Territories.
She established and managed the first legal aid clinic that provided services to four communities and later grew to serve eight in the Beaufort and Mackenzie Delta region, Northwest Territories.
Dr. Linda Maxwell is the Founding and Executive Director of the Biomedical Zone, a first-in-class, hospital-embedded business incubator for emerging health technology companies. It is an innovative strategic partnership between St. Michael’s Hospital and Ryerson University. Under Dr. Maxwell’s stewardship, the Biomedical Zone has gone from concept to creation to going concern, supporting Toronto’s leading health technology businesses. Since its founding in 2015, the Biomedical Zone has supported over 160 innovators, facilitated fundraising for startup companies in excess of $15 million in private investment, supported companies through two commercial exits, and engaged in twenty-five hospital innovation projects.
Dr. Maxwell’s breadth of experience and scope of expertise is established based on over a decade as an accomplished physician and a head and neck/facial plastic surgeon. Her medical career is distinguished by university appointments as a clinical instructor, medical school faculty member, and published scientific author. A passion for entrepreneurship and business, led her to an MBA program at the University of Oxford.
Dr. Fahima Osman arrived in Canada in 1989, with her parents and 6 younger siblings, when she was 11 years old. They were accepted as Somali refugees. She is the eldest of now 9 children. At the time she helped take care of her younger siblings, while pursuing her dream to study medicine. She always knew she wanted to be a doctor, but she was told time and time again that she could not be accepted at Medical School since it is too difficult to become a doctor. She studied hard to keep her A+ average and eventually applied to McMaster Medical School. Fahima remembers the day when she and her Mom went to the mailbox to collect the mail. The day was June 4, 2001, when she opened the letter of acceptance to study what she had aspired to all her life. She screamed with joy and hugged her Mom. The next big day for her was May 14, 2004. Fahima Osman had earned the right to put the two long-dreamed of letters before her name. In that moment, the Somali refugee, whose parents had no formal schooling, whose father nearly drowned trying to flee a life of poverty and whose high-school guidance counsellor once warned her not to aim so high, will become an original : the first Canadian-trained Medical Doctor in Toronto’s Somali community. Her goal was to become a surgeon in Canada and also to volunteer in Somaliland, the former British Protectorate that became part of Somalia, only to break away after her family had left.
Fay was appointed by the Government of Canada to the Immigration and Refugee Board, the Government of Ontario to the College of Nurses of Ontario, and the former Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto as Chair of the Metro Toronto Housing Authority Internal Review Committee.
Frances has received several accolades and awards including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Award, Honoris Causa from the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada, the Black Business and Professional Association Woman of Honour Award, AfroGlobal Television Volunteer of the Year Award, OECS Award of Excellence, STAAG Volunteer Award and the Meritorious Service Award on behalf of the CDOA from the Government of Dominica, among many others. She holds a BA in Information Management and an Honours Graduate Diploma in Logistics and Supply Management from the Pennsylvania State University.
Master of Arts in Sociology from the University of Toronto, and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from York University. Her research interests include labour market outcomes for disadvantaged communities, child welfare policy, and not-for-profit and multilevel governance.
Ginelle Skerritt, is a graduate of York University in Toronto and Carleton University in Ottawa. Throughout her career, which spans over 25 years in the non-profit sector, she focused on community development with youth, women, and families, while fundraising with the United Way of Greater Toronto and UNICEF Canada. Currently, she is the Executive Director of the Warden Woods Community Centre, a vibrant and healthy multi-service community-based agency in Southwest Scarborough. She promotes a participatory and asset-based service delivery model for the agency. The Centre has plans to relocate a cluster of seniors’ services to more accessible locations, and seek support to expand services to children and youth. Under Ginelle’s leadership, Warden Woods offers over 50 programs and services for over 6,000 clients across Southwest Scarborough. The Centre is evolving steadily to meet the needs of the community and ensure their relevance in the changing society.
A member of the Social Planning Toronto and Toronto Neighbourhood Centres’ Boards, Ginelle contributes to the strategic leadership of the non-profit sector.
Gloria Small s a passionate individual who engages in life to the fullest. She is a dedicated wife, mother, and grandmother who strives to make a positive difference, especially for the most vulnerable members in society. Her work has been guided by her faith in God and the loving kindness she has received from others, including her mother.
Mrs. Small is an educated nurse and community activist who is dedicated to improving the lives of those who suffer from mental health issues. Her nursing career began in Trinidad and Tobago, the country of her birth, and continued after relocating to Canada. She has been an ardent advocate for improving the mental health systems in both Canada and Trinidad for over 38 years. She has been a voice for marginalized and excluded populations and has inspired key stakeholders to actively facilitate fair and just health care and access to services for underprivileged populations.
Mrs. Small has also been a sponsor for the rights of health care workers as a union representative with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). She champions for the rights of those who are being treated unfairly or ostracized for any reason including race and gender.
Mrs. Small is a board member and past chair of the African Canadian Legal Clinic (ACLC). In 2009, she represented the interests of black workers as part of the National African-Canadian Initiative Policy Conference.
Hannah Yohannes – My greatest accomplishments are my children, Samuel and Denise. 2. I’m humbled and proud to becoming the first Black Canadian Woman to have my short film, Home Away, featured and selected for Issa Rae’s Short Film Sunday series. 3. Volunteering with Passages Canada to speak on my experiences as an immigrant and educating others about my Eritrean heritage. 4. Working on the International Emmy Award winning Canadian documentary series, Hip-Hop Evolution, which explores the evolution of Hip-Hop.
Heather/coco is an author and a motivational speaker. She always gives back to vulnerable populations in our Black community. In 2006, she performed at the World AIDS Conference in Toronto and has contributed her musical talent to events by the Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention. She is a long time HIV/AIDS awareness advocate, a passion that grew following the death of her brother. She is a member of the LGBTQIA Community.
Completing the Canadian Labour Congress Labour College of Canada programme at the University of Ottawa. This diploma gave me the opportunity to educate others (especially women) in labour law, labour history, labour advocacy and activism.”
“Starting my own business five years ago, growing and maintaining it to what it is now. I faced many challenges as a minority (black and female) in our industry; bureaucratic red tape, industry regulations that were created for the big boys’ club and building the right team. The things that were in my favour were my knowledge and great reputation, plus the industry relationships that I built for twenty years with agents, tourist boards, international suppliers, airlines and the media.”
Jacqueline Dixon graduated from the University of Toronto and a Certified Sales Professional and Trainer. She is also an Entrepreneur, Author and qualified Professional Speaker with the Canadian Speakers Association. As an expert with over 25 years’ experience within the Sales and Marketing industry, Jacqueline has now taken the knowledge gained from her tremendous success to form a Speakers Platform called New Era Communications. A gifted and powerful speaker, Jacqueline delivers a series of training programs and riveting talks that have left her audiences captivated, inspired and empowered!
Jacqueline has become a Leading Authority in Sales Training and Development, having had the opportunity to work alongside some of the top business executives and owners who manage multi-million dollar sales rooms. Jacqueline’s experience and successes are not limited to Canada but have spread into the United States as well. Jacqueline achieved success after volunteering her expertise in script writing to Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential outreach campaign, where she was awarded attendance as an honoured guest for the 2008, Democratic National Convention.
Janie Cooper-Wilson has been featured on numerous Television and Radio broadcasts and has authored and published two full-length books: Morgan’s Seed (2004) and Echoes in Hills: My Eighteen-Month Search for John Brown’s Legacy (2011), as well as, many journal articles, during the course of her long career.
Joan Amy Pierre migrated to Canada in the 70’s from her twin island home in the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago. She worked in the Telecommunication industry for a number of years, until she could define her passion, which she did, in the Arts and Cultural sectors, after earning diplomas in Production and Stage Management, and in Television Production at Ryerson University. Joan has over 25 years’ experience in Event planning, project management, marketing, arts and administration, sponsorship, public relations and production management. Joan’s vast experience has allowed her to work throughout Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. She has developed a keen understanding of the needs and goals of her clients, which complements her professional and personal one-on-one style.
She has been actively involved in the design, planning and implementation of North American festivals and Special events which includes Caribana; the African Heritage Music Festival (New Orleans); The African Canadian Achievement Awards (Toronto); The Third International Afro-Anglicanism Conference (Toronto); and most recently produced two Fashion shows “Cuttin’ Style Caribbean” for the Panamania-Arts and Culture Program, part of the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto. Well recognized in her field, Joan also developed and taught a pilot Certificate Program in Event Planning and Event Management for York University’s Continuing Education Division.
Josephine B. Etowa, PhD MN BScN RM RN FWACN FAAN is a Professor and Loyer-DaSilva Research Chair in Public Health Nursing in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa. She is also a senior Investigator with the Nursing Best Practice Research Centre (NBPRC) at the University of Ottawa, and a founding member, and past President of the Health Association of African Canadians (HAAC). As a nurse, midwife, an international Board Certified lactation consultant (IBCLC), a researcher and an educator, Professor Etowa has worked in various capacities within the Canadian health care system and abroad including Nigeria over the past three decades. Prof. Etowa received her BScN and MScN degrees from Dalhousie University and her PhD in Nursing from the University of Calgary, Canada. She completed a Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Toronto and the University of Ottawa.
Her program of research which is grounded in over twenty-five years of clinical practice in maternal-newborn and child health (MNCH), and in public health nursing addresses the health inequities with a particular focus on the health of African-Canadian women. She investigated the childbirth experiences of African-Canadian women, the perinatal food choices of African immigrant women in Canada, and the work life of Black Canadian nurses research. As an African born scholar, Professor Etowa has demonstrated longstanding passion for global health initiatives especially in the African diaspora.
Since 2015, her focus has been to secure corporate sponsorships and charity partners, to take Black performers to communities across Canada during Black History Month. Joy explains that, “by partnering with local charities, we have been able to offer charitable organizations and non-profits from coast to coast, a role in presenting these powerful Canadian stories to a diversified audience, while promoting and advancing their local causes. Our mission is to proudly demonstrate and celebrate ways in which members of our Black community build excellence and strong family relationships to develop healthy Canadian communities”.
Dr. Juliet Daniel is a Professor and Cancer Biologist in the Department of Biology at McMaster University. Dr. Daniel received her B.Sc. from Queen’s University and her Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia. She spent six years as a Postdoctoral Fellow at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – Memphis & Vanderbilt University–Nashville before joining McMaster in 1999 to establish her own research laboratory.
Dr. Daniel’s research expertise is cell adhesion and signaling through transcription factors. Her research team seeks to elucidate how malfunction of adhesion-related signaling pathways and transcription factors contribute to cancer. Dr. Daniel’s research led to her discovery of a new protein “Kaiso”, named after the popular Caribbean music “calypso”. Kaiso is a transcription factor that regulates the expression of many genes, including those that control cell proliferation and adhesion. Consequently, when Kaiso malfunctions, cells proliferate uncontrollably and become more motile, which contribute to tumor progression and spread in various human tumors.
Dr. Daniel’s research is currently focused on the aggressive and difficult to treat triple negative breast cancers (TNBC). This breast cancer subtype is most prevalent in young women of African ancestry and Hispanic women despite the fact that these women have a lower incidence and lifetime risk of breast cancer than other ethnic groups.
