equity

Black History Month at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Campus

Viola Desmond just wanted to watch a movie, but what happened to her on November 8, 1946 in Nova Scotia became a watershed moment in Canada’s civil rights movement. Desmond was a successful Black businesswoman, operating a beautician training school in Halifax and eventually expanding her business across the province, but it was car trouble that set her on a course that would make her one of Canada’s greatest historical figures.

On that fateful day in 1946, Desmond was travelling on business from Halifax to Sydney when her car started acting up and she was forced to pull into a nearby service garage in the small community of New Glasgow. The garage mechanic told her it would take a day to repair the vehicle so, in order to kill some time, Desmond decided to go to the Roseland Theatre and catch a movie.

Roseland Theatre

At the ticket counter, Desmond requested and paid for a lower-level seat, but the ticket handler instead gave her a balcony seat, which was the segregated seating for Black patrons. Desmond tried to take a seat on the main level of the theatre anyway but was challenged by an usher and was eventually forcefully removed from the theatre and arrested.

She spent the night in the local jail and appeared the next day before a city magistrate where she was found guilty of defrauding the provincial government for not paying the amusement tax of one cent on the ticket. The penny represented the difference between the ticket for a balcony and the ground level seat. Without any legal representation, Desmond paid a fine of $26 that was levied against her by the presiding Judge, who awarded six dollars of court costs to the theatre general manager.

Nova Scotia’s black community was outraged. While Desmond’s husband wanted her to let things go, the Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People raised money to fight her conviction. She eventually lost her appeal on technical grounds and her case quickly faded from public consciousness. In 2010, long after Desmond’s death in 1965, she was posthumously granted a free pardon by the Nova Scotia government and was recognized for her contributions to the struggle for racial equality in Canada.

Speaker Series - Graham Reynolds Violas Story Feb. 1

On February 1, Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus will kick off Black History Month with a special virtual speaker series presentation on the life and legacy of Viola Desmond by author and civil rights historian Graham Reynolds.

In 2000, Professor Reynolds was teaching a racial discrimination history course at Cape Breton University when he met the younger sister of Desmond, Wanda Robson. Robson was 73 years old but was interested in the course and enrolled. Reynolds describes her as the “life and energy of the classroom.”

“Having Wanda Robson as a student was a defining moment in my career. It began a two-decade long journey and collaboration to raise public awareness regarding the racial injustices of the past, especially in relation to the Viola Desmond story,” says Reynolds.

Robson went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree at the university, graduating at 77 years of age, and in 2010 she released her own book entitled, Sister to Courage: Stories from the World of Viola Desmond, Canada’s Rosa Parks.

Sister to Courage: Stories from the World of Viola Desmond, Canada’s Rosa Parks

In that same year, a free pardon was granted to Desmond posthumously by the Nova Scotia government, and the Viola Desmond Chair in Social Justice was established at the University. Reynolds was named as Chair and worked with Robson to write a book entitled Viola Desmond’s Canada, which was released in 2016. Two years later, they wrote Viola Desmond: Her Life and Times.

“The Viola Desmond story brings to light a long-forgotten chapter in Canadian history. And, for us to move forward as a nation and build a more just society, we must confront these darker pages of our past,” says Reynolds.

In November of 2018, 72 years after she was dragged out of the Roseland Theatre because of the colour of her skin and 53 years after she passed away, Desmond was honoured by becoming the first woman to appear on a Canadian $10 bill, confirming her place as one of Canada’s most courageous people and historical figures.

Desmond

Canadians have been celebrating Black History Month for decades after the first move to recognize the contributions of Black Canadians was made by the city of Toronto which passed a proclamation in 1979. It wasn’t until 1995 that the House of Commons unanimously passed a motion declaring February as Black History Month.

On the 75th anniversary of Viola Desmond’s arrest in 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Canadians, “Black people have helped shape our history and collective identify, and stood proud as leaders in communities across the country. Despite all this, systemic anti-Black racism still exists in Canada, and has undermined the livelihoods of Black Canadians and caused deep pain. This needs to stop.”

By taking a stand, Viola Desmond tried to stop racial segregation. Her cause remains active today.

Registration is now open for the Viola Desmond speaker series which will begin at 7 p.m. The session is free to students, employees, alumni and anyone over 60 years of age. You can register here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/speaker-series-black-history-month-kick-off-with-author-graham-reynolds-tickets-244517336937

(Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs)

 

Algonquin College Students Tackle Racism, Diversity and Inclusion Issues

“This is a time to be bold.” Those words from Yasir Naqvi set the tone for an engaging dialogue among students at Algonquin College’s Pembroke Waterfront Campus at the first student-led Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion forum.

Yasir NaqviNaqvi is a former Attorney General for the province of Ontario and is currently the Chief Executive Officer for the Institute of Canadian Citizenship. He is also a Director with United Way East Ontario where he has played a leading role in stimulating a community response to systemic racism. Through his advocacy work, he has stressed the importance of listening to those who have been subjected to racism, adding “We don’t need more studies.”

In an opening presentation to kick off the forum, Naqvi told the students and employees of the College that Canadians want change. “We should not squander this opportunity to change the status quo. If we fail to move the yardstick to make change we are failing our future generations,” said Naqvi.

Naqvi spoke eloquently for about a half-hour before taking questions from the group. He encouraged the students to “be relentless and to champion the change.” He spoke about the importance of getting involved in advocacy opportunities such as peaceful protests and elections, at one point saying, “Make it an election issue and if you’re still not satisfied, run for office.”

After commending the students for getting involved with addressing systemic racism, Naqvi stepped out of the forum leaving the students to use virtual breakout rooms to begin the process of developing their own goals and strategies. For an hour they talked about the issues and brainstormed on what they could do to make a difference.

The conversations weren’t easy. Social justice issues like racism can be difficult to talk about and can be emotionally draining, but Naqvi’s point of being “willing to take risk and to be bold” carried the day as the students shared their perspectives and learned together.

Inclusion and Diversity, Algonquin College, Pembroke Campus

Shelly Sutherland is the Campus Student Success Specialist. She worked closely with a group of students who call themselves JEDI to plan the event. JEDI are student leaders who act as mentors for first-year students. They creatively used their nickname to brand the forum, ensuring that each letter stood for what they were trying to accomplish, a respectful conversation that focused on Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

“We need to talk, we need to listen and we need to act,” says Sutherland. She adds, “I am proud and inspired by our students, their constant stepping up to amplify voices of the unheard and in many cases amplify their own voices. Whether easy or difficult, they are willing to continue the work with action!”

JEDI

This is just the beginning. The students have committed to continuing this work as they do their part to bring diversity issues to the surface where they can be addressed through thoughtful discussion and calls to action.

“This forum validated the willingness of Algonquin College to break down the barriers and address the social inequities that exist in our community,” says Nursing student Deena Hassan. “The forum was the first step, and we’re only moving forward after this. As an Egyptian-African, and studying in a town that is predominantly white, I can feel at ease knowing that Algonquin College is taking the steps to ensure diversity and inclusion at the campus,” adds Hassan, who is working with her classmate Grace Grant and the Students’ Association to establish a Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC) Student Society.

The students will not be working in isolation. The Mayor of Pembroke has established a roundtable committee to address racism and the Local Immigration Partnership group is also consulting with various community members as more people join the effort to address an issue that is not new but is now getting the attention it deserves.

The 2015 release of Justice Murray Sinclair’s Truth and Reconciliation report was a watershed moment in Canadian history. The report and its 94 calls to action bluntly described the horrific treatment of the country’s Indigenous people and compelled Canadians to acknowledge the harm that was done and to create a new relationship with Indigenous people that honours their culture and their contributions to our nation.

But it was the death of 46-year-old George Floyd, an African American man who died at the hands of a white police officer in Minnesota in May of 2020 that brought people into the streets in both American and Canadian cities. Floyd’s death came at the height of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and despite restrictions on public gatherings, his death sparked “Black Lives Matter” protests around the world.

Floyd had died while handcuffed and pinned to the ground, his death caught on video. The circumstances of his death not only outraged the black community but all communities. This time, “Black Lives Matter,” became a call to action for everyone.

“The pandemic has really exposed the fault lines in our society. It has magnified the systemic issues that we have been living through for some time,” Naqvi told the students, adding that racism happens everywhere.

“Don’t give up. This will take some time, but be bold,” he said.

The students are prepared to do just that. Their work is just beginning, but it’s already off to a great start.

Posted by Jamie Bramburger, Manager of Community and Student Affairs.