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Family of Regis ask those attending Toronto rally against anti-black racism to remain peaceful

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Sat, 30 May 2020 19:34:25 GMT

The family of a woman who fell to her death from a High Park apartment building following an incident that is now being probed by the province’s police watchdog is asking those attending an afternoon rally in Toronto today to remain peaceful and safe.

Regis Korchinski-Paquet’s family did not organize today’s rally but released a statement on Saturday afternoon encouraging those participating in it to “remain peaceful in honour of Regis.”

“The family is thankful for the outpouring of support from the community and to the organizers of today’s event for bringing attention to this very serious matter,” the statement reads. “The family asks that anyone attending today’s event observe social distancing by-laws to ensure those attending are safe and remain peaceful in honour of Regis.”

Thousands gather at Christie Pitts Park

Police say that roughly 3,500 people have already gathered at Christie Pitts Park and along Bloor Street for the rally, which is being organized by a group called ‘Not Another Black Life.’

In a series of messages posted to Twitter on Saturday, the group said that it is holding the event “for Regis” and “for every known and unknown black and indigenous life lost to police brutality and white supremacy.”

Police Chief Mark Saunders was also seen in the vicinity of the rally on Saturday and told CP24 that police just want to ensure it is as “peaceful of a protest as possible.”

"I just want to make sure that everything's okay," Saunders said. "When we look around and see the things that are happening, ideally you'd hope that there's an opportunity that people take the time to hear everything and based their actions on the truth and then figure out where collectively as a city, we can move forward."

It should be noted that Korchinski-Paquet’s death is still being investigated by the Special Investigations Unit and that few details are actually known about what happened inside the High Park apartment prior to her death.

Korchinski-Paquet’s family has said that they called police to help her get through a mental health crisis, though Saunders has said that the actual call was for an assault.

Speaking with reporters at event earlier in the day, Mayor John Tory said that Korchinski-Paquet’s death is a tragedy but he said that people should have faith in the fact that there is a “an independent process that will thoroughly investigate the incident” and “provide all of us with the answers that we all want.”

He said that he appreciates that people want to honour Korchinski-Paquet and make sure that her death is properly investigated and anticipates that today’s rally will be peaceful.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/aMRM50zUB89

The Fitness Industry Migrates Online As Covid-19 Spreads

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Mon, 18 May 2020 21:42:20 GMT

Fitness industry and black personal trainers shifting their business online

As the coronavirus continues to spread, fitness studios around the country are shutting their doors and adjusting to a new reality. The sudden shift has inspired creativity and flexibility for gyms and studios, which are largely dependent on physical locations and on-site staff.

The changes have rocked the fitness industry, which was worth $94 billion in 2018, according to The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association.

Some studios -- such as Modo Yoga, which has locations in the United States, Canada, Australia and France -- are offering free classes on Instagram Live. Other studios, including SoulCycle, closed all of its locations globally, hoping to reopen when conditions improve and the curve flattens.

The cult-favorite cycling studio doesn't have any online classes, but bikes are available for pre-order with a price tag of $2,500, and the company will release on-demand virtual classes later this year.

And as gyms and boutique fitness studios continue to close, fitness instructors are getting creative and amping up their side hustles.

"I've still been training clients that live in my building, though we've been using Lysol and in some cases latex gloves to be safe," Julie Verhage, a group fitness instructor at Equinox, said. Verhage also said that startups are reaching out to her and asking her to lead virtual workouts "so they can still have team bonding while everyone is working remotely."

Video classes

ClassPass, a subscription service that partners with local boutique fitness classes, launched live workouts: More than 500 studios have added live, bookable classes to the platform, and 100% of livestream proceeds go directly to the studios.

The company is also encouraging users to donate directly to their favorite studios through the ClassPass app, and the company is matching $1 million in donations.

A library of more than 2,000 pre-recorded audio and video workouts are also available for free -- without subscription -- on the ClassPass website.

"The COVID-19 global pandemic has presented a challenge unlike any other that the health and wellness industry has seen," ClassPass CEO Fritz Lanman said in a statement. "Almost 90% of our 30,000 gym, studio and wellness partners across 30 countries have indefinitely closed their physical locations."

Jessica Goldman opened Dance Forever Studio in Chicago in 2005, but she recently closed her studio amid coronavirus concerns.

"In the long term, the coronavirus will dilute the brick and mortar fitness industry model," Goldman told CNN Business in an email, adding that "in an already crowded industry, the coronavirus will set the successful apart from the mediocre."

The disruption is pervasive

Small studios are getting hit hard. In the hopes of reopening after closure, yoga studios like Sacred -- with locations in Brooklyn in Manhattan -- are charging $10 for virtual classes on Zoom. But some of the small studios probably won't recover, according to Nathan Forster, CEO of NEOU, an on-demand fitness video platform. "I hope many of them can make it back, but there will definitely be some that don't," he told CNN Business in an email.

Even big companies like Flywheel are trying to figure out how to navigate the financial hit to its business. On March 20, in a plea for money, the company sent an email to members, encouraging them to unfreeze their membership and continue paying a monthly fee even though the brick-and-mortar locations were closing. In March, the cycling company shut down the virtual classes that are connected to its in-home bikes, and Peloton is letting Flywheel customers swap out their bikes for a used Peloton bike for free.

Many studios are creating YouTube video workouts in an effort to keep their clientele entertained and active. Cult-favorite HIIT studio Orange Theory, for instance, is sharing a free 30-minute workout on its website every day.

It's not a smooth road for the studios that aren't accustomed to being primarily digital. Boston rowing studio The Row House offers a variety of free live-streamed classes on Facebook, but you can only participate in the classes if you have a rowing machine at home.

To bridge the gap, the company is offering members 60 days of free access to on-demand content for other fitness studios that share the same parent brand, Xponential Fitness, including Pilates, barre and yoga classes.

Who benefits

Meanwhile, virtual and digital fitness companies are benefiting from the industry shift. MIRROR, an interactive at-home fitness system that sells for $1,495 and looks like a full-length mirror, has seen an increase in sales.

"Sales have more than doubled since the advent of Covid-19," MIRROR CEO Brynn Jinnett Putnam told CNN Business in an email. She added that MIRROR's team has been "working around the clock to launch our digital product earlier than originally planned."

But it's not all uphill for primarily online fitness brands. MIRROR and Peloton both have brick-and-mortar studios. MIRROR closed its three showrooms -- one in New York City, one in Los Angeles, and one in Stanford California -- and Peloton closed its New York and London studios to the public, but the company will "continue to produce live content without an audience," according to a statement from Peloton's co-founder and CEO John Foley.

For online-only fitness services like Obé, business is booming. The service gives members unlimited access to 14 live classes a day and 4,000+ on-demand classes. It costs $27 per month or $199 per year.

Co-founders Mark Mullett and Ashley Mills said sales are soaring.

"We have seen a considerable increase in membership across the US in the last few weeks," he told CNN Business in an email. With an increasing number of parents and kids staying home, Obé released content for kids in partnership with KidzBop.

Picture : Simeon Panda

Website : simeonpanda.com

Source : cnn.it/2yepEfz

Coronavirus: College Students Gap Year Exposes Economic Divide

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Sun, 17 May 2020 19:57:32 GMT

More students are considering deferral, and those who do tend to pay full tuition, which threatens campus budgets.

Sunny Hostin, a host of ABC’s The View, shared some wonderful news several weeks ago on her program: Her son got into Harvard. But Gabriel Hostin won’t be going this fall. He deferred his admission so he can avoid burnout. He’ll also sidestep the worst of the pandemic. “I see a gap year as all about self-exploration, self-enrichment, community service, and maturity, learning where you are in the world,” Gabriel says. “I’m blessed to be in the position I am in.”

Jason Li, whose parents grew up in rural China, won’t be waiting to start his college education. Li, who turned down Harvard in favor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is all in, even if he has to study online. “I don’t expect it will be a completely normal semester, but I’m going no matter what,” he says. “MIT has been my dream school forever. They’re giving me really good financial aid.”

The diverging paths of the two 17-year-olds demonstrate one of the many perils facing higher education this fall: the socioeconomics of college deferrals. Students taking gap years tend to be more affluent, better able to afford a $75,000-a-year private college—and the expense of taking an extended break before enrolling. But if too many of them put off their studies, it could smash the economic model underpinning the U.S.’s $600 billion-plus higher education industry. Private colleges rely on tuition and fees for 30% of their revenue.

For decades, schools have billed higher prices to affluent families while charging less, or nothing at all, to high-achieving students of modest means. On average, for every $1 that a private college charges, almost 50¢ goes for financial aid, according to the National Association of College and University Business Officers.

“It’s kind of a run on the bank if a significant enough share of the students who can pay decide they’re not going to go,” says Matt Maguire, a vice president with Maguire Associates, which has consulted with schools such as Harvard, Amherst, and Rice. “Then the bottom falls out, and how are they going to deal with that?”

In a recent survey of 6,700 parents and students, most of them high school seniors, Maguire found that 12% are considering deferring enrollment this fall, many times the typical proportion. Even worse, 30% of international students, who generally pay a college’s full cost, are considering a postponement. If many kids on scholarship take their place, colleges could find themselves in a deep hole.

A surge in gap years could start a “chain reaction” that may leave institutions unable to make their budgets, according to Craig Goebel, a principal of Baltimore-based education consultant Art & Science Group, whose own survey also found a jump in students expecting to ask to defer for a year.

It’s no secret why many want to wait. This fall is expected to look very different from years past. While colleges don’t know today what will happen once classes resume, they’re discussing options such as a staggered return, a combination of online and in-person classes, social distancing, and the cancellation of activities including sports and theater.

Christine Pluta, a private college counselor at Edvice Princeton, says many full-paying students are asking about putting off their studies. They want to wait for the “normal college experience,” says Pluta, a former admissions officer at the University of Pennsylvania and Barnard College.

Not so at programs that help high-achieving, lower-income students get into selective colleges. Consider Prep for Prep, a 40-year-old nonprofit that recruits and helps prepare New York City children of color to go to private schools and then to top colleges. Only 1 of 132 high school graduates in its program this year asked for a gap year, according to Shari Fallis, director of college guidance.

Similarly, at College Match, a nonprofit that works with 30 Los Angeles schools, only 1 of about 200 is even considering asking for a deferral. The majority are like Li, the high schooler headed to MIT, who worked with the program. Josue Estin, the 18-year-old son of a housekeeper and a plumber, is going to Amherst College on a full scholarship. “Part of it comes down to, I persevered so much,” he says.

Counselors are encouraging College Match students to go ahead and enroll this fall because they shouldn’t risk forfeiting a life-changing opportunity. Lower-income students often benefit from the high graduation rates, small classes, and vast resources of selective schools. Still, the organizations worry about the prospect of starting out online, where less affluent students tend to struggle. Some may have trouble finding internet connections and quiet places to study. “We foresee that being a huge challenge for our students,” says Erica Rosales, College Match’s executive director.

Until this year, schools had often encouraged gap years—with some giving aid so low-income students participate—because many studies have shown deferrals can give burned-out students a chance to recharge and even improve future academic performance. Gap years can range from a break to work in a coffee shop to a formal experiential or educational program whose costs can rival a college’s tuition.

Hostin, the View host, says her son had been considering taking a year off before college last fall, and some friends were skeptical about the wisdom of the break. Now they’re thinking about following suit. “They don’t want to pay for an online experience at the cost of an Ivy League tuition,” she says.

Such thinking has left some institutions concerned about having enough students to fill up their classes and make their budgets. Schools including Brown and Cornell say they won’t automatically grant deferrals. Colleges usually ask for a good reason and a plan; concern about a diminished experience during the pandemic isn’t enough. Amherst says it may limit gap years because it doesn’t want to fill up so many future spaces that a year from now there won’t be enough room to accommodate current high school juniors. At Princeton, accepted students who ask to defer may have to wait more than a year before they can begin because of enrollment and housing constraints. And at some other schools, admitted freshmen will either have to attend or forfeit their acceptance and gamble on reapplying after the crisis.

“I don’t blame students and parents for feeling concerned about what the experience will be like to be doing online classes in the fall and not having all the other elements,” says Holly Bull, president of the Center for Interim Programs, which counsels families researching gap years. “If my daughter was a senior this year, I would have serious concerns about her stepping into that—and paying the tuition.”

Even those who can wait a year face challenges. Amid the pandemic, they won’t be able to sling a backpack over their shoulders and head to Europe. And that internship at the community theater or nonprofit? They’re heading into a job market that looks like the Great Depression.

In Newton, Mass., the Goodmans had encouraged their high school senior, Sophie, to take a gap year before starting Harvard. The school has greenlighted the plan. Well before the pandemic hit, she’d wanted a break from academics. Her parents, both Harvard alums, had taken time off themselves.

Part of their daughter’s pre-virus gap year plan: teaching circus arts in Costa Rica. “That is clearly not going to happen,” says her father, Mark, who runs a boutique fitness company. So Sophie is looking at alternatives such as working on an organic farm or a political campaign. If those ideas don’t pan out, then what? A gap year in her parents’ house? “That,” her father says, “is the challenge she faces.”

BOTTOM LINE - A survey found that 12% of students are considering deferring college enrollment this fall. That would hit schools’ budgets since gap year students tend to pay the full cost.

SOURCE: https://bloom.bg/3dUBACk

Black Women Architects : 397th Grad is a Fearless Mentor!

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Thu, 14 May 2020 22:25:09 GMT

AFROBIZ & SUCCESS STORIES

Featuring Black Owned Business on AfroBiz World - Black Women Leaders in America:

Introducing Samantha Josaphat !

Samantha continues her commitment to her community in hopes of raising the percentage of black women in the STEM fields as a member of the National Organization of Minority Architect's ( NOMA ) New York Chapter. Samantha also spearheaded Project Pipeline, an architectural day camp for elementary students. Some of Samantha's work has been exhibited at the United Nations Visitors Center.

Her interest in architecture first started when she went house hunting with her mother as a kid. Her mother loved bringing her along because she was her second pair of eyes and would narrate how one would move through the spaces. She was also never impressed with the layouts of the homes; they never seemed to have a good flow! These homes went up very quickly as mass produced cookie-cutter types, leaving Samantha curious as to why anyone would settle for something that didn’t work.

Applying to and getting accepted at Penn State was the first big milestone. She was actually questioned by the high school guidance counselor why she didn’t choose going to a HBUC - Historically Black University College and University - like everyone else around Her. She responded by telling the counselor that she wanted to go to a school that reflects what the real world looks like - which then became a regretful statement many times along the journey.

School was a mix of emotions and experiences. Not only she had to learn about architecture, but also about how different her culture was compared to majority of her classmates. These differences helped her to be well aware of how architecture can be used as a tool of diplomacy between cultures, and to this day shape the way she approaches the field. While in school,she studied abroad three times with different programs – a week-long study abroad to Berlin by way of the Sociology Department studying cultural diplomacy, a semester long program in Rome with the Architecture Department studying Architecture, and then a 6 week program in Tanzania with the Landscape Architecture Department studying rural land planning.

The most valuable lesson she learned from school though was to stay dedicated to your craft and yourself; from there you will gain the ability to help others. While in school she also developed a strong work ethic and understanding of life's imperfections, allowing her to be aware and mentally fit to take on the treacherous yet beautiful journey of being an architect.

Finally, Samantha, what has been your general approach to your career?

I’ve held on to two philosophies: "Brick by Brick" and "Less is More". Brick by brick reminds me that I got to where I am today because I saw the journey I was on and understood I couldn’t do everything at once, but I could one step at a time. Less is more was something I learned along the way. Instead of trying to do everything to make myself feel equal to my peers or environment I learned to do less, resulting in more of me. It now shines through in my design, social encounters, fashion, and love for my life!

Also having a focused mind allows me to emerge in my craft. Time management has taught me to be rational with the complexity of Architecture, in the sense of taking a huge complex problem and breaking it down to where it is manageable to digest without being overwhelming. As an architect and community leader I believe if I remain calm the synergy between my team and I will remain powerful."

SOURC E : Madame Architect | Instagram | Youtube | Studio 397

5 Toronto Black-Owned Businesses You Can Still Support During The Coronavirus Pandemic

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Sat, 21 Mar 2020 00:20:51 GMT

1. JEFFERY GYLES REALTOR

Jeffery offers personal attention, exceptional expertise & consistent counselling on all aspects of your real estate transaction making the process uncomplicated. - Jefferygyles.com

2. YAMZ VEGAN FOOD

Yamz offer all organic, vegan food made with love in Toronto. We make delicious patties, wraps and plates using ingredients sourced locally and seasonally. - Yamz.ca

3. SHAEDEN AFRICAN FABRICS

SHAEDEN is an online wholesaler/retailer that provides a wide selection of African inspired fabrics so you can design your own clothing for special occasions. - Shaedenfabrics.com

4. RIDDIM FITNESS CENTRE

RIDDIM group fitness program is designed to get you moving to the latest and greatest rhythms from across the world, from reggae & soca to Afrobeat. - Riddimfit.com

5. STREET VOICES

Street Voices is a magazine that strives to give a voice to the marginalized youth of Toronto and to empower those who aren’t in the mainstream media. - Streetvoices.ca

As Sephora Closes, Black-Owned Brands Brace For Impact Of the Coronavirus

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 23:15:03 GMT

Executives explain how consumers and small businesses can navigate this difficult time.

On Tuesday Sephora announced that it was closing all its stores across the U.S. and Canada through April 3 in response to the rapidly changing situation surrounding the outbreak of the coronavirus. For many it didn’t feel real until major retailers such as Macy’s, Sephora and H&M began to shut the doors to their thousands of stores.

In a statement to the public, Sephora said, “When Sephora first opened its doors, we did so with the mission to create a unique community for all beauty enthusiasts. Since then, we have always taken our responsibility to protect the well-being of our people and community seriously. It was with that responsibility in mind that we made this decision.”

The company also ensured that all store employees will continue to receive their base pay for scheduled shifts for the duration of the closure. In addition, health and wellness benefits for employees who are currently enrolled will continue. And sephora.com and sephora.ca e-commerce sites will remain operational and supported by their supply chain team with enhanced measures to ensure their health and well-being.

“We are grateful for the strength and resilience of our teams during this time and we appreciate the continued support of our clients,” the statement continued. “We will continue to update our community as information becomes available.”

Naturally this sent shockwaves through the beauty community, especially the industry’s small-business owners who don’t have the capacity to pay employees while their operations are on pause. And for Black-owned businesses that rely heavily on the community to stay afloat, store closings can quickly start a chain reaction that results in a business downturn.

Many brands can anticipate seeing reduced sales, brick-and-mortar closures, the postponement of launches and events, a shortage of supplies and inventory (many have been held at customs), and added clean-up costs for their facilities.

So ESSENCE talked to the owners of some of our favorite Black-owned beauty brands to find out how they’re pivoting to deal with the current business climate, and what other businesses can do to stay productive during these confusing times.

“Coronavirus has come through and created so much turmoil not only for my business but also for me personally,” says Melissa Butler, CEO and owner of The Lip Bar. “I’ve had to make some tough decisions—closing the store, reducing marketing spending dramatically and also driving my team toward efficiency. So in the midst of all of this, I’m working on me to make sure I’m the best leader both now and later.”

For Butler, that looks like working out four times a week, cooking, making smoothies, writing down her feelings in a journal, and putting on a little makeup to go to work on her couch.

“Making sure you look good and feel good in this time absolutely helps with mental anguish and the feeling that nothing matters anymore,” she says. “I’m plotting how to build deeper connections with my audience and how to make up lost revenue after all this is over.”

Lulu Cordero, CEO and owner of Bomba Curls, agrees. She sees how the coronavirus is causing major stress throughout the community, from supply chain issues to canceled beauty events and trade shows. She suggests finding ways to ease the pain for customers and finding joy in treating yourself.

“Self-care is so important, especially during these stressful times,” she says. “For me, the focus is on remaining productive throughout this situation and not only delivering healthy, wellness-focused, high-quality products to my customers but also offering an easy online shopping experience. We all need to take a moment to breathe, and I know sometimes taking that little extra time to treat yourself to a hair mask or an oil treatment can make all the difference in how you feel inside and out.”

Naturalicious CEO Gwen Jimmere and her team began planning for a shortage in supply due to coronavirus when they first started to hear that it may impact small businesses in a big way. The first thing she did was close the office and allow everyone to work from home with full pay. The brand’s marketing leads are also looking to ensure that the brand messaging doesn’t get lost in the sea of “coronavirus chaos.”

“As the leader of my team, I am responsible for ensuring that my staff feels the smallest amount of stress as possible so that they can remain productive and healthy during this time,” says Jimmere. “Our supply chain has definitely been affected. Though we manufacture all of our products in the U.S., some of our raw materials and packaging are imported from Europe and Africa. But the proper planning we’ve always done even before COVID-19 and having created a solid contingency plan is allowing us to feel confident about weathering this storm.”

For Jimmere, it’s business as usual with some modifications. And with a team that runs like a well-oiled machine, she’s taking precautions but is not particularly panicked about the bottom line.

“We are also still pushing forward with the opening of the first Naturalicious Salon, which is located in Detroit,” she says. “We realize customers may not be working as much as possible and they may be tightening up their wallets during this time. But we’ve built an extremely strong and loyal tribe of thousands of Claymates, aka our customers, who have proactively informed us that they’re actually doubling down on stocking up on Naturalicious while they are quarantined.”

The upside of this is that quarantine and work-from-home orders makes right now a great time for some DIY hair care, hairstyling and makeup experimentation. Small businesses are still operating online, with many offering discounts and waiving delivery fees. So consumers can still access these brands as long as delivery isn’t interrupted.

And many cities and states are offering small-business relief through zero- and low-interest rate loans for companies in need. New York City has announced that companies with fewer than 100 employees that have seen a decrease in sales of at least 25 percent can get a zero interest loan of up to $75,000. Relief programs vary by city and state, so check your local government website as well as the U.S. Small Business Administration for more information.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/62kg30qrreL

Infecté par coronavirus, Manu Dibango hospitalisé à 86 ans

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 06:11:57 GMT

Le célèbre saxophoniste a annoncé sur sa page Facebook être atteint du Covid-19. Mais a tenu à rassurer ses nombreux fans, il se repose et récupère dans la sérénité.

Manu Dibango, saxophoniste et légende de l'afro-jazz, a été hospitalisé pour cause de coronavirus et «se repose et récupère dans la sérénité», peut-on lire sur sa page Facebook officielle.
À lire aussi : Manu Dibango, musicien sans œillères ni frontières

Ce site informe sobrement d'«une récente hospitalisation due au Covid-19» de cette légende de la musique africaine, née au Cameroun il y a 86 ans.

Le musicien, toujours selon ce document, «se réjouit d'avance de retrouver prochainement» son public. Manu Dibango est l'auteur d'un des plus grands tubes planétaires de la musique world, avec Soul Makossa, titre de 1972.

Étonnant destin pour cette face B d'un 45 tours dont le titre phare était un hymne pour l'équipe de foot du Cameroun à l'occasion de la Coupe d'Afrique des Nations.

Repéré par des DJs new-yorkais, le titre a connu mille vies. Manu Dibango avait même accusé Michael Jackson de plagiat sur un morceau de l'album «Thriller». Un accord financier avait finalement été trouvé.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/7uuq30qreC4

Aurlus Mabélé, star de la musique congolaise Decede a Paris du Covid-19

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 05:00:15 GMT

La légende du Soukouss congolais, Aurlus Mabélé est décédé, ce jeudi 19 Mars 2020 à l’âge de 67 ans, à Paris. L’annonce a été faite par sa fille Liza Monet, sur sa page Facebook.

Aurlus Mabélé est un chanteur et compositeur congolais emporté par le coronavirus. «Mon papa est mort ce matin du coronavirus … Merci d’honorer sa mémoire. C’est une grande légende du Soukouss que le peuple congolais perd aujourd’hui. Je suis inconsolable et effondrée. Mon papa que j’aime tant … Aurlus Mabele …» C’est le message posté par sa fille Liza Monet.

Né en 1953 à Brazzaville dans le quartier de Poto-Poto en République du Congo Aurlus Mabele, de son vrai nom Aurélien Miatsonama était considéré comme le Roi du soukouss des années 80-90.
En 1974, avec ses compagnons Jean Baron, Pedro Wapechkado et Mav Cacharel, ils fondent le groupe Les Ndimbola Lokole. Parti se perfectionner en Europe, il forme, en 1986, avec Diblo Dibala et Mav Cacharel, le groupe Loketo. Il crée alors le soukous dont il sera proclamé « roi », d’où le slogan «c’est Aurlus Mabele le nouveau roi du soukous ».

Honneur et respect ! Dors en paix.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/IPnp50yQEGl

Coronavirus (COVID19) World Statistics

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Fri, 20 Mar 2020 04:19:06 GMT

Latest live coronavirus COVID19 statistics around the world tracking the number of confirmed cases, recovered patients, and death toll by country due to the COVID 19 coronavirus

The Nile List | Online

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Thu, 05 Mar 2020 10:14:00 GMT

as posted on The Nile List

Black Girl Buying with the Nile List

Growing up, the only time I really saw Black people running things was at church, the barbershop, and the beauty salon. Despite this, I regularly heard people talk about why they did not want to support Black owned businesses: it’s too expensive, you get poor quality products, the customer service is terrible, I can’t find a good one, etc. As a child, I could not decide on my own where money was going, so convenience always won (until it was time for this hair to get pressed and curled – Black salon all day long).

Moving to Atlanta for undergrad was the first time that I saw different types of Black people leading in different ways. My classmates were ready to take over the world, but I still heard the same comments disparaging buying Black. Then I went to graduate school in St. Louis and Mike Brown was killed and my university with all its resources did nothing. For months, I struggled to find something that I felt I could do to make a difference until I saw a social media call to #BlackoutBlackFriday, which encouraged consumers to either boycott shopping altogether or only buy from Black-owned businesses on Black Friday. That is when I decided to ignore the whispers I had heard my entire life and started consciously buying Black.

I have not looked back since. I found Black businesses that had great quality and incredible customer service. I learned more about business and understood that smaller businesses do not have the luxury of mass producing their goods, which is what brings down their costs and prices, so I was okay with spending a little bit more in some cases. It was not long before my friends started coming to me asking me for recommendations. And that’s how Black Girl Buying started.

Black Girl Buying connects Black businesses and consumers. I have a blog that shares my experiences and journey to find and support Black owned businesses on a daily basis. I also provide services to Black businesses that helps them to connect to their desired audiences so they can focus on the part of their business they love. I am constantly looking for Black businesses that can replace the products and services that I am currently using. That is why I am so excited about The Nile List.

The Nile List is a digital community that connects you to Black-owned brands online. Their goal is to fill in the gaps and streamline the process of buying Black. For anyone who has said “I can’t find a Black business that sells X”, The Nile List takes care of that. For anyone who has said “There aren’t any Black businesses near me”, The Nile List takes care of that. I’m super excited about their search feature. You will be able to navigate the site a couple different ways. If you are just looking for a Black business that makes a particular product, you can type that product in and The Nile List will help you find what you are looking for. Or you can take advantage of the more than 15 tags and 50 categories. Tags will allow you to select businesses that operate in line with your values – made in America, vegan, veteran owned, youth involved, etc. Tags acknowledge that Blackness is not the only thing that we care about when we are shopping and help us to address the other parts of life that we value as well. Categories, on the other hand, can help you to browse if you are not exactly sure what you are looking for. Planning a wedding? Want to add something to your closet? Need some sporting goods? Choosing The Nile List categories pull up businesses that sell things within those arenas.

Outside of the categories, I appreciate the philosophy behind The Nile List. None of the businesses listed on the site (called Nilists) are charged to be listed on the website. When Nilists are featured in The Nile List blog, it is not because they paid, but because they are doing Dope Black Things (which is also the name of the blog) that everyone needs to know about. In a world where so many people are concerned about making a profit at every possible point, I love that The Nile List is putting our people on, no charge.

If that’s not enough of a reason to make The Nile List your go-to online shopping spot, let me tell you about the founder. Khadijah Robinson is, quite simply, a boss. She’s my Spelman sister (so you know I stan) and Harvard-educated lawyer. Before she started The Nile List, she also blogged about books. Khadijah really loves everything about Black people and Black-owned businesses. She started The Nile List because it was difficult for her to support Black businesses while she was shopping online. So she built something to change that. That’s the kind of person I will always stand behind.

I personally stopped frequenting Amazon a couple years, so I am so excited to start shopping on The Nile List for a streamlined process. Given what I know about Khadijah, I am sure that The Nile List will do exactly what we hope it will: make it easier for us to buy Black online. The Holiday Guide and Dope Black Things ebooklet The Nile List produced gave a good preview of what the full site will be (and they had discount codes!). I cannot wait for all the Dope Black Things to come!

Happy buying!

The fullness of Africa

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Fri, 14 Feb 2020 05:49:01 GMT

The West focuses only on slavery, but the history of Africa is so much more than a footnote to European imperialism.

To understand the complexity and significance of West African history, there is no better thing to do than to go to Freetown. Sierra Leone’s capital is sited in the lee of the ‘lion-shaped’ mountain that gives the country its modern name. Portuguese sailors began to visit this part of West Africa in the second half of the 15th century; after weeks of sailing down the flat mangrove-strewn swamps south from the Senegal river, they knew they were entering a different region when they saw this mountain, and named the whole part of the coast ‘Sierra Leone’. Today, the mountain shelters the upmarket beach resorts that stretch south of Freetown; and in the distance you can spy the large hump of Banana Island, where the slave trader John Newton (author of the hymn ‘Amazing Grace’) was imprisoned by a Temne trader in 1747.

Other aspects of this early history of trade and African-European encounters also remain. By the harbour downtown, by a clutch of corrugated-iron-covered stalls where fish is dried and prepared for sale, is the ‘De Ruyter stone’. This stone is named after a Dutch admiral who visited in the early 17th century, during European wars to control the slave trade, and is believed to have carved his name into one of the rocks that still stands on the beach.

For a long time, historians in the West have seen the Atlantic slave trade as shaping the beginnings of West Africa’s engagement with Europe. There is no question that the slave trade exerted a profound influence in many parts of Africa. However, to look at African history as the history of slavery and the slave trade is no more accurate than to study the history of the Nazis as the sum of the German past. Even at the height of the Atlantic trade, there is much more to say about West African history than can possibly be glimpsed by focusing only on the slave trade. Digging a little deeper into Freetown, some of this begins to emerge; and what follows is a brief tour of the city and its historical sites to show how this works in practice.

Freetown was founded in 1792, and soon became a key site in the antislavery movement. After the Act abolishing the slave trade was passed by the UK parliament in 1807, the Royal Naval West Africa Squadron was based in Freetown. Navy ships patrolled the West African coast on the lookout for vessels that Britain deemed to be slaving illegally; if they were captured, the Navy brought them to Freetown, and liberated their captives. In this manner, Freetown came to be home to people from all over West Africa, from as far south as the kingdom of Kongo, from what is now southern Nigeria, and from Dahomey.

Just a few hundred yards above the De Ruyter stone is the Asylum. Founded in 1817, this was where Africans liberated from the festering holds of their ships were first brought. The gates to the Asylum are locked, but multicoloured name tags have been tied around them, embossed with the names of some of the captives who passed through and whom historians have identified. The sign above the Asylum declares it the ‘Royal Hospital and Asylum for Africans Rescued from Slavery by British Valour and Philanthropy’, passing over in silence the histories of the 17th and 18th centuries when British slave traders (such as John Newton) frequented Sierra Leone; as if to remind visitors how much of African history is still characterised by silence.

Just a few blocks up the hill from the Asylum, away from the harbour, is the St John’s Maroon Church, founded in 1808 by members of the Maroon community from Jamaica. The Maroons were escaped slaves who had formed their own communities in the Jamaican highlands (just as they did in parts of Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Panama and beyond). Some of them fought in the revolutionary wars in the US in the late-18th century, and then found their way to Freetown in the early 19th century, part of the waves of migration and resettlement during the Age of Revolution. Their church, recently restored, stands as a testament to the ways in which African peoples challenged, fought and resisted colonial power throughout the era of the slave trade.

In Freetown, the Maroons were unpopular with colonial officials. They paraded up and down with their gumbay drums, the same drums they had used in Jamaica to communicate plans of uprisings. British officials disapproved, and tried to clamp down on ‘the racket’. But gumbay had a habit of spreading. It became the popular music as far north as Guinea-Bissau, where it remains the music of choice (as it does in Freetown). Some say gumbay was vital in defeating Portuguese colonisers during the independence wars of Guinea-Bissau (1963-74), for gumbay was performed in a language outside colonial control, or comprehension, and could help unseat it.

The Maroon church is full of reminders of this history. The rafters have recently been repainted – bright red. A maroon-coloured flag (the symbol of the Maroons) stands to attention outside the church, and a set of new gumbay drums accompanies the choirs at services. During a recent visit, the man who had shown me around was wearing a red cap – the symbol of royalty in this part of West Africa.

From St John’s church, you can go through the centre of Freetown until at the northern end you come to the Kongo Cross neighbourhood. Kongo Cross is where liberated Africans settled after they had been released from the slave ships by the Royal Naval Squadron. The city is a crossroads of peoples and places and cultures: the Cross was a powerful religious symbol in Kongo religious cosmology, one that signified the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead. Its name illustrates not just a literal crossroads, but also how ideas and beliefs came with Africans as they travelled in freedom and captivity throughout the era of the slave trade; in this case, religious ideas that were at the heart of how these migrants perceived themselves in relation to the world, as they arrived in the early 19th century.

A visit to Freetown opens windows onto many aspects of Africa’s past: the place of music and culture in challenging colonial power, the movement of free as well as captive Africans across oceans, the unique role of religious ideas in connecting communities across the world, and – of course – the importance of slavery in African history. Yet very little of all this comes across in how the African past is perceived, even in Africa – let alone in other parts of the world such as Britain.

I had come to Sierra Leone to participate in an academic writing workshop for young African scholars funded by the British Academy. So I spent most of my time on the campus of the University of Sierra Leone, Fourah Bay College. It usually took around 40 minutes just to send an email (this was in mid-2017). It does not require a novelist to imagine the practical problems involved in studying anything. Meanwhile, the impact of structural adjustment policies on African universities, and of the Sierra Leonean civil war (1991-2002), meant that the institution had been starved of funds for decades. One day, friends and I visited the main library; we went down to the basement, where we had to use a mobile phone’s torch to see anything at all. It was 8:30 in the morning. One glance made clear that no books had been bought for a very long time because there were no funds for it.

Fourah Bay College is one of the oldest universities in West Africa, and its campus sits high above the old town on one of the hills that rings Freetown. There were universities in Africa in medieval times, but this is the oldest university in West Africa. It was founded in 1827 as a theological college for young African priests, usually freshly liberated from the slave ships. The first bishop of Nigeria, Samuel Ajayi Crowther, was educated at Fourah Bay College. In the early 20th century, ‘FBC’ became the launch pad for ambitious young administrators in British colonial West Africa. During the civil war, the FBC campus saw battles between the government and the rebels. Students look down over the city and the Atlantic Ocean below, but the university remains scarred by these battles.

Many of the challenges that Freetowners face are shared elsewhere in West Africa. After that visit to Freetown, I flew to the city of Bissau, where I spent a few days at the National Research Institute (INEP). This was a regional leader in research during the 1980s and ’90s. However, the Guinea-Bissau civil war (1998-99) saw the building taken over as a headquarters by the faction supporting the incumbent president, João Bernardo ‘Nino’ Vieira. Many documents – some dating back to the 18th century – were destroyed. As with the once-estimable Fourah Bay College, one glance around INEP’s library shows that the combination of a civil war and a collapse in funds following structural adjustment has put to rest any institutional book-buying.

It’s not that there’s any lack of demand for books in Bissau, in fact quite the reverse. There is a small bookshop at INEP and, after one book launch that I attended, all the books on the tables outside the auditorium sold in a matter of minutes. Well-connected colleagues try to step in where the state has disappeared, buying their own stocks of books on trips abroad. This is obviously not a solution.

As a historian of West Africa, when I spend time in West African universities, I understand in a visceral and immediate way how power shapes what research is possible, and how the African past can be taught. While publishing accelerates month by month and year by year in the global North, historians in Bissau and Freetown (and in so many other places) often cannot access basic research resources. The internet is not yet a solution because of the slow connection speeds and unreliable electricity supplies that can take hold. Young people who are making decisions about their futures, and trying to find some way of earning a living, conclude that studying history is not going to put bread on the table or help them to start a family.

In these circumstances, West African governments have put most of their scanty resources into STEM subjects. However, the truth is that many aspects of the African past are vital to illuminating the current reality, and to understanding the challenges that both the continent and the world face as we move into the third decade of the century.

Stereotypically, Westerners have seen Africa as ‘the continent without history’. The misrepresentation follows G W F Hegel’s 1830s dictum that Africa ‘is no historical part of the world’. The misconception continues to condition the way that international agencies approach their work in Africa. Africa’s problems are pressing and can have immediate, proximate solutions (developed by external agencies, with international funding). But, of course, this approach merely replicates the idea of Africa as without history, of a continent that requires saving from the outside: by well-meaning abolitionists and missionaries in the 19th century, and by internationalists in the 21st century. History compels us to look at the causes of things, including current problems; and many powerful internal and external actors involved in African society today would apparently prefer to avoid that consideration.

In order to understand many of the challenges of contemporary Africa, a historical framework is vital. The essentialness of history is evident in three key areas. Much of the contemporary political news about Africa discusses, first, the rise of jihād movements in Mali and northern Nigeria; second, the lack of a strong financial base for many of the things that are associated with modern states; and third, the problem of ‘failed states’ (the Central African Republic, Guinea-Bissau, Somalia). These topics are at the basis of many policy papers and research agendas related to Africa, most of which are developed without any deeper sense of the African past. A historical perspective changes the way these questions seem, and also what answers might be effective.

In the case of jihād in West Africa, it can be understood only as part of Islam’s history as a path of resistance to slavery and social inequalities in West Africa. Outside the continent, Boko Haram is the most well-known of these jihād movements. Its leaders are well aware of their historicity, and have often referred to the Sokoto Caliphate as their inspiration. One of the largest states in 19th-century Africa, this caliphate was established in what is now northern Nigeria following a jihād movement led in 1804 by a sheikh called Uthmān dān Fodio.

Sokoto rose in the Hausa states around the northern centres of Kano and Borno (now the heartland of Boko Haram). Its influence quickly spread through what is now Nigeria. The major empire of Oyò in the south fell in 1835, following an uprising led by slaves of nobles who had converted to Islam after a jihād led in northern Nigeria. With the collapse of Oyò, Lagos was poised to become one of Africa’s supercities. Meanwhile, many of the dispossessed were finding in Islam a religion to help resist inequality and the rising power of capitalism. As inequalities had grown, so had more and more people converted, drawing on the power of Islam to fight back against austerity. It drove the uprisings in both northern and southern Nigeria, and quickly spread as far afield as what is now Mali and The Gambia. The dynamic relationship between inequality and the role of jihād to oppose it continues, as Boko Haram attests. The facts suggest that, as both grow in the 21st century, diminishing the appeal of jihād requires addressing the prevalence of inequalities, probably on a global level.

Meanwhile, in the second case, of the financial base of African politics, it is striking that the states that resisted these transformations connecting jihād to the 19th-century struggle against inequality in West Africa were those that had had the strongest capital base. Asante (in what is now Ghana) and Dahomey (in Benin) shifted from retaining gold to exporting it, and from exporting slaves to using slave labour to develop plantation economies. Asante and Dahomey were able to resist the revolutionary waves because of their tax and fiscal base. Tax collection for the development of the army and the state helped them prevent the rise of local militias. A strong state funded by tax was the best way of preventing disorder and revolution. Stable states with effective tax powers enjoy a long history in Africa. Those histories stand ready to help in creating stable, well-fiscalised states in the postcolonial era.

At the same time, although precolonial African history shows that models for effective states and for political stability exist, the precolonial state was often one that developed on a predatory model. Enormous divisions grew between rulers and subjects in the era of the slave trade, a model that was further entrenched in the colonial era. In brief, what political scientists today often analyse as ‘problems of the state’ – ‘state failure’, ‘narco-states’, ‘safe havens for terrorists’ – have deep historical roots. African peoples learnt to have a deep distrust for the state owing to its historical role in creating predatory economic and political patterns related to the slave trade. They did not want to hand over to the state the monopoly of violence, which is a prerequisite for state success, when that violence had often been used against them.

Overcoming the pattern of exploitation and distrust requires deeper thought and activity than a merely immediate analysis of ‘proximate’ causes, effects and ‘solutions’. It requires historicising African peoples and societies beyond the present, and listening to Africa’s voice in this process; in the words of Abiodun Alao’s inaugural lecture as professor of African studies at King’s College London in 2016, it requires the realisation that ‘Africa is a voice to be heard, not a problem to be solved.’

If internet speeds and access to published resources are some of the problems facing the research and teaching of history in many parts of Africa, in other parts of the world the issues are altogether different. Generally, they come down to prejudicial misconceptions that confirm a narrative of oppression, rather than strength and opportunity – a narrative that is increasingly at odds with the inclinations and needs of the diverse societies of the 21st century.

In Britain, for instance, the fundamental issue is that for 200 years African history has been associated in the Western mind with slavery. Slavery is of course a key aspect of the African past, but there are many other elements that need to be recognised to give a richer and more realistic understanding. The focus on slavery to the exclusion of the artistic, musical, scientific and ecological insights of African societies leads to historical narratives that can alienate many Africans and people of African descent.

Ecology and its intersection with religious history in Africa provides a good example. For centuries, Western travellers belittled the supposed ‘primitivism’ of African religious beliefs in spirits and shrines (rather ironically, given that these same travellers came from societies where witch burnings were commonplace). Yet religious beliefs were fundamental to the development of ecological practices that are seen these days as innovative and forward-thinking: as the Gambian historian Assan Sarr has shown in his book Islam, Power, and Dependency in the Gambia River Basin (2016), because areas of land in Senegambia were seen as occupied by bad spirits, they were unoccupied and left to grow wild, creating natural areas of conservation which 20th-century Western practices have sought – and often failed – to replicate.

The failure to promote a balanced, more historical understanding of Africa does a great disservice to both Africans and to History as a subject. Historians of precolonial Africa use a much richer range of sources than most historians of Europe or North America, and almost all modern historians. Instead of being limited to written sources (documents, books, speeches), or film footage for the 20th century, they draw on anthropology, art, linguistics, music and religious practice to understand the past. The breadth and diversity of sources and disciplines that scholars use form a great way to introduce students, even very young ones, to the craft and wonder of history.

How then can the deficit in History of Africa be righted, in Africa and beyond? There are some positive moves afoot. In Britain, a new A-level (the main school-leaving qualification) option in precolonial African history is now available, run by the OCR assessment board, since 2015. It was developed according to the ideas of the first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah, who said: ‘We should write our history as the history of our society in all its fullness. Its history should be a reflection of its self, and contact with Europeans should only figure in it from the viewpoint of the African experience.’ Thus, the focus on the slave trade is here in a minor key to the history, political structures and religious and aesthetic frameworks of the kingdoms studied. In this way, African history is taught so as to stress its achievements, while also giving slavery proper attention; and there are now real efforts to bring these insights into the teaching of African history in Key Stage 3 (ages 12-14).

Meanwhile, in West Africa, a team of historians has recently produced a free, online textbook for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) history test (taken in Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and The Gambia). The exam was written mainly by historians based in West Africa, according to the local syllabus, with suggestions for new topics on gender and environmental history. The free resource is accessible online but slow to download, so 5,500 flashdrives with it will be distributed to teachers across the region over the next months.

These are small steps. Some might see it as a waste of money and resources to dwell on the African past when the problems of the present are so pressing; but without a strong sense of the manifold values of culture and history, the belief that Europe and the US offer something better will continue, as will the waves of West African migrants willing to risk everything to get there.

At the end of my recent visit, some friends and I took a road trip of eight hours from INEP in Bissau to a conference in The Gambia. We went to discuss oral histories kept in The Gambia and their capacity to foster awareness as to the importance of history in providing a sense of value and a strong identity in contemporary Africa. One of the conclusions was that many in Africa are aware of the depth of the histories that surround them, and yet lack the institutional support to embed the potential of this in society.

After the conference, a friend took me on a trip to one of the old trading posts that dotted the Gambia river and its tributaries from the 16th century onwards. Bintang was on a wide tributary, a couple of hours from Banjul; it had been settled by a few Portuguese men who had intermarried with African women and established trading links. We arrived in the early afternoon, and drove down to the fishing port where canoes were piled up at the jetty. My friend asked where the ruins of the old settlement were, and someone gestured beyond the jetty. We walked past a large midden of shells betokening ancient settlement, and soon saw the clear signs of the fortifications that had been built here more than 400 years before.

Back in the town, I began chatting to some of the fishermen. Yes, they knew all about the settlement here. The ruins were all over the place, and some of the houses were built with the old stones that had been brought from Lisbon. The history was there, known about, but not taught or discussed in schools, in universities, or in shaping a sense of the complexity of the African past. In fact, in most cases, history was taught with a syllabus that was 50 years old.

This picture is mirrored across the continent. One time, many years ago, I was discussing the past with a Senegalese friend, who said that it was better to forget it: I was not a slaver, and he was not enslaved, so what use was there in discussing it? I rehearsed the historian’s comfortable canard, that if we forgot the past we would be condemned to repeat it. But if I remember, he said, I’m going to get angry.

And yet there is so much more to African history than stale narratives of slavery and colonialism. One of the most insidious consequences of European colonialism was the devaluing of precolonial history and cultures. As the revolutionary Amílcar Cabral from Guinea-Bissau wrote in a key essay in 1966, colonial force required not only military control but also an ideological conquest, and this necessitated the undermining of older histories and cultures on the continent. The legacy of this lurks in the continuing devaluation of African history and the need to update the way it is taught and studied, both inside and outside the continent. Long into the postcolonial era, the effects of this colonial effort live on in the migration crisis, and the loss of former ways of knowledge that – like those related to ecology, and many other things – have much to offer the world in the 21st century.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/MMD130qbSFY

Kobe Bryant stood for black excellence against backdrop of racism

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 01:01:46 GMT

The death of American basketball legend Kobe Bryant has rocked the sporting world, with the effects felt as far afield as South Africa. The 41-year-old Bryant and his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday, and were among nine people who lost their lives on the doomed aircraft. South African political party Economic Freedom Fighters paid tribute to Bryant on Monday.

“Kobe Bryant was one of the most celebrated and talented basketball players of his time. His tragic passing at the age of 41 comes with great pain to us all. After giving the world the excellence of his sportsmanship and the magnificent of his skill, he deserved a long life,” said the EFF in a statement. “Against a backdrop of racism, Bryant and his generation stood for black excellence. He is a legend who will continue to paint many walls of black lives to inspire greatness and pride. May his soul rest in eternal peace.”

Bryant also visited Soweto once in 2010, as part of a health project with Nike. "While basketball is my chosen sport, I've been a football fan all my life. So to be in South Africa for the first time and see how Nike is utilising sport to inspire youth and educate them around HIV/AIDS is amazing,” said Bryant at the time. “It’s crystal clear that this centre will help keep kids out of trouble, improve their game, as well as empower them with the life skills they need to live better and HIV free.”

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/SvF330qcPbn

Kentucky's first black-owned bourbon distillery

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 00:33:43 GMT

Three Louisville-born brothers are bringing a new distillery to the West End and it's close to opening. It's called Brough Brothers Distillery. The name is take off of their surname, Yarbrough. The brothers, Victor, Christian and Bryson have all pursued different ventures in life, but have come together to create a product that's true to their Kentucky roots.

First African American owned distillery in the state of Kentucky. So we've already independently verified that with some historians," said Victor Yabrough. Victor Yarbrough,who lived in England for a decade began bottling and selling it in the U.K. at first. Now, they're rolling it out in the U.S. Their distillery will open later in February on Dixie Highway in the Parkhill Neighborhood.

Yarbrough and his brothers grew up in the West End and eventually moved to St. Matthews. He's also spent some time overseas including in London where he began his spirits importer and exporter called Victory Global. Bringing back opportunities and lessons learned from his time in London never left his mind.

He was the first black doctor born in Canada

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Sun, 12 Jan 2020 01:45:00 GMT

Canada’s first Canadian-born Black doctor got his MD licence in 1861.

Today, an MD, or medical doctor notation, is nothing unusual. But when Anderson Ruffin Abbott earned his MD in 1861 at the age of 23, after meeting the licensing standards of the Medical Board of Upper Canada, it was quite a milestone.

Anderson Abbott was the first Canadian-born person of African heritage to become a doctor in Canada. It was a proud day for his American parents, Wilson and Ellen Ruffin Abbott, who emigrated from Alabama in 1835 where they were identified as “free persons of colour.”

The racial tension and unrest following the 1831 Nat Turner slave rebellion, forced the Abbotts to leave Mobile, Ala. They were warned anonymously to go. Their general store was later set on fire by white southerners.

Slavery had been outlawed in the British colonies in 1834, and Toronto proved to be a peaceful oasis with opportunity for Abbott’s father, Wilson Ruffin Abbott, who became successful buying and selling properties.

The Abbotts were among hundreds of Black American families, both freeborn and fugitive slaves, who sought a better life in Upper Canada in the 1800s, according to the online Dictionary of Canadian Biography . After the U.S. Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, thousands more fled to Canada. The act forced citizens in non-slave states to assist in the capture of escaped slaves if their “owners” were pursuing them.
With this growing influx of Black people in Canada in the mid-1800s, there “was also significant societal racism and discrimination,’’ states blackhistoryincanada.ca.

But in 1835, the racial climate in Toronto — a town of 9,300 residents, about 500 of them of African heritage — “seemed favourable,’’ says Georgetown author Catherine Slaney, Anderson Abbott’s great-granddaughter who delved into her family’s history in her 2003 book Family Secrets, Crossing the Colour Line.

“As a light-skinned, Black family who were law-abiding, self-sufficient and behaving like respectable, temperate Christians, the Abbotts met with little social or economic opposition,’’ Slaney wrote in her book. (Her mother, Marion, was the daughter of Anderson’s youngest son, Gordon.)

Toronto was not totally colour-blind, though. The Toronto City Directory of 1850 recorded the race of people of colour. Wilson Abbott, for instance, had “coloured’’ in brackets after his name in the directory.

Wilson Abbott didn’t have a formal education — his wife taught him to read — yet he was a trailblazer. He helped organize the Anti-Slavery Society of Canada and won a seat on city council in Toronto in 1840. His success let young Anderson access an excellent education.
Anderson Abbott attended the Buxton Mission school near Chatham, Ont., established in 1850 to educate Black children from the nearby Elgin Settlement, where freed slaves had built a successful farm community.

Later, Anderson Abbott was one of the first three Black students accepted at Toronto Academy of Knox College, where he was an honour student. In 1856, he enrolled in Oberlin College in Ohio, an innovative school which was not segregated and was also the first coed college in the United States. The college supported the abolitionist cause and offered a range of courses including philosophy, literature, music and art.

By 1857, Anderson Abbott returned to Canada and enrolled at the Toronto School of Medicine, then an affiliate of the University of Toronto. At the same time, he was studying and working with Alexander Thomas Augusta, an American-born “free person of colour’’ who graduated from U of T’s Trinity College in 1856, becoming the first doctor of African descent in Canada.

Augusta proved to be a good friend and mentor. In 1861, Anderson Abbott was awarded his licence to practise medicine, becoming the first Canadian-born Black doctor.

That same year the American Civil War broke out. Even though he was Canadian, Anderson Abbott wanted to help the Union Army in its fight against the Confederate states, which allowed slavery. His first attempt in early 1863 to get hired on as an assistant surgeon was refused. But he persisted and became a contract surgeon in mid-1863.

Anderson Abbott distinguished himself, becoming surgeon-in-chief at the Freedman’s Hospital (for Blacks) in Washington, D.C., which had 2,000 beds and a large staff. He received many commendations and he and Dr. Augusta came to be known by Washington’s movers and shakers, including U.S. president Abraham Lincoln.

When Lincoln, who was shot by an assassin on April 14, 1865, lay dying, his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, asked that her dressmaker and friend, former slave Elizabeth Keckley, sit with her. Anderson Abbott accompanied Keckley and was among a small group of doctors, friends and family who stayed with the dying president.

After Lincoln’s death, Mary sent Anderson Abbott the houndstooth shawl that Lincoln had worn to his inauguration in appreciation. It is now on display at the Wisconsin Historical Society.

Deeply saddened by Lincoln’s death, Anderson Abbott stayed in Washington, D.C., working with the Freedman’s Bureau, which provided food, housing and assistance to former slaves. In 1866 he returned to Toronto and the following year became a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons and acted as surgeon-in-chief at Toronto General Hospital for two years.

In 1871, he married Mary Ann Casey, whose maternal grandfather Elias Adams, the first mayor of St. Catharines, founded the Refugee Slaves’ Friends Society to help escaped American slaves. Her mother, a white woman, married barbershop owner Thomas Powers Casey, described in references from the time as “coloured.”

The couple moved to Chatham, where Anderson Abbott set up medical practice and they raised their children (three daughters and two sons — two other children died young). He was a well-respected community member and was elected chairman of the Kent County Medical Association in 1878.

He also became coroner of Kent County in 1874, the first person of African ancestry to be appointed. It was a laudable achievement, but it didn’t mean that there were no racial tensions in the area, which had a sizable Black population, Slaney writes in her book. Since the days of the Underground Railway, when escaped slaves found refuge in Canada via the nearby Detroit-Windsor corridor, Chatham’s Black community had grown. An 1856 census indicated that one-third of the 4,000 residents of Chatham were Black.

Prejudice in Chatham expressed itself in a racially segregated school system.

Anderson Abbott fought against it and served as president of the Wilberforce Educational Institute, which helped prepare Black high school students for university. He could never accept the “separate but equal’’ concept of segregated education, Slaney wrote in her book. The Abbotts left Chatham in 1881 — 10 years before the last separate “negro’’ school was closed in the town — and moved to Dundas, Ont.

Slaney speculates the move had something to do with rising racial prejudice in the community. She believes the Abbotts wanted to “widen the cultural and social horizons” of their children and Dundas was closer to the cosmopolitan centres of Hamilton and Toronto.

In Dundas, Anderson Abbott developed a thriving medical practice and became assistant editor of the local paper, the Dundas Banner. He wrote about welfare and civil rights under an alias. He attacked any views “that depicted his race as inadequate, dishonest, unworthy or objectionable in any way,” Slaney wrote in Family Secrets.

The Abbott family moved to Oakville in 1889, before returning to Toronto the next year. In 1894, Anderson Abbott accepted the position of surgeon-in-chief at Provident Hospital in Chicago, the first training hospital for Black nurses in the United States.

By 1900 he had returned to Toronto, resumed a medical practice and wrote for publications on topics as diverse as Darwinism, biology and the Civil War.

Anderson Abbott and Toronto alderman William Peyton Hubbard, the son of American slaves, who also served as acting mayor of Toronto, were close friends. His daughter, Grace, married Hubbard’s son Frederick.

Abbott was so moved by Hubbard’s fifth re-election in 1898, he wrote an essay about it that was published in the New York Age, an Afro-American newspaper that published from 1887 to 1960. Hubbard served 15 terms in office.

In it, he noted that Hubbard was elected in an essentially white, wealthy ward and he achieved this based on his record of “honesty and faithfulness” and that “his color did not enter into the contest.”

He saw Hubbard’s success as a positive sign for the future — “an indication of the revolution that is taking place in public sentiment towards the colored man and of the rapid progress the race is making all along the line.”

Anderson Abbott died in Toronto in 1913, age 76.

Source: http://ow.ly/Emr130q8IDz

Black Canadians and HIV: Why Are the Most Affected?

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 17:05:54 GMT

World AIDS Day on Dec. 1 marks a critical stage in the Canadian response to HIV. Decision-makers are proposing to end HIV transmission nationally and in Toronto in the next five to 10 years, based on recent innovations in HIV treatment and prevention. However, there is a great deal of uncertainty about how the promise of ending HIV will materialize for Black Canadians.

The new technologies include a combination of drugs – pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP – that substantially reduces the chances of at-risk individuals acquiring HIV. Moreover, people who are living with HIV and maintaining their medically prescribed drug regimen may achieve viral suppression, which means that the chance of transmitting HIV to a sex partner is negligible.

According to the health authorities that monitor HIV in Canada and Ontario, for the last 20 years Black communities have carried a hugely disproportionate burden of HIV.

In 2017 Black people accounted for 25 per cent of reported HIV cases in Canada, which is far in excess of the Black share of Canada’s population (3.5 per cent). The trend is similar in Ontario, where Black people make up 5 per cent of the population but accounted for one-quarter of new diagnoses.

In contrast, white people make up almost three-quarters of Canada’s population, but only 35 per cent of reported cases of HIV in 2017. Similarly in Ontario, white people accounted 72 per cent of the province’s population in 2016, but barely half of new diagnoses 2012-2017. In other words, the benefits of HIV prevention have accrued mainly to white Canadians.

Black people endure numerous inequities that, cumulatively, make them particularly vulnerable to HIV. Compared to white people, Black people are more likely to experience household food insecurity, inequity in the criminal justice system, and discriminatory treatment in education.

In addition, Black people are more likely to live in poor neighbourhoods, be unemployed or under-employed, and earn less income. Yet, plans to address or end HIV transmission in Canada elide racism and the systemic disadvantage that undermine Black people’s health and wellbeing.

One of the main tools to track the impending end of HIV is the engagement cascade. This approach says that Toronto, and Canada too, will be on track to end HIV when 90 per cent of people who are living with HIV are diagnosed, and 90 per cent of the diagnosed are on treatment, and 90 per cent of those on treatment have the virus suppressed.

This scheme still leaves behind 30 per cent of people who may be unaware of their infection, have unstable access to care and treatment, and are struggling with poor outcomes. But who will constitute the 30 per cent? Already, there is compelling evidence that Black people are falling off/out of the cascade.

In other words, at the end of HIV, Black people may be concentrated among the 30 per cent who are still struggling with the epidemic. Therefore, for whom will HIV end?

Unfortunately, Black people inhabit a Canadian social system that systematically undermines our claims to the rights and benefits of citizenship. Given this history, recent innovations in treatment and prevention may be inequitably available to Black communities. Also, there is evidence from elsewhere that people who are systemically disadvantaged are less likely to achieve or maintain viral suppression that is essential for ending HIV transmission.

Racism is not a mere inconvenience, so we must insist that the plans and strategies to end HIV transmission address (rather than reproduce) the systemic conditions that fundamentally disadvantage us as Black Canadians. Otherwise, the “end” of HIV transmission may be a disaster for Black people – resources that are currently available to address HIV will have been shifted elsewhere while Black people continue to shoulder the epidemic.

For Black people, current debates about ending HIV give us scope to press our case. We must seize opportunities to insert our ideas, demands and agenda into the various plans and proposals. We have a long way to go, but we must remain aware of what’s at stake and the seriousness of our situation.

Source: http://ow.ly/JeQY30q65Az

A Mural for Brooklyn

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 06:32:00 GMT

Under the sapphire sky
the wind gently nudges me.
It is Brooklyn.
Asking can I lend my
eyes,
ears,
heart,
and hands.
Why me? I ask.

See first
and listen
with an open
heart.
It will guide
your fingers.
Each despaired,
In search of a truth,
only you would know.

A man sits by the barred window
in a thirteen story building,
overlooking a basketball court.
He stares out with crimson eyes,
beaten by the faint traces of powder,
left around the rings of his nostrils.
The night calls him,
beckoning that next hit.
The soft whisper of a
raspy voice crying out to a
lost Brooklyn.

In a housing project,
two boys play ball.
One on one.
Shallow, broken lights.
Do not hinder the game.

They move fast,
blocking, shooting,
with sweat pouring,
despite the chilly air.
Gunshots echo off the buildings,
they stop and look.
The ball rolls on towards a
lost Brooklyn.

She waits patiently on Fulton Street,
train delayed.
Hollow eyes in sunken sockets,
aimlessly staring.
A start of a new day.
Teenagers laugh playfully.
The old black man, with a crooked
smile, sings out of tune over a
Beatles track.
While a blonde-haired woman
rocks, twirls, side steps.
Bumping into the lovers
standing near the edge.
One lays his head
on the other’s strong chest.
No apology,
as a dollar drops
into the pork and
beans can.
She pulls the sleeves tighter,
of a wounded Brooklyn.

Below the rumbling of
the passing train,
a mother and child sit,
on steps seeped with piss.
Worn suitcases,
shopping bags.
Mother’s head
buried into lap.
Small fingers caress a
bare back.
A face beyond its age
cast swollen eyes.
Soft prayers
from a child,
waiting for
God to reply.
A heart filled
with hope,
to heal a
wounded Brooklyn.

In a Brooklyn College
classroom, he sits.
Not knowing if he will
finish out the semester.
Make his family proud.
The first graduate
he could be.
Is it worth it?
The corner
he keeps warm at nights,
where the fiends lurk.
Reaching out to him, as if
he is some kind of savior,
healing them of an affliction,
reminding him of a fate
meant to be.
Is it?
A heavy sigh
escapes his lips,
with little hope
of what tomorrow
can bring.

A cart full of used cans
pushed
along Moore Street.
Drunks,
with drowsy eyes,
sprawled out in front of
the Liquor store.

“Where the hell you going?”
The cart keeps moving
past the long,
repeated cries
of chickens
caged inside
the poultry shop.
Past the wafting smells
of La Cocina restaurant.

Past the Puerto Rican
pastor, handing out
little booklets
“Jesús te ama mi amigo,”
he says.

The cart moves
slowly, the man’s
soiled feet
and stained
brown blanket
to keep warm
against Brooklyn’s
cold heart.
His cracked palms
pressing tighter,
searching for
a life that is
lost.

They march.
Desperate
to be relived of pain.
Left only with the
bitter taste,
of a chewed,
failed aspirin.
“Are you ready for the revolution?”
he asked.
“I don’t know.”
He runs towards the
stoned faces
in blue waiting.
Beer bottle cracks
across one of
their skulls.
Picket signs fly
in air, happy to
be released.
“Fuck peace,”
she yells amidst
the crowd. They all
join in this newfound
chant.
He’s been tackled,
thrown in the big
white van.
They March.
“Are you willing to go to jail?”
Another asks.
“I’m not sure.”
They March.
Into the
outstretched arms
of the Brooklyn Bridge,
Who, welcomes
revolutionized hearts.

I stand behind,
not knowing
which way to go.
As the crowd pulls
further away from me,
Brooklyn’s soothing voice,
fills my ears.
Each word spoken
renews my spirit.
There is hope
for those who
have given up.
Peace will be
restored back
into broken souls.

Brooklyn nudges
me a little harder.
I walk in the opposite
direction.

*Editor’s Note: This poem was previously published in The Gordian Review which is no longer in print.

Christina Renee Milliner lives in Brooklyn, New York where she is currently writing her first novel. She holds an MFA in Writing from Lindenwood University and a BA in English Literature from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

May God have a photograph of this

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 04:50:00 GMT

My mother becoming other dimensions of a man
My mother forgetting her name but remembering important dates
My mother turning her body into a bridge
My mother as bent knees, pleading eyes
My mother as an answered prayer in the dark
My mother shaving all her hair and looking into the mirror
Her yellow-sun dress
Her trembling hands

Editor’s Note: *Title from Soldiers Aim at Us by Ilya Kaminsky .

Tryphena Yeboah is a Ghanaian journalist and poet. Her works have appeared in Eunioa Review, Tampered Press, After the Pause, Praxis Magazine and elsewhere.

Finding Home by Moyomade Aladesuyi

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 04:09:00 GMT

Death is not strange to you. You have lived on these streets where people died almost daily. Every day, due to one mysterious cause or the other. You would watch people cluster around a person’s house, long faces and grim expressions with their hands on their heads and you just knew that one more person had died but it really didn’t matter to you. It did not stop you from playing police and thief with your friends. You still cooked amala and efo with sand and leaves. It did not deter your parents from bringing their tired, mangled bodies home at 7:00 and shouting at you to go and do your homework while asking if your lesson teacher came today and complaining about the amount of naira that goes into educating you. Now, that made you sad. It always made you sad because your lesson teacher only comes three times in a week and he would knock your head twice every time you got your sums wrong. Then, he would give you a classwork and leave you alone to discuss football with Toheeb. You did not like him and you did not like having to attend his lessons either but then, you remembered that Daddy would beat you if you did not attend lesson, instead, you started zoning out during his lessons.

Each day, mummy woke you up at 5 and you had to be ready for the school bus at 6:30 because the driver had to pick kids along the way from Iyana Ipaja to Ikeja before he drops you all in time for the morning assembly. You did not like waking up early but Bili said you were lucky. Bili was your auntie’s child from the village and she attended a sub-standard school near the house. They brought her to Lagos so you would have a playmate and you knew the school was sub-standard because it looked like an ‘ojule meji’ that someone rented out. It looked nothing like your own school with its vast expanse of land and laboratories and playing ground with swings. You have siblings but they were older and far away in command Boarding School and your parents often told you that you would get beaten up by soldiers if you go to see them. So, even on visiting days, they went alone with packs of cabin biscuits and tea and hangers and only came back home to tell you that your brother had asked after you or that your sister cried because she missed you. You always never knew how to react to that information or what you were expected to do with it. So, you would just stand there awkwardly and ask your parents if they had grown bigger and they would laugh and tell you that you would see them when they came for the holidays but that was a lie. You were never at home when they came for the holidays. Your parents would have shipped you off to some pastor’s house for the holidays and you only came back when your siblings were in school.

These few glitches in your life were nothing to be compared with your own happiness. You and Bili would play after school on days you did not have to go your lesson and you would make dolls out of your sweaters and pretend to breast feed them. Bili loved cars but once when you asked your parents for toy cars on Bili’s behalf because Bili wouldn’t ask herself, your parents had called the two of you after dinner and given you a rundown of the amount of money they spent trying to feed Bili. It made you sad but you were not supposed to be sad. That night, you offered Bili your bed to sleep on because she was sad too but she declined because mummy would get angry if she did not sleep on the mat. Mummy said Bili drooled when she slept and she doesn’t deserve to sleep on the bed because it would make the bed smell. You would have agreed but for the fact that you also wet your bed every day and it smelled when you didn’t spread the foam outside but you did not want to talk so that mummy wouldn’t demote you from the bed to the floor. That was how you and Bili stuck to making dolls and pretending to be mummy when playing and you loved it. Sometimes, when there was light, you would switch on the pumping machine and once the tank started overflowing, you and Bili would dance naked under it and you loved it, especially when the neighborhood bum, Toheeb, wasn’t peeping over the fence to see you naked. On days when he peeped, you and Bili would hurriedly put on your clothes and switch off the pumping machine. It always made him stop peeping when you did that.

You never skipped out on your daily routine but on this day, something was different. You came home and there were a lot of adults at home. They had the familiar grim expression on their faces. You did not want to think of bad things even though you knew Bili had been sick when you left for school. She had been sick throughout the week and mummy had given her some agbo to drink every day and had even invited the Mummy Nurse from the next street to look at her. You remember Mummy Nurse had said she had Malaria and had given her injections and told your daddy to buy some drugs for her but you also remember daddy saying the injections and Agbo were enough after she left. Slowly, your tiny brain tried to put the puzzle together. Everyone had been wishing you ‘pele’ and ‘ma sokun o’ from the door but it was only when you got to the sitting room and saw Bili on the floor in your mother’s arms that you panicked. Your mother was in tears and she was saying ‘Mo sofun okunrin yi o, o ti pa Bili’. For the first time, you raised your two hands and placed them on your head like you had seen the elders do at funerals and tears were streaming down your face until someone from the crowd gently removed your hands from where you placed them and when you looked at the person quizzically, the person told you only adults were allowed to do that. Never had you wanted to become an adult so fast; so you could actually mourn your friend whichever way you wish.

From then onwards, things went downhill. Oh, you did not know the meaning of downhill. You just lived. You stopped playing after school because there was no one to play with. You would sit on the bench in front of your house and watch the adults go about their daily lives. You would watch the children run around in huge circles but it did not seem like fun. You also stopped bathing under the overflowing tank. In fact, you did not want the tank to overflow because that would be wasting of water. You still went to church with your parents and they still shouted at you whenever you were sluggish or not smart which was something they always did even when Bili was alive. So, nothing changed, except that Bili wasn’t there and you lived but you wanted to grow up.

Your childhood seemed like a long phase you were eager to get out off. So, when you got your menarche, you were happy to see it. It was around the time your breasts started growing too. They looked like small oranges in your uniform and you loved it but you would later start to hate them by the time they grew to the size of small watermelons because they started choking you. Mummy began to buy you some bras from the okirika market. She said they were better and you did not complain even though you would like to have some new ones like the type they displayed in the boutiques you saw on the way to school. What you hated most about this stage of your life was not being able to move around freely at home while wearing tights and singlets because your parents said you were now a grown woman and your brother was back at home. You had to walk around your house, fully clothed at all times and when you started tying wrappers, mummy seized your wrappers because it made you look sloppy. Begrudgingly, you would wear your skirt and top and if you ever complained, daddy would slap you and tell you to behave.

When you actually became an adult, you did not wish to be a part of your past. You studied history in school and your parents sponsored you to pursue your masters in North Hampton. So, you spent a lot of time away from your parents. When you were in university in Nigeria, you only went home during the holidays and your parents would call once in two days to ask if you were fine and if you needed money. Sometimes, your mother would call you cruel for not calling her and sometimes, you wouldn’t pick their calls because you did not want to talk to them. You would later call them back after five missed calls to tell them you are sorry and you were charging your phone. Sometimes, you would pretend not to see their calls and when they called the following day, you would blame the network and tell them you did not see their calls or in some cases, the credit alert. You just wanted to stay away and not many people understood that. Some of your friends understood and some didn’t but you were not one to care about that. That was their cup of tea but when you got back home during the holidays, you always felt choked. You loved your parents; you just did not want to spend too much time around them. You spent a lot of time indoors and that was abominable. They could not understand a child that locked the door to her room all day long and never switched on the lights. So, they always tried to bring you out. If your father wasn’t calling you out to enjoy some fresh air with him on the balcony, your mother was inviting you to her shop to come help her out and on every occasion, you felt exhausted.

When you started therapy in university, your parents did not know. You did not want to tell them because whenever your mother heard that someone committed suicide, she would curse the person for being an ‘oloriburuku’. So, you just preferred not to tell them you were a depressed soul with no will to live but you survived and when, you looked back on those days, you realized just how much you were dying with every breath you took and your family members did not know. Occasionally, your brother or sister would call you and you would speak for a few seconds before hanging up. You were not close to them. The one time your father found out you hadn’t talked to your brother in two months, he flared up and chastised you for not reaching out to him and at that moment, you just thought about how it wasn’t your fault you did not grow up with them and how they did not grow like you. You had no common grounds with them. Their mentalities differed from yours in all aspects and you were not ready to forge that relationship out of a rock.

The day you graduated from university, you visited Bili. You sat at her grave with an half empty bottle of wine and drank. You told her you had graduated from university and wished she was there but a part of you also wondered if Bili would have gone to university if she was alive. Your parents would probably have sent her to some college and you hated them at that moment. The hatred you felt for them was like bile, stuck in the pit of your stomach and you wanted to throw up. You left Bili’s grave when the mosquitoes started to bite. Those blood sucking cretins never respect people’s privacies in Nigeria. Besides, you knew you had to leave because mummy would be worried. The streets were not safe. Kidnapping was on the rise and the police were just a bunch of men in black uniforms who stood on the roads, waiting for the next vehicle to collect #50 from and they would shoot whoever refused to give them some chicken change. They were entitled motherfuckers and you did not wish to get trapped in their nets. When you got home, your parents started questioning you as to why you would disappear from the midst of everybody on such a celebratory day and you had told them you went out with your friends. That night, your mother cooked Jollof Rice and brought out some leftover salad from the fridge.

She said she made your favorite meal because you had made her proud. Of course, that wasn’t your favorite meal but no matter how much you told her your favorite meal was yam and egg, she would never listen. So, each time she said she made your favorite meal, your mind would sigh in heaviness and your lips would utter some ‘thank you ma’. It made her happy.

The six months you had to spend at home before your school mobilized you for the National Youth Service Corps were the six most harrowing months of your life. You had to live at home and hear your parents talk every day. Nothing seemed appealing in the house. Everything lacked luster. You missed your old apartment in school. It was much neater and organized and looked like what you wanted home to be like. You had a few stickers of Beyoncé on your fridge and your room was tidy and neat. Each item had a place. You missed being all alone, lying on your bed, Beyoncé quietly playing on your phone as you replied your chats or read a new book. Sometimes, your girlfriend would come over and you would be all silly and cute. The two of you cooked coconut rice together in your kitchen. You would cook and she would tell you about the concerts she wanted to attend. She was not like you and sometimes, you wondered if you were drawn to her because she was different from you. She was chirpy and very smart. You were also smart but you did not talk much. She wanted to be a realtor and she would tell you all about the value of houses on the island. She lived in Ikoyi and you lived in Ondo state.

Your relationship with her was very private. You had gone to her house once for the weekend, her parents were not around and you were astounded as to the magnificence of the house. You both had fun. She drove her parents’ car and you went on ice cream dates and shopped at the malls. When your parents called you that weekend, you had lied to them that you were at the library and you were trying to stifle your laughter because Maryam was tickling you. She teased you about it when you dropped the call and you had hit her with a pillow playfully. You ended up having a pillow fight and had sex with her. She was so perfect for your soul. She radiated calmness and you loved her. You had always loved her. When she laughed, it was so rich and deep that it almost made you lightheaded. You always feel like you could get drunk on the deep brown richness of her eyes and you were happy when she was with you because she seemed to understand your depth. She could reach you in places no one else could, she could feel the rhythms of your heart from a mile apart. Nobody knew about your relationship because you were a Nigerian and homosexuality was a crime in Nigeria. You always introduced her as your best friend to everyone who asked and in the confines of your room, where you both could love each other without judging eyes; you held yourselves and told each other how much you loved yourselves. It was always a beautiful moment for you because you could feel it; you could feel it that she saw through you and you saw through her.

Being at home before you got mobilized for service was tiring. Your siblings would try to engage you in silly talks but you would lock your door and read a book. The only thing you were happy to see was Maryam’s pictures. She had travelled to London to visit her cousin and she would send you pictures every day. She sent you pictures of her at the park or eating a hamburger and she would tell you about the cranky old man who had two ducks for a pet that she met. Few things made you happy but her existence was at the top of the list. You liked to see her happy. You often told her that you missed her and she would send you puppy eyed stickers and heart emojis. You longed for her to come back because you had so many places you wanted to go with her. meanwhile, your brain was always thinking of ways to love her better. She loved Burna boy, so you decided to surprise her by purchasing tickets for his concert. When she got back to Nigeria, you told your parents you were going to your friend’s place in Lagos before service. Your mother kept trying to convince you to use your time to learn hairdressing from Iya Tee in front of the house but she couldn’t see the longing behind your watery eyes and how would you tell her, that you wanted to see your love? You met Maryam’s mom this time and she was very receptive. She was an elegant woman and Maryam looked very much like her. Tall, dark and pretty. You and Maryam had the time of your lives. You went to beaches, spas and museums. When you told her you bought tickets for Burna Boy’s concert, she screamed and planted tiny kisses all over your face and you blushed. You later attended the concert and the postings for service came in the second day. So, you both returned to school to sort out your credentials. She was posted to Lagos and you were posted to Ibadan. You were happy you did not have to be around your parents and you could go see Maryam on some weekends. Your parents were happy too because NYSC did not post you to ‘Ilu awon Boko Haram’. So, you left home. This time, you left nothing personal in your parents’ house.

Throughout your service year, you lived in a rented apartment in Apata and commuted daily via Micras to the secretariat where you worked. You only went home a few times and you would stay for two days after which you would return to Ibadan. You also visited your girlfriend in Lagos a few times and when she came to Ibadan; you would take her out to have a fun time. Sometimes, your mother would call to remind you to bring your boyfriend home and that you were not getting any younger as a woman and you would brush it aside because you could not bring yourself to tell your Yoruba parents that you liked girls. It was abominable and you knew your father would disown you and your mother would be heartbroken because she had been of your wedding since she gave birth to you. You wished you could be open about your relationship but you knew you could get killed for it. You are a Nigerian and Nigerians were homophobic. You would be seen as a taboo. At other times, you would sit alone on your bed and cry because you did not like your life. In university, you had wished for death but now, you want to live but with less sadness.

When Maryam relocated to Canada after her service, you cried so hard at the airport and she hugged you tightly and promised that she loved you. When you got back to Ibadan that night, you just curled up on your bed tightly and hugged the teddy bear she gave you on your last birthday. You fell asleep crying into her shirt and you felt so alone. You later got a job at a museum as a curator and after working for six months; you decided to pursue your masters abroad. Your father supported your decision but your mother was concerned you would never get married if you went abroad. You told them not to bother and that you will come back home. So, your parents pulled together their resources and sent you to North Hampton. Your mother cried at the airport but your father held her as they bid you farewell. That, to you, was the first step to liberation. You had told Maryam about it and she was excited. She had even called her uncle who stayed in North Hampton to give you accommodation and help you find your way.

Your days at North Hampton were very bright. On your first weekend in North Hampton, you entered a salon and cut your hair. You watched the hair fall off and you felt free as the breeze serenaded your head. You got your first tattoo much later, a butterfly on your upper arm. You had sent a picture of the tattoo to Maryam and she said it was cute. When you got your second tattoo, you wrote Bili’s name on your ankle. Maryam was there this time and she had joked with the tattoo artist through the process. All the time, you looked at the girl you had fallen in love with and how much she had grown. She was a bit taller than you and had her hair braided in two cornrows. Her nose ring was a distinct feature on her face and she had two long earrings on each ear. She was so beautiful and you smiled. Later that day, as you both consumed ice cream in your room, your head on her laps, she had kissed your head and told you how much she loved you. She went back to Canada a few days later but she always came to see you at North Hampton.

In between classes and projects, you still managed to see Maryam. You would occasionally look for a florist who resided near her and pay for a bouquet of roses to be sent to her. You felt like you were in a better space mentally. You were not dying on the inside. You still saw a therapist but it was online. When your parents called, it was often to check if you were doing fine and to remind you that you were getting too old for marriage. You were 26 when you finished your masters in North Hampton. Maryam was there the whole week of your graduation, fussing over the perfect dress to wear and who would do your makeup. Your siblings sent their best wishes from Nigeria and your parents travelled to North Hampton to see you. They were upset that you got tattoos and wore anklets but you ignored their words. They spent a whole week with you; you and Maryam took them on a tour and went shopping with them. Later, when they got back to Nigeria, they would call and ask you to greet your nice friend, Maryam and you would laugh and say okay.

You were up at sunrise, drinking wine and reading a book. You heard Maryam move around on the bed and you smiled. You started living with Maryam a year ago. You had moved to Canada with her after she got her apartment and she helped you find a job as a history teacher and consultant while she worked as a realtor with an estate management firm. You did not feel as lonely as you used to feel anymore. You did not feel like you were dying anymore. Occasionally, you still slipped into bouts of depression but you had someone other than a therapist who made you feel loved. For the first time in your life, you felt like you were home. You felt like you did not have to run anymore. You felt like you didn’t have to mourn anymore. It was like your whole life had been building up to this stage; you could finally rest and breathe and see clearly. Your mother’s call interrupted your thoughts; you saw Maryam change sides on the bed as you picked the call. She told you that your father’s brother in Lagos had died and you paid your condolences over the phone. Death was not new to you. We all have to die someday and you were not afraid to die anymore. You just did not want to die without having lived. To you, it was just the same shit, a different day and a different person. One day, it would come to you and you wouldn’t be scared to open the doors. The call ended just as Maryam roused from the bed. You gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and whipped up some pancakes for her and you knew that this was your life. This was the home you longed for, the sense of belonging you needed. You finally found your way home.

Moyomade Aladesuyi is a final year law student at Obafemi Awolowo university, Ile Ife, Osun state, Nigeria. She is also a writer and poet who has previously written for online magazines. She is an avid reader, a feminist and a lover of the arts. Some of her writings can be found on a blog she manages on wordpress (Winnie’s creations). She can be further reached on twitter (@womyn_witch) or on Instagram (@moyomade.a).

Expiration & didactic of home

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 02:53:00 GMT

Expiration

didactic of home

Marita Forgét is a Toronto based writer, poet and director. Their poems ‘ Port Passage ‘ and ‘ underwaterflight ‘ are published in the May 2019 issue of Crêpe and Penn. Her first film ‘Twenty Bucks’ premiered at the 2019 Toronto Short Film Festival, taking home Best Short Short. She can be found with her face buried in a book somewhere on Twitter @maritaforget.

THE ONLY 3 THINGS YOU NEED TO GET PAYING CLIENTS

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Fri, 15 Nov 2019 14:19:00 GMT

So many women are making growing their online business much harder than it has to be.

But the truth is, there are only 3 things you need to get paying clients:

1. An Offer

Let’s start with the most important thing – your offer. If you want people to buy, then you need to have something to sell. If you’re a coach, consultant or service provider, this would typically be putting together a package that provides massive value to the client. For example, a 1-on-1 or group coaching program, consulting package, an online course or live event. You need to make sure the offer is aligned to your ideal client and designed to help them get results. Then, you would determine the right pricing, bonuses, incentives and payment plans to make it a “hell yes” for them!

2. A Way to Take Payment

Once you have an offer, then you need a way to take payment. You can’t make money if you literally cannot process a client’s credit card. As an online business, you need to have a proper payment gateway in place so that you can make sales online. I recommend using Paypal, Square or Stripe. And get a business bank account while you’re at it, so that you can transfer your money from Paypal, Square, Stripe, etc. and easily track your business earnings separate from your personal finances.

3. Content

And finally, you need something that most entrepreneurs struggle with – content. Content (emails, social media posts, livestreams, videos, etc) is so important for getting clients online that many large companies have entire departments and staff dedicated to it! As an online business, you should be creating content on a consistent basis. Not just any ol’ content, though. (Hint – just posting inspirational quotes and memes will not get you clients!) You need to create the kind of content that resonates with your tribe and inspires them to actually BUY from you.

These 3 things are so critical, but many of my clients come to me because they had been running around in circles, worrying about everything BUT the basics. And as a result, they ended up spinning their wheels and never really figured out how to lay a solid foundation for their online business.

That’s why we’ll be focusing on nailing down all 3 of these things inside my brand new 12-month group coaching program, the 6-Figure Accelerator.

In just 8 weeks, you will get clarity on your ideal client, position yourself as an expert, craft your offer, create engaging content, show UP and become visible online and attract paying clients…all without a fancy website, Facebook ads or complicated sales funnels!

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Portraits of powerful women

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Sat, 18 May 2019 22:48:48 GMT

Tim Okamura is in the midst of a classic Libran conundrum: finding balance. He feels most centered when he is both creating his magnificent art and writing and performing music, but the music of late, has been eclipsed by painting. Likened to a contemporary Caravaggio, he is astonishingly gifted at unifying the incongruous styles of classical realism with the vernacular of the streets; Baroque oils and aerosol-sprayed tags holding equal and elevated status. Though he has a solid academic foundation in the classics, he hasn’t mastered the nuance of “can control” and respects the work of “true graffiti writers,” sometimes collaborating with them in his work. “The skills that some of these kids have are just mind-blowing,” he says. This synthesis of schools speaks to the layered complexity of the experience of those in society’s margins: people of color, women. His exploration of these “under-represented narratives” has thrust him headlong into back-to-back exhibitions.

I happened to be in my hometown back in June when he photographed the subjects for these portraits and was thrilled to participate since I’ve been digging his work for a while. Two weeks later, both back in Brooklyn, we sat down for a chat at his home studio in Bushwick, a ground floor apartment with an attached garage filled with canvases, props and a gravity-defying paint palette.

A nocturnal being, he apologized for his grogginess, explaining “I find that during the day there’s distraction; emails and so much crap going on, I just can’t seem to buckle down on the painting. I can at night.” He enjoys the stillness as he works into the wee hours, but “I love sleep, take naps,” he says. After agreeing that napping is one of the finer things one can do, we get on to his beginnings, and how a Japanese-Canadian male portraitist has become known for creating exquisitely rendered images of African-American women. Some with quiet dignity; some in-your-face fly; all with soulful nobility.

The first-born of Masato (Mas) and Ruby Okamura’s three children, Tim inherited his educator parents’ creative urges. “When I was about ten years old, my dad and I would go to oil painting lessons together,” he recalls. “My dad definitely had the talent, but the circumstances of his life, the era he grew up in, being an artist was just not an option.” His mother, a voracious reader, is “an incredible writer,” he says. “My writing skills come from her.” She may have had a writing life, “if offered different options.” he speculates. “Both of my parents had tough circumstances in their personal histories.” His sensitivity to the plight of oppressed people starts with his own family. He goes on to explain that his father’s family was among the many Japanese families in the US and Canada subjected to internment during World War II. Forced from their coastal home, leaving behind a life of fishing and most of their belongings, they were “relocated” to an inland internment camp. Given a choice between raising chickens or growing sugar beets on a plot of land assigned him and his family, Tim’s grandfather chose the beets. The small plot had no house, only a chicken coop. The structure designed to shelter chickens became home to Mr. and Mrs. Okamura and their five children. Tim shakes his head as he tells the story. “The kids went straight to the fields to work after school.” With money earned from their beet harvest, the family made incremental additions to the coop to create a home. “It’s crazy. They had to work from nothing to rebuild their lives…” Tim’s voice trails off.

Ruby’s father, as a young man in the Canadian Merchant Marines, witnessed the decapitation of his best friend by a chunk of shrapnel during an attack by the Japanese. His buddy had only recently been transferred to the destroyer he was on; his gruesome end fueled enmity toward Japan.

That Mas and Ruby would marry was a courageous move for their time. ”When my mother and father got together, on my father’s side it was white folks put us in prison ; on my mom’s side it was the Japanese are sworn enemies . They almost had to elope. Discrimination was a major thing they had to overcome, so it was ingrained in us kids to be open.”

Growing up the child of Asian and Caucasian parents, Tim experienced a sense of otherness that gives him an understanding of what it is to be marginalized, misunderstood and even misidentified (he and his siblings were often assumed to be Native American.) ”I had all kinds of painful experiences: was picked on, called names, got into scuffles, but the one thing that saved my ass was being able to draw. As a kid, if you get positive reinforcement from something you’re good at and it wins friends for you, you go with it. Is the reason that girl talked to you because you did a cool drawing for your science report title page? So you think oh my God, it’s the one thing that’s getting me some respect. ”

The long winters of Edmonton, where Tim was born, were conducive to three things: hockey, skiing and holing up indoors. “We all played a little bit of street hockey, pickup games, not in an organized league. I’m still a huge hockey fan, though. It’s in the blood.” He recalls that “we have a couple of the Wayne Gretzky rookie cards and those are worth at least a couple grand depending on the condition. Not bad for kids buying little 25, 50-cent packs of cards with gum in it.”

When the weather limited activities to indoor pursuits, it encouraged creative endeavor. “You had to entertain yourself,” he says. “It was incredible how many people were in bands. At 13, 14-years-old, among our circle of friends we had three or four different bands and then in high school it was even more. That’s all there was to do. The fact that I was a little bit of a different kid growing up: kind of artsy, kind of nerdy, didn’t quite fit in, I ended up gravitating toward other outcasts. My band was called The Outcasts. We wore army jackets,” he laughs. It was the classic high school set-up: jocks, nerds, outcasts, and the weird artsy people.” He learned to code-switch which made it possible for him to “jump around with different groups and get along with most people.” He attributes this to having developed empathy early on. “I’ve always felt very much in touch with the underdog mentality; giving attention to subjects that other people have ignored.”

During his college days at the Alberta College of Art and Design, he hosted an alternative rock radio show and eventually a hip-hop radio show, the only one in Calgary at that time. ”Guests would come through to our little station at the university.” Two guests stand out: Ice-T and Will Smith. “I had a big sit-down interview with him right before he started on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air . I have a recording of that somewhere– Will Smith joking around.” I ask if he’s had it digitized. ”No, it’s on cassette, but I should transfer it before it dissolves,” he laughs. “Super charming guy, super gracious. Ice-T same thing. That’s been my experience with anybody I’ve met who’s been very successful in hip-hop. Really cordial, really conscientious. I think those guys understood something; that you had to be easy to work with. It was such a new medium, there wasn’t the idea of the mogul at that time. People just wanted to get their records played.”

“In the eighties, I was experiencing the new wave and the alternative rock thing, but hip-hop blew the doors off for me: Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys, the Colors movie soundtrack with Big Daddy Kane,” he says nostalgically. ”It was just so real, so exciting. I’ve always loved beats. In any rock song, I’d listen for a drum breakdown. I’d listen to jazz to hear the drum solos. There was always something about beats and drums that I really, really connected with. In an alternative life, I would have been a drummer.”

Armed with a BFA from ACAD and reluctant blessings from his folks, Tim left Calgary for his bite of the Big Apple in 1991. “Even before I moved here, I fell in love with the city. Everything was here. I had to convince my parents that it was a smart business decision for my education and that I’d have better opportunities.” He did his graduate studies in Illustration as Visual Journalism (MFA,1993) at the School of Visual Arts “as an extension of the commercial art/graphic design/illustration track I was on in college,” he says. ”The journalistic aspect of it was an interesting twist because it pushed the idea of narrative and documentation. We had incredible life drawing classes with Robert Weaver, a well-respected, pioneer illustrator who would bring in all these New York characters for us to draw. He wouldn’t just bring in a nude model, he’d bring in people from the FDNY, window washers, guys who hand out flyers, Guardian Angels, musicians, belly dancers, all kinds of people. That was an awesome way to interact with New York and see the richness, the soul in all these characters. The idea of story, of people’s stories left a real impression on me.”

He has an affinity for unvarnished expression–the grit and beauty of the real and likens himself to a documentarian. “Of course it’s going to be a little more subjective since its going through my eye and through my hand,” he adds. “I want to capture this time that we’re in, but in a timeless way. Two seemingly disparate ideas. I like seeing in a Rembrandt (one of his “heroes of European painting”) the fashion of the day and the graphic impact of a huge, white collar, but I think we have things that are equally visually powerful in this time– I’ve always been fascinated with hoodies. They’ve come up in the work a lot.”

“To see real New York graffiti, here in the birthplace of hip-hop, that had a huge impact. This collision of stuff, the classical work of the old masters and street art,” informs his work today. He frequently incorporates graff elements in “homage to graffiti,” he says. “I like the direct lineage from cave painting; the idea of graffiti being a history; wanting to express visually that you were there. That impulse has throughout time taken on different forms.” He mentions the excavated Egyptian Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where 19th century archaeologists etched their names and the year in the stone surface. “If you look closely, you see graffiti from the 1800′s. Even before the explosion of painted graffiti you would see it in schools, kids carving their names into the desks. This idea that I exist, I’m going to leave a mark fascinates me. I’ve always loved calligraphy and typography too, so it’s a combination of things that came into the work.”

Educating himself on contemporary art added another dimension. “To see the freedom and energy and intensity– everything that made Basquiat great, is gonna influence anybody. I connected with facets of different painters. I don’t necessarily engage with Julian Schnabel’s whole body of work, but I do with his written word stuff on found canvases. I’m doing work now on flags for this new series, Begin Transmission and I’m kinda influenced by how he did it. I’m a bit of a hybrid of all the painters I’ve looked at and cycled through. At one point I really tried to be like Lucian Freud; another I really tried to paint like Rembrandt.” And at some point he found himself. “I worked for many years commercially, I just painted and painted, building my chops and putting in the hours. I did a lot of cheesy work, a lot of terribly embarrassing commissioned stuff, but my ultimate goal was always to do work that would hang in a gallery one day.” Along the way he has also been an adjunct professor at Parsons School of Design and the City University of New York/City College and a lecturer at both Fashion Institute of Technology and St. John’s University.

Being in New York has afforded Tim myriad opportunities. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson commissioned a piece years ago. “When he came over to my place to pick it up, he ended up talking for hours. That experience was awesome. Quest is like a walking encyclopedia of everything hip-hop.” In the early aughts, Tim’s former band mate, Jeff Steinhauser opened the rock club Northsix in Williamsburg and asked if he’d like to hang his work. “I had nothing else going on so I hung some paintings.” While working on a screenplay about a writer, filmmaker Ben Younger saw the work, visited Tim’s studio and was inspired to change the lead character to a painter. “So that was the beginning of this incredible journey which resulted in Prime with Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep,” Tim recalls. “The character was a sort of surrogate me: he lived in Williamsburg, he was a painter, struggling. I even gave wardrobe some of my clothes. I was the technical advisor on that film and ended up filming as a hand double for Bryan Greenberg, the lead actor, as well.” Though Bryan had a painting tutorial from Tim, his skill level wasn’t quite what was needed for the painting scenes. “Ben wanted to see brushstrokes on canvas, creating a face. So they looked at Bryan’s hands — he’s got reddish-brown hair and really light, almost blond arm hair, and they looked at mine.” He affects a harried voice, “ get Klaus, get Klaus from makeup we need a razor, we need a razor on set .’ So this German guy, Klaus, comes to set with shaving cream and a razor to shave my arm. It was so funny,” he laughs.

Northsix was rented out for the club scenes in the film School of Rock with Jack Black, so once again, Tim’s work made it to the screen. But for the first film he ever worked on, Unfaithful, the work didn’t make the final edit. The production commissioned a portrait to hang in the office of the lead character, portrayed by Richard Gere. “They wanted me to paint a portrait that sorta looked like him, an extrapolation, to be the character’s father. They spent all this money on set decoration.” He excitedly “went to go to see the film with one of the art directors and she’s like ‘okay, and you should see your painting riiiight here…and oh no, looks like its cut, cut from the film, sorry.’ In total, he worked on seven films “to greater or lesser extent in different capacities, but all involving my art in some way.” He relishes the collaborative effort. “Having spent so much time isolated as an artist, you know sitting in the studio, talking to yourself and all the other weird things, that when I did these projects that involved working with other people I was just so excited to be out, interacting AND have my art on set. I understand the addictive quality to working in film. Everything that’s going on just feels meaningful; it’s all very dynamic.” He even “dabbled a tiny bit in acting–a few short films. I enjoy the idea of shifting gears in different modes.”

His innate curiosity leads him to explore various means of expression, though portraiture remains a constant. “I’m curious about people, and that’s reflected in the work. I’m still interested in painting people. I haven’t gotten bored of looking at the features of somebody’s face.” Is there a specific facial type he’s most drawn to? “I like large eyes. As a painter, there’s something really satisfying about certain eye structures. The more round and big, the more it hits that academic, classical how-to-paint-an-eye, sort of mode that I always enjoy, but I have a pretty wide spectrum of what interests me in terms of subject. Like the challenge of painting someone with glasses.” We both laugh. “Which is tricky,” he says. “You have to understand the way the lens is refracting light and is causing some distortion in terms of where you’re going to see the face on the other side of the lens. You have to take those things into consideration. You can’t just paint the frames around the eyes normally. You have to reduce, depending on the prescription, the scale of the eye within the lens. My own experience of wearing glasses helps. One benefit of having glasses is knowing how glasses work.” That’s why it drives me crazy when I see people on TV who supposedly wear glasses, but you can tell it’s non-prescription it’s just so obvious.” He loves that actor Michael Emerson wears his own glasses on TV’s Persons of Interest. “ You can tell; there’s distortion, he’s got a pretty strong prescription. Really freakin cool, that’s a rare thing to see on television or in Hollywood.”

“As a figurative painter, and as somebody who wants to deal with humans in a realistic representation in my work, there is an overarching theme: I am attracted to painting people who haven’t been painted before, whose stories have not been told before, whether literally or metaphorically. It’s become conceptual in a way that I never expected. When I was in college I was just painting my heroes and at the time they were people in hip-hop, and they happened to be African American.

Bemused by the manner in which the work “has taken on a life of its own” he says, “a painting I did a couple of years ago, Courage 3.0 , seems to have made the rounds on social media.” Artist attribution is often abandoned in online forwards, “so to a large extent it was anonymous, but everyone was grabbing onto that image.” From curator Thelma Golden (who did credit him on Instagram) to someone who in a bit of internet chicanery passed it along as the work of his own brother. Interestingly, when Tim was finally given proper credit, there was a minor backlash for cultural appropriation. Ultimately, he says, “whether or not people were disappointed in the skin color of the person who did it, the painting did resonate.”

As an artist who began his career prior to the dawn of social networking, he realizes the tremendous impact and immediacy of social media. “To me its been a benefit. It’s helped to spread the word and build audiences in places I never would have had access to. People can see the work around the world within a day, whereas before you were lucky to carve out a niche in the city you were working in. It’s mind-blowing. I can go to Paris and have a built-in audience for my work and I’ve never shown in Paris.” He uses it simply as a tool of introduction. “It’s an impression of the work, but it’s not the work. So when people do see one of my shows, there’s a revelation. There is so much texture. And the scale is a huge part of someone’s experience of the work.” As evidenced here, Tim’s digital images are impressive, but they pale in comparison to viewing in actu. “In this day and age with everything being so fast you can’t even fully absorb or process what you’re seeing because it’s moving so quickly,” he says, “to have those people who are used to that type of imagery and that kind of processing to slow down, stop and look at an oil painting on canvas and have it resonate it is encouraging. It shows that the power of the painted image is still something valid.”

I notice his abundantly tattooed forearms. Among the tats are a compass pointing True North and the Latin fortis or “strong,” grounding him in family. He speaks with pride of his siblings. Sister Julie is “a super ambitious, talented interior designer. She has two offices: one in Calgary and one in Los Angeles where she lives. I’m so impressed with her. When she locks onto an idea there’s just no stopping her; she’s laser-beam focused. My little brother, Kevin is a physical therapist in the upper echelon of advanced training; he’s taught therapists all over the world: South America, South Africa, he’s been to Turkey many times, and all over the US. His fiance (now wife) is a doctor, so I get them on Skype with my old man pains.” Laughing at his own hypochondriac angst he says “ This thing… I think I’m dying. Then they talk me off the ledge. Between the two of them, it’s awesome, to have a physician AND a physical therapist in the family.” When we met for this interview, he was planning to play a couple of songs at Kevin’s August wedding. “One is my old standby that I play at family reunions: Brown-eyed Girl, and luckily Melissa is a brown-eyed girl.”

He realizes he needs to dust off the ax to prepare for the wedding. He bought a guitar which he loves about a year ago, but has yet to play it. “I feel perfectly balanced when I’m playing music and painting. That’s the thing that’s been bugging me a little over the past few years.–I haven’t been playing music.” He acknowledges that he needs a studio manager, “who could really be an extension of my brain” to free him to focus on creating–whether it’s art or music. “When I’m playing music and writing in a spontaneous way it helps balance the process of painting which is generally slower paced and labor-intensive. I’m at my happiest when those two things are happening. I’ve got to get back in the (recording) studio.”

In the quest for balance, he has discovered in his meditation “that when I quiet down my inner dialogue and am thinking less, ideas start to come in seemingly from outside of self — a little taste of that field of infinite possibility.” A song, a book, clothing ideas. ”It’s just a matter of time management which I’m horrible at,” he says. Having executed the project Heavyweight Paint with filmmaker, Jeff Martini, however, has given him an empowering sense of completion. “It started as a 2 minute promo for my website. Then we expanded it to a documentary on four artists. We have followed through and made it happen from a seed of an idea to execution.”

“I’ve convinced friends to allow me to direct their music video and I’m psyched about that. I’m halfway done recording an album; singing and playing guitar. I have a lot of material but the painting has just steamrolled it for the past couple of years.” He played a recording for me, the yearning, melancholy Broken Deal , written in the aftermath of a breakup with the muse for several works. The music proved therapeutic, (“got me out of the pain of it”) as he had to push through completing about eight paintings of his former love. He and Bryan Greenberg joined forces on an “REM-ish” track and he is contemplating releasing an EP before finishing an entire album.

As he boosts his energy with kombucha, we take a walk thru his art-dipped nabe where fantastic murals abound, to his other nearby workspace. Of his upper-floor studio, dappled with sunlight and boasting a river view he says, “psychologically it’s improved my whole existence.”

I am awed by pieces from the Round Zero show I’d missed. Sisters Hélène and Célia Faussart of Les Nubians, stand back-to-back, fists up, strong. Artist and breast cancer survivor Heather Hart in a powerful boxing stance, triumphant. To see them up close in all their textural glory was to be renewed.

Tim’s been pondering “a biological theory that there’s a finite number of facial types,” and his own ”collector mentality, the idea that you want to have a collection of all the variations as is possible. That might be what I do for the last twenty years of my life, try to paint every single facial type — a lot of work — then do a show.”

His trove is a collection of treasures within his home, each imbued with history, each with a story to tell.

1. Samurai swords. They honor his Japanese heritage, and stoke his fascination with the weaponry of antiquity. “As late as the 17th century, they were still a feudal society riding horses and using swords.”

2. Armor of Feudal Japan. “In stark contrast to what the nobles/officers of the Samurai would have worn (top center,) this is essentially foot soldiers armor (top right.) It’s made to roll up. I imagine the story: a farmer on the feudal lands, the samurai call to arms. He wouldn’t have had a sword, just a hat and this armor. It’s had many repairs… I love seeing battle-used stuff.”

3. California Job Case. Once used to store movable type for letterpress printing, this nod to his love of letterforms holds type pieces and other curios: a corn-cob pipe, apothecary bottles, rubber stamps, even “a cool little tin for your Tums to go in.”

4. Vintage baseball, bat and mitt. “I love wood and leather,” he says. The pièce de résistance in this trio is the 19th century, cloth-wrapped baseball bat.

5. Korean War bugle. It has developed a wonderful patina and still gets good sound.

6. Vintage boxing gloves. He’s collected many pieces of vintage boxing paraphernalia (seen in his Round Zero series,) but this nearly threadbare pair, with its pitted texture is his favorite.

7. His guitar. He longs for more time in his hectic schedule to play it.

8. Music. He loves listening to it, writing it and performing it. Here, his favorite records, yes he still listens to vinyl.

9. His paint palette. He admits it began out of laziness, “I just kept putting new paint over top of it. It’s become sort of a fun sculpture. It’s about nine years of paint, though its been cut down recently, it started to get impractical,” he laughs. “I want to saw it, get a really clean cross section of the layers.”

10. Concert photo of Nas. A silent auction win from Russell Simmons’ Art For Life fundraiser in the Hamptons, it’s the only piece of intentional art he’s purchased and displayed in his home. He loves the contrast of the “super-mixed crowd: Asian, Black, White, everybody going crazy,” rendered in black & white with Mr. Jones in full color.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/1qfb30oLHMT

There is a lack of Black women scholars in Canadian universities

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Fri, 17 May 2019 23:19:45 GMT

Not enough Black women teaching at Canadian universities, says Halifax scholar

Since arriving in Halifax as an international student seven years ago, Isalean Harris has had a question on her mind: where are the Black female scholars?

During her undergraduate studies at Saint Mary’s University, Harris encountered only one Black female professor, and not seeing herself reflected in her university’s faculty left her feeling alienated and undervalued.

“I found it problematic,” she said in an interview.

After finishing a degree in political science, she decided to look more closely at the problem she’d identified and figure out why, despite a 30-year-old federal mandate for equality in Canadian universities, it existed.

“I really wanted to investigate it,” Harris said, “especially since I would always see statements about the university’s commitment to employment equity and improving diversity and inclusion on job postings.”

Her investigation became a thesis titled Where are the Black female faculty? Employment equity policy failures and the overrepresentation of whiteness , which earned her a master of arts degree in January 2019.

“I found, within Canadian academia as a whole, there is an acute underrepresentation of women of colour faculty across Canadian academia,” Harris said.

She narrowed her focus to two schools in Halifax, using data that the schools themselves had collected on whom they employ. She chose the two largest universities in the area: her own school, SMU, and Dalhousie University.

Even though she had some sense of the racial inequity in academia before starting her research, Harris said the work was eye-opening.

The data showed her that representation of visible minorities was “well below” labour market expectations, but it was impossible to parse out the numbers for Black women, specifically, because they weren’t being identified in the schools’ data.

That told her that the way the schools were collecting data needed an upgrade.

In addition, Harris interviewed Black women with tenured positions at different universities across Canada about their experiences.

She said it was difficult to find interviewees because there were so few Black female scholars to approach — something that Harris said underscored the exact issue she was investigating.

As her thesis describes, Harris’s interviewees each faced unique challenges in their academic careers, but “their experiences appear to be rooted in similar systemic, anti-Black processes, procedures and attitudes.”

Hearing their stories took a toll on Harris.

“Especially as I considered myself to be an emerging scholar, and to know that academia is a space that I would like to believe allows a space for me or welcomes me … it was kind of difficult,” she said.

Harris wants universities to update their equity policies to spark a cultural shift.

“It is imperative for the university to improve representation so that we have representation of thought, representation of analysis so that we can really understand the root causes to a lot of our social problems,” she said.

There’s evidence that policy change can be effective; Harris pointed to the federal Employment Equity Act, which since 1986 has mandated employers to correct “conditions of disadvantage” for four marginalized groups: women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities.

“It has worked at significantly improving the representation of white women,” she said.

But added, “Not all women are white.”

A more effective set of policies, Harris said, would consider intersectional identities — not four separate categories but a multitude that represent the ways those categories overlap or intersect.

Harris was recently invited to present some of her findings to Dalhousie Senate and make recommendations on their equity practices.

Benita Bunjun, a professor of social justice and community studies at SMU and Harris’s thesis supervisor, said the attention and traction Harris’s work is receiving “is very unique” for a master’s student.

She said it’s a sign of the importance of her research.

“It should be seen as a gift on a platter to both of these universities,” Bunjun said.

She said it offers Dalhousie and SMU a “microscopic look at where we’re at — what’s the current status of our failures around equity hiring.”

When the Star asked Dalhousie for a response to Harris’s assertion that its equity policies are inadequate, spokesperson Sarah Dawson said in an email, “Ms. Harris’ thesis contributes critical perspectives to academic work exploring the experience of diverse faculty and practices of racialized academic appointments.”

Dawson said there is “a lot of online information” about the work the school is doing to address employment equity. She highlighted a few links to the Dalhousie website, including a Diversity Faculty Awardand a 2014-18 strategic plan report.

“There’s work to be done, and we are making strides to ensure Dalhousie is a place where everyone feels that they belong and have full opportunity,” Dawson said.

SMU was also asked for a response to Harris’s critique.

SMU spokesperson Cale Loney noted in an email that the school’s collective agreement with full-time faculty contains a clause “to improve the employment of women, visible minorities, persons with disabilities and Indigenous peoples.”

Loney added that “other practices the university has undertaken include equity training, representative search committees and outreach/targeted advertising of positions.

Harris said her thesis work will culminate when she presents some of her findings at SMU on Mar. 29 — an event that’s open to the public.

“I don’t know if I intend to continue specifically with this work in research,” Harris said, pointing to the toll it took on her.

What’s next is “taking the knowledge that I have and moving it forward into broader conversations about why representation is important.”

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/dbns30oLhRB

Introducing a new wave of African-Canadian pop music

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 19:55:03 GMT

Emerging artists seek to push past traditional genre boundaries, aiming for pop charts and dance clubs

T alk to most Canadians about African music and – if they have anything to say at all – they'll more often than not reference something at least 30 years old: the sound of Paul Simon's 1986 album Graceland , the fiery seventies funk of Fela Kuti, sixties pop hits by Miriam Makeba and Hugh Masekela, or the percussionist Olatunji, who sold millions of records in the 1950s and launched an amorphous industry dedicated to "world music."

Only recently, on Drake's 2016 smash single One Dance , featuring Nigerian rapper Wizkid, did North American ears perk to the idea that African music might sound remarkably similar to modern pop and R&B – and is, in many ways, pushing it forward.

Back in 2011, the British DJ Abrantee called this new sound Afrobeats (plural) – not to be confused with Afrobeat (singular), the genre defined by Fela Kuti and practised today by Brooklyn's Antibalas or Ottawa's Souljazz Orchestra. Afrobeats (plural) simply refers to modern African pop music from anywhere on the continent, music of the digital age that wouldn't fly at most folk festivals or with self-appointed purists snapping up seventies reissues in Western record shops. In the past five years, it's become the new sound of the London underground and bubbling up to the pop charts there.

A new wave of African-Canadian musicians doesn't necessarily fit under the purposely ambiguous Afrobeats label, but neither do these artists want to play only "world music" festivals: They want to play around the world, aiming for pop charts and dance clubs. That seemed briefly possible in 2009, when K'naan had an international hit with Wavin' Flag , which proved to be a fluke rather than the beginning of a trend here. That might change with a series of strong new releases.

Leading the pack is Kae Sun, who already has a leg up: His 2013 song Ship and the Globe racked up more than four million YouTube views after it was featured on the soundtrack to a popular Korean TV drama. (How much money did that net him? "Not a whole lot!" he says with a laugh.) Although his music nods to reggae and the occasional influence from his Ghanaian heritage, Kae Sun's music is pure pop: There's no reason this melodic singer with an angelic voice shouldn't be on the radio next to Tegan and Sara or Ariane Moffatt – the latter being one of Quebec's biggest stars, who appears on his new album, Whoever Comes Knocking (out March 2). Kae Sun used to write primarily on guitar, but this time out, he was working primarily with software and synthesizers. Despite his music's obvious mainstream potential, the first-generation Canadian feels musically pigeonholed as an African-Canadian.

"It's a frustrating thing," he says, a day after returning from a trip to Namibia where he screened his short-film installation Oceans Apart . "Not because I'm of African descent – I'm very proud of that. But for African artists, people often don't even call the music R&B or hip hop; they want it to fit into a 'world music' category.

"None of the records I've ever done come from that framework; if they did, I'd embrace that, but that's not my experience. I find it very challenging, particularly in the Canadian context, because some of these [pop] artists I listen to and enjoy greatly, and I want there to be more of an exchange; we operate in the same language, the same textures, the same approaches. So why are we separated? It's tricky to navigate."

Kae Sun moved from Ghana to Hamilton when he was 18; he now lives in Montreal, where he hangs out with the artists who run the Moonshine label, which is releasing Whoever Comes Knocking . Moonshine is also the name of a monthly Montreal club night – held on the full moon – started by friends who wanted to dance to pan-African sounds. One of those is Pierre Kwenders, who left a career in accounting behind to make an innovative electronic take on Congolese rumba; his most recent album, Makanda (released in September 2017 ), was produced by Tendai Maraire of psychedelic hip-hop duo Shabazz Palaces. "I wanted to build this bridge between Congolese rumba and the music I learned here," he says. "I want people who listen to my music to also be curious to search and go listen to the stuff from where I'm from."

Kwenders came to Montreal from Kinshasa; he sings in English, French, Lingala and Tshiluba. His new album features a Zimbabwean-American singing in Shona. Kwenders is less likely than Kae Sun to make a pop crossover, because his music is just as eclectic as his linguistic choices. "It's not really Congolese music," he says. "It's not really North American music. It's not really Afrobeats. Whenever there's something that sounds a bit Afro, people say it's Afrobeats – it's not. There is house music in Africa, there is dance music, disco. It doesn't make sense. That's the world we live in. We like to put things in categories to make it easier for some people."

That's not unique to Afrobeats, of course – the term "rock music" could mean anything from Chuck Berry to Bon Jovi. At one point, it could even refer to Cold Specks, the project for Somali-Canadian artist Ladan Hussein, whose 2012 debut was centred around haunting electric-guitar lines and her soulful voice; on her 2017 album, Fool's Paradise , however, she, as with Kae Sun, goes a more electronic route, eschewing guitars entirely – and she also sings in Somali for the first time.

Electronics are the great equalizer in global music: Traditional arrangements and rhythms from any culture don't sound as alien to ears anywhere else in the world, ironically enough, when they're set to completely synthetic soundtracks. Some electronic artists tap into the Afrofuturist movement, a larger utopian philosophy in science fiction that also encompasses the music of Sun Ra, George Clinton, Detroit techno and Flying Lotus.

In Canada, few tap into Afrofuturism more explicitly than AfrotroniX, a.k.a. Caleb Rimtobaye, a Chadian Montrealer who has played with his two brothers in H'Sao, a harmony-rich band who have toured every continent since their inception in 2001. In his more recent solo work as AfrotroniX, Rimtobaye dons a Daft Punk-ish helmet that looks like sculpted Venetian blinds, and sets his stirring Tuareg-inspired electric-guitar lines to thoroughly modern beats and AutoTune vocals. "We can and we must redefine the future of Africa and push the African music scene," he told the website OkayAfrica. "[We must] aspire to a more futuristic view – which is to me the idea of emancipation."

Also on the futurist tip is Zaki Ibrahim: born in Nanaimo, B.C., now of Toronto, with a lot of time in Cape Town – her father's hometown – in between. Ibrahim's new album is called The Secret Life of Planets , released on Jan. 31: the date of the "super blue blood moon." She's been hanging out with astrophysicists at the University of Toronto and discussing the Pythagorean concept of "music of the spheres," connecting astronomy and the physics of music – the latter came into play as she and producer Alister Johnson worked with an array of analog synths. She's into what she refers to as "vibrational energy work," infusing her work with a decidedly spiritual bent. The album title nods to the 1979 album Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants by Stevie Wonder, an artist whose influence is obvious on Ibrahim's work, along with other polymaths such as Prince, Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush. Yet there's nothing remotely retro about her sound, which draws from hip hop, house music and the most progressive strands of modern R&B. Although it has elements of pop and dance music, The Secret Life of Planets is as hefty as its title, with plenty of layers for deep listening.

Does she hear South Africa in her new record? "Every time I went there as a child," she says, "it was like entering a new space – it felt like different musical eras, from house music in the nineties to stuff my aunts and uncles listened to: contemporary soul and guilty-pleasure, baby-making music from the late seventies, early eighties. Alister loves boogie and disco, a lot of Gap Band. The South African influence for me is all of those sounds. There are songs on the album that would definitely be more appreciated by South Africans rather than Torontonians or New Yorkers."

Ibrahim lived in Cape Town for much of the past eight years. Although she had been there often to visit family before that, it was a 2009 tour with Toronto house DJ Nick Holder that tapped her into South Africa's huge electronic-music scene. To both of their surprise, Holder was practically a household name there, mobbed on the street for selfies and playing sold-out shows in big cities and small towns everywhere. Ibrahim was unhappy with her career in Toronto, feeling misunderstood by the major label she'd just signed to. Holder told her, "Toronto doesn't deserve you. You should stay here." Ibrahim thought about it for a brief second, then said, "I think you're right." So she did, working on the material that would become the 2012 album, Every Opposite , which vaulted her from obscurity onto the Polaris Music Prize shortlist – without a label or publicist behind her, and while living on the other side of the world.

Most diaspora artists don't go back to Africa to tour, Kae Sun says. "The ones I know that do go back just settle: They move their career there," he says. "You can't make very much money playing shows there, unless you're really well known." Kae Sun has made a couple of visits to the continent, but hasn't been back to Ghana since 2012, before his career took off – although he's headed there later this year. Kwenders, 32, regrets that he hasn't been back to the Democratic Republic of the Congo since he first moved to Canada at 16, half a lifetime ago; he vows that will change in 2018. Ibrahim, however, still considers herself a nomad, recently adding Ethiopia to her list of frequent stopovers, while working on a film soundtrack there.

Africa is alone among the continents in that it's often referred to as a monolith: No one ever identifies as a fan of North American or Asian music. But African music is assumed to be a singular genre – hence Afrobeats, though the use of the plural at least implies diversity. The Canadians now cross-pollinating with various points on the continent push those cultural boundaries even further.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/JFqm30orgpK

The man behind Scarborough-based Zero Gun Violence Movement

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 11:37:37 GMT

Louis March founded the organization working to end gun violence

Scarborough resident Louis March has been a volunteer community worker and advocate for more than 30 years. In June 2013, he founded Zero Gun Violence Movement, a collaboration of more than 40 community organizations, agencies and programs across Toronto, in an effort to eliminate gun violence and its root causes.

Metroland Media interviewed the man behind Zero Gun Violence Movement. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: How did you get involved in the anti-gun violence movement?

A: I worked in financial services … but I got laid off just after the shooting in the Eaton Centre and the Danzig shooting, and I decided that I did enough in the corporate world, I’m going to go back to where my passion is, in the community, so after those shootings I realized that the gun violence was just getting worse and not better and it was affecting young people who I’d been working with for the longest time … We started off with a 90-day summer campaign; that was in 2013 and then after that we said, look, let’s just continue this.

Q: Have you or your loved ones been affected by gun violence?

A: Yes, not direct relatives, but friends, and it’s just painful to see the amount of grief and trauma, the ripple effect. It’s not just the people that are directly involved, it’s how it tears apart families, tears apart communities, tears apart friendships, and it concerns me that there’s no political will and courage to really understand the full magnitude of gun violence. It’s not just the shooter and the victim; the whole community, the whole city is impacted.

Q: What were some of the challenges in forming Zero Gun Violence Movement?

A: The challenges were trying to convince people that this was a viable objective; even though it’s ambitious and bold, trying to convince people that this was worth working on … Some of the other challenges are the service providers, the people that we entrust to deal with this issue. A lot of them are competing with each other for funding and they cannot be effective because the funding application is more important than the outcomes of the work that they do.

Q: What are some of the accomplishments of Zero Gun Violence Movement?

A: Some of the accomplishments revolve around the fact that we’ve now got people thinking differently about gun violence, that there is a way out. We’ve built a strong network of community organizations across the city, over 40 agencies (and) programs now work with Zero Gun Violence Movement … We’ve been able to engage various sectors of society whether it’s those people that are involved (in gun violence) or those people that are victims, social service agencies, government officials, trying to get them together to join forces for collective impact.

Q: Do you think zero gun violence is achievable in Toronto?

A: In 1990, we had eight homicides to gun violence; in 2005 we had 52, (and) in 2013 we had 22, so there’s a big range there taking place from eight in 1990. What was going on in 1990 that is not going on now? We have to work toward zero; we might not get to zero because we can’t control all the factors that contribute to this type of violence: … mental health issues, drug addiction, population increase, a widening gap in terms of poverty, increasing numbers in Toronto Community Housing because 70 per cent of the violence takes place in Toronto Community (Housing) facilities. … As the gap between the haves and the have-nots increases, the likelihood of violence will increase; it’s not rocket science. When people are excluded, neglected, ignored, deprived of opportunity, violence becomes a viable option for them. How do we change those conditions? We can only get to zero gun violence if we all work together.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/2g8H30onVUG

We are empowered through the Empowerment of our Mothers

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 02:21:09 GMT

There are characteristics of motherhood that are universal such as the ability to bring forth life and nurture growth, though it is not universal in the way it is practiced or in the way it brings empowerment to its mothers. One cannot ignore the differences in the lived experience of motherhood across the globe, or within a society; nor can one ignore the different purposes and desired outcomes that practicing motherhood holds for its mothers.

For the oppressed black mother living in white supremacist societies those demands of children differ widely from that of the dominant culture, for they do not suffer the same realities. The black race has suffered and continues to suffer as the result of racism, oppression, colonialism, diaspora and other social, political, and economic injustices. Yet, black people continue to strive and survive. It is through the sacrifices of the black woman and black motherhood that the black race has been able to heal and grow: It is through the black mother that we her children get our truth, our racial and cultural identity. Through reclamation and retention of African heritage and customs, recovery of consciousness for themselves and their children, and resistance of racist ideologies and institutions black mothers have and continue to make survival possible for the black race. Our first teachers are our mothers, grandmothers, aunties, neighborhood moms. They teach us to be resilient in the face of adversity, they empower us, and in doing so they empower themselves.

Now with that said, I am not trying to undermine black fathers and the effective work they do in empowering their children; however we cannot ignore the impact black women have made historically in our communities and continue to make today. Black women have always been there. When their children were taken they raised the other enslaved children on the plantation as another did for hers, For a plethora of reasons black men were not able to be as present and thus through the black woman’s love did we learn, grow, and heal, black men included. Today we are still doing this very thing, and we see this when black women stand up against police brutality and anti black racism and when they console a children who have come to the realization that their skin isn’t beautiful to everyone. Despite this, then and now black women continue to be gas lighted by society for black communal problems rather than celebrated for their ability to make a home out of the scraps they are left to build one. Black women continue to carry the weight of the community on their shoulders, and they continue to empower us when they model resistance and resilience before us in reclaiming their right to mother in their way and have their children be exactly who they are. “No matter how tenuous or fragile the home, black mothers attempt to create a safe place where the black race can recover through attainment of consciousness in order to continue resisting, affirming one another by healing the many wounds inflicted by racist domination” (bell hooks, Homeplace : A site of resistance, 267).

White middle-class women can assume that as long as they follow their cultural criteria their children will have a suitable place in society, unfortunately our children aren’t awarded the same privilege and protection. So black women must attain consciousness for themselves through reclamation of their roots and instill that in her children, and thus their race, in order to recover; through recovery the race develops resilience so that they can preform resistance most adequately. Black mothers do wonders for their children and their communities which evokes power and status upon them, and that which empowers them is returned to their children and their race as empowerment as well. If you ask me, black women truly are the glue that holds the community together, and we are most definitely empowered through their empowerment.

P.S. Lander

Montreal's black pioneers: They paved the way for others

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 01:10:48 GMT

A teacher, a police officer, a hairdressing entrepreneur, a city council speaker. They were trailblazers who overcame the unspoken but pervasive institutional racism of their day.

When Gwen Lord applied to become a teacher with the Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal in 1961, she was relieved the interviewer was someone she knew well, the father of a best friend. She hoped graduating top of her class with a bachelor’s degree in science and a specialty in education from Sir George Williams University (now Concordia) would trump skin colour.

It would not.

“Gwen, you know we don’t hire coloured,” her friend’s father said. Seeing her dejection, he backtracked, and told her she couldn’t be hired without a teaching certificate. She knew this to be a lie — they were hiring teachers out of high school back then. But she played along.

“I went to Macdonald College (and) took this little Mickey Mouse course. Got this piece of paper only to find that the PSBGM came to our campus and hired everyone! … People who couldn’t teach worth a damn.”

Everyone but her, that is, and the two other black students in her class. Until the class protested, and forced the board to hire her.

Lord went on to become a star math and science teacher, and in 1977, the first black principal in the PSBGM (now the English Montreal School Board), at Northmount High School. She stayed 11 years before becoming a senior board administrator.

Lord is one of four pioneers of Montreal’s black community the Montreal Gazette is profiling as the city celebrates its 28th edition of Black History Month. A teacher, a police officer, a hairdressing entrepreneur, and a city council speaker. Those who overcame the unspoken but pervasive institutional racism of their day and weathered the pain of intolerance and injustice. All of whom paved the way for others.

“Gwen was a role model and a trailblazer in the education field,” wrote Montreal historian Dorothy Williams. “She was amongst a small group of Blacks who moved into restricted job areas and pushed open many doors. … Their trailblazing achievements served as inspirations to a generation of Black Montrealers.”

Shouldering the burden of being first often came with a heavy cost.

Decades later, Lord wrote that the taste of being passed over, of being beholden to others less qualified to attain a job she deserved, was still bitter.

“I mean, I was good,” she wrote. “I got the Dean’s Award and the Science Prize and I still had to have this little class go to bat for me. So these are the things that are sort of discouraging.”

“I’ve gone through so much prejudice,” she told the Gazette in 2002. “It’s just incredible.”

Williams calls Montreal’s often rose-coloured view of its social tolerance “the Jackie Robinson Myth.”

Author of two books on the history of the city’s black community, she is president of Blacbiblio.com, which supplies educational materials to teach black history at school and in homes. Williams’s deeply researched master’s thesis for Concordia University, which focused on the social mobility of Montreal’s black community in the mid-20th century largely through the experiences of Lord’s family, revealed that while the city may have been welcoming to baseball stars, the reality was far different for blacks living here.

Robinson came to Montreal in 1946, the first black man to play for a major league baseball team — the Montreal Royals, the farm team for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Montreal was seen as a more welcoming environment than American cities. And it was, for Robinson and his wife, Rachel, who recounted being invited into a landlady’s apartment for tea, “an unusual experience in the ’40s for a black person.” Neighbours were kind, and “gave the Robinsons the impression, widely shared, that the city was free of racism,” Williams wrote.

In reality, the Montreal of Lord’s youth and early adulthood, before and after the Second World War, maintained an unspoken but cruelly effective socio-economic shackling of the black population. Most lived in the St-Antoine-St-Henri district, often in dilapidated tenement housing. Other regions were off-limits because landlords wouldn’t rent to them. There were no signs barring them from restaurants, but in most, waiters would not serve them.

Many emigrated from the West Indies, trained as engineers or nurses, teachers and secretaries, only to find the roads to higher eduction or better jobs blocked for them and their children. Women were relegated to working as maids or in the garment industry. Men worked for the railway companies as low-paid porters, or industrial labourers, or shoe shiners, doormen or waiters. Those who made it into higher professions were passed over for promotions.

While poorer whites from other immigrant groups moved on from the St-Antoine district as they found better-paying jobs, generations of black families were forced to stay.

Lord’s father was a porter on the Canadian Pacific railway run from Montreal to Winnipeg. He worked away from home 22 days a month. Her mother put in long hours as a domestic working in Westmount homes. The six Lord children were expected to pull their own weight, complete chores and do well in school. Their parents’ sacrifices were influential.

“Father and mother were both working very, very hard … So the object was not to mess up, not to make things difficult; to be important and to be part of that (family) team,” Lord recalled in interviews recorded in Williams’s thesis. The neighbourhood kept a close eye on the children, reporting to parents on those misbehaving. Church and community organizations ensured close ties with and support from the black community.

Lord’s mother, a strong-willed woman who witnessed the upward mobility of her clients’ children, had the foresight to rent an apartment on St-Antoine St. near Greene Ave. that was just within Westmount, giving Gwen and her siblings the ability to attend better schools. In the 1940s and ‘50s, they were the only black children in their elementary and high school classes.

Her brother Richard’s path to higher education was temporarily halted when McGill granted him a full athletic scholarship (he couldn’t afford university without one) then withdrew it, giving it to a white student instead.

On the advice of a Jewish friend, Richard got a sports scholarship to Michigan State University in chemical engineering (he didn’t mention he was black on the application form), becoming one of the first blacks to play varsity hockey in the United States. He would become a leader of the Montreal black community, and president of the Quebec Liberal Party.

When he came home in the summer of 1952 and discovered his 16-year-old sister Gwen had graduated high school and was working in a garment factory until she was old enough to attend nursing school, he was displeased. He enrolled her in first-year science classes at Sir George Williams University the next day.

“After that, everyone — my nieces, my nephews, everyone — they’ve all gone to college,” Gwen Lord told the Globe and Mail. She discovered later others in their neighbourhood starting doing the same because of her.

Despite being a chemical engineer, it took Richard some time to find work in Montreal. He remembers his American friends being amazed they could go into taverns and restaurants and streetcars in the city. But Richard envied the fact that in America, blacks had their own institutions, their own colleges and hospitals and trade unions, and could find higher employment within that system, while blacks in Montreal withered on the vine.

“To them, Montreal was fabulous,” he said. “But they had economic freedom. We had social freedom but not freedom to go into the institutions.”

“The systemic racism was the dangerous thing,” Gwen Lord said. “Because it was so undercover that you didn’t even really know that it existed.”

Gwen Lord was active in the community, serving as president of the Black Community Resource Centre and with numerous other groups. As a senior official with the PSBGM she championed the cause of “grey-area” youth, students of all colours from the low-income neighbourhoods, whom the school system had neglected.

Other siblings were not as fortunate.

“Louise got a job at Bell Canada … as an engineering assistant. … and if it wasn’t for prejudice and discrimination she would have done very well in the Bell,” Gwen wrote. “But like my brother and myself, she was exposed to a lot of discrimination and it destroyed her. Really it did destroy her. It was very sad. People beneath her would be promoted and she wasn’t and she would ask and they would say: ‘Well you are Black and no one would work for you.’ ”

Gwen and Richard were able to rise above the adversity thanks to natural ability, strong family and community ties, higher education and a good degree of luck. Sadly, the barriers remain.

“Just recently they revealed that less than 3 per cent of English-speaking blacks in Quebec earn more than $50,00 a year,” Williams told the Montreal Gazette. “Do you think we can build wealth in the community with a stat like that?”

Institutional racism results in a disproportionately high level of incarceration for blacks, low hiring rates in the civil service, and racial profiling by police, she said.

“We had for generations been the most educated immigrants coming into Canada and yet we had aways been second to last on the labour market ladder. … Racism, in its systemic forms, is quite alive in the province and across the country.”

Now in her early 80s, Gwen Lord lists her occupation on Facebook as “happily retired.”

Reached earlier this month, she politely said she preferred not to talk about the entrenched racism she experienced, calling it wearying.

In an interview with the Gazette in 2002, she said having people constantly aware of her colour was a “constant struggle.” She compared the racism she faced to anti-Semitism — it may go up or down, but it never goes away.

Thelma Johnson

Spurred by the will to travel, Thelma Johnson applied for Canada’s domestic worker recruitment program in 1956, at the age of 27, and promptly failed the application test.

“I flopped,” she said, laughing. “I didn’t know anything about housekeeping.”

One of 10 siblings, she worked in an orphanage in Kingston, Jamaica, loved children, and wanted to be a nurse or a hairdresser.

She found out what answers were expected, passed the test, and was fortunate to be placed with a Montreal family who wanted her to look after their daughters and expected little in the way of housekeeping.

She knew only one other person in Montreal. Pay was $80 a month. But as a live-in domestic, expenses were low, bus fare was just 10 cents, and her new home exotic.

“I had never seen so many whites at one time,” she said. “It was kind of strange for me.”

She remembers scraping frost off the windows of unheated tramcars to see where to get off, and frozen feet because she only had galoshes. Quebecers were nice, she said, communicating in sign language because she had only English. But she and her friend would only go to the Chicken Chalet on Ste-Catherine St. on their days off, because it was one of the few restaurants where black customers weren’t stared at.

She finished her one-year requirement as a domestic to earn her landed immigrant status, then travelled to the Madame C.J. Walker Beauty School in Indianapolis, Ind., studying for two years, because no schools here taught how to care for black hair.

With $700 saved, she opened one of the first black hair salons in Montreal — Thelma’s House of Beauty, on Queen Mary Rd. She ran it for 37 years, hiring scores of beauticians over the decades.

The community work started there.

Young people having problems found out Thelma’s was a place they could go for food, or money for a hot dog, or words of comfort.

She started a co-operative program with the Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal, training prospective hairdressers. More than 85 per cent of the students found work upon graduation. She founded the Caribbean Pioneer Women’s association in 1985, which collected more than $60,000 in scholarships and bursaries for students, and donated even more to educations projects in Jamaica.

“My mother and my father — I was blessed with them,” she said. “If there was one banana, we shared for all. We didn’t have a lot, but we would share.”

Johnson (who is the aunt of CTV news reporter and Quebec City bureau chief Maya Johnson) was honoured in the House of Commons in 2005, receiving a standing ovation for her accomplishments. She was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013. She recently celebrated her 90th birthday, when she received so many gifts and phone calls, “I cannot count.” She is still doing volunteer work.

She was named one of the laureates of this year’s Montreal Black History Month celebrations.

Her community spirit was borne of strong family, hard work (“These 10 fingers got me where I am,” she likes to say) — and good examples.

“My role models were the older people, I learned from them. I wish a lot of the young girls these days would participate in helping. …

“What we did, we did it for free. We did it from our hearts.”

Frantz Benjamin

Weeks after he was named Montreal’s first black council speaker in 2013, Frantz Benjamin opened council meeting by reading Invictus, which ends: “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”

Benjamin was honouring the passing of former South African president Nelson Mandela, who read that poem to fellow prisoners during his 27 years in jail, but the words had a personal significance as well. For Benjamin, who emigrated from Haiti over 40 years ago, it was decades of dedication to community work, focusing on social justice, discrimination and equal opportunity that led him to his fate. He is the father of two daughters, and author of five books of poetry.

The symbolism of attaining higher office is important not only for the black community as a source of pride and encouragement, Benjamin said, but to all citizens, because it demonstrates “the necessity that Canadian, Quebec and municipal institutions represent the populations they serve. Institutions must be mirrors of their society — it is not a luxury, but a necessity.”

“Obviously, we cannot rely merely on symbols. Sexism, homophobia, agism, racism, Islamophobia, racial profiling and all other forms of discrimination can not be beaten by ‘first black female or first black male – .’ ”

Conditions for the black population have changed, Benjamin said. But when you read Statistics Canada numbers detailing the socio-economic status of blacks, read police reports on hate crimes and see reports emanating from the criminal justice system, “I can only conclude one thing: there are still institutional impasses that exist before we can speak of a society that is equal for all members of the black community.”

Benjamin was elected the MNA for Viau in the October provincial elections.

Edouard Anglade

Edouard Anglade became the first black hired by the Montreal police force in 1974. Change would prove to be a slow process. It took another seven years before the next black man was hired.

It was up to the Haitian-born Anglade to blaze the trail and suffer the abuse. As an undercover narcotics officer, he was harassed by uniformed patrol officers who thought they were dealing with a civilian. When he was a uniformed officer, it was the civilians who discriminated.

”I can remember answering calls with a junior partner and when we got to the place, the people would just talk to the white officer,” he told the Gazette in 1996. “He would be junior, younger, but it would be like I wasn’t even there.”

He was the focus of media and departmental scrutiny in 1988 when he filed for workers’ compensation after racist harassment from a superior forced him off the job, suffering from depression. He won his case, but endured the silent treatment from his colleagues after testifying before a provincial commission. He said he had no choice.

”If I hadn’t seen this through, it wouldn’t just be Anglade who would be criticized — it would be the whole black community.”

In 1996, he published an autobiography of his career.

“There were good experiences and bad ones. But I got through it. I succeeded.”

In 2016, the Montreal police force reported 8.5 per cent of its officers identify themselves as Indigenous or members of a visible minority. (In Montreal, nearly 33 per cent of the population identifies as such.)

Anglade died of a brain tumour at age 63, in 2007. At his funeral, black officers paid their respects to the man and his 30-year career.

“He’s our black pioneer,” said Montreal police Commander Jean-Ernest Celestin, one of 130 black officers on the force at the time. “He’s the reason we’re here.”

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/PttN30ocKbn

After 200 years without land title, Nova Scotia black communities offered hope

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 00:24:57 GMT

Black Loyalists, Black Refugees were given land, but no title, in 1775 and 1812

The empty lot in North Preston, N.S., has been in the hands of Elaine Cain's family for many years, a connection that stirs in her a sentimental bond with the piece of land.

But despite the fact her family has long paid property taxes on it, they have never held the deed.

On Wednesday, Cain welcomed as a "bright day" an announcement by the Nova Scotia government that it will provide funding to help people in five historically black communities gain legal ownership over land they've claimed as theirs for generations.

"I think it will be great because this is what we have been looking for," she said in an interview. "It will give us … a boost, actually, to do whatever it is that we have or plan to do. I'm confident that they'll help me."

The province said it will spend $2.7 million over two years to help residents obtain legal title to land in the communities of North Preston, East Preston and Cherry Brook in the Halifax Regional Municipality, and in Lincolnville and Sunnyville in Guysborough County.

No deeds to black settlers

The problem can be traced back two centuries, when the government gave plots of land to Black Loyalists for their support during the American Revolutionary War and to Black Refugees, former slaves who sought refuge after the War of 1812. The government, however, did not give deeds, which meant those who settled never officially owned the land they lived on.

The repercussions today are that, without clear title, residents cannot sell their property or legally pass it down to other relatives. The province says that out of the 1,620 total land parcels in Cherry Brook, East Preston and North Preston, for instance, about a third are without clear title.

Cain said she's had her property surveyed, but because of a dispute with some family members, she can't get the deed. She said she needs money to pay for legal costs.

If she gets clear title, Cain plans to build a home and a small teahouse for seniors. She hopes to make an application for funding within a week.

African Nova Scotian Affairs Minister Tony Ince made the funding announcement Wednesday in Cherry Brook. The money will pay for a surveyor and two surveyor technicians, two community liaison officers to help residents with the process, and will help cover legal fees related to clarifying land ownership.

Lincolnville resident Alonzo Reddick travelled to Cherry Brook to hear Ince for himself. Reddick has title to his land but wants questions answered about the migration of his property.

Trouble passing land to children

Migration means moving a property from the old land registration system to the current one. This must be done if the land is to be resold, subdivided or refinanced.

"I'm 82 years old and I have children and I'd like for them to have parts of my land, and I can't afford what I'm being told it's going to cost to have it migrated," Reddick said.

"It's very important and it should be very important to all the black communities."

Reddick also wonders how one surveyor is going to do the work in all five communities.

"It will take him 15, 20 years," Reddick said. "You have to get more than one surveyor."

Dwight Adams, of the North Preston Land Recovery Initiative, said the $2.7 million the province is investing is not enough and will be depleted in no time. He said each community should be asking for more.

"How do you put a dollar figure of that amount out there thinking that it's going to be enough?" he said. "It's not just this community that needs it. It's not just the five that stepped up that are in the forefront of the conversation. It's all the communities."

UN report

The process to determine the legal ownership, which includes a survey of the land, can cost about $10,000 — money many people say they cannot afford.

Earlier this week, a United Nations working group said both the province and the federal government must do more to help African-Nova Scotians obtain legal title.

In a report, the working group of experts on people of African descent said it is concerned about the lack of implementation of Nova Scotia's Land Titles Clarification Act, which is meant to help people obtain titles to the lands on which they live.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/iXPc30ocJcn

Poetic Justice by P.S. Lander Toronto Ontario

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 03:07:31 GMT

Hello Afrobiz community, P.S. Lander here! (P.S. as in my initials and as in P.S., Lander is the one who wrote this). I began writing poetry in adolescence as an outlet for when I felt silenced as a young black female. Whenever I tried to challenge teachings of distorted histories or resist covert racism, I felt helpless and silenced by the opposing adults: However, I realized as an adult that I am only perpetuating my own silencing by keeping my poetry to myself : Each one teach one and poetry can be the platform from which I educate others about the injustices my people face; such as the many ways we lose our loved ones to an oppressive system riddled with racism and injustice. Poetic Justice reflects this dire need for a platform from which I can have my truth be heard . When society silences you sometimes spoken word is the only podium from which you can give your speech.

-Patrice Lander

Poetic Justice

I will not be silenced
My rights you will not breach
Seems like poetry is the podium
From which I'll give my speech
From behind the pulpit
The only time they let me preach
Is this my only reach
The last opportunity to teach
Well I'll gladly bleed this knowledge
So cling on like a leech

Mothers are crying
Father's are dying
Brothers are trying
We aren't lying

Sisters are bearing
Families are tearing
Communities are fearing
But you stay not caring

But still they are rising
Ladders they keep climbing
Even when it's knocked down
You see them crawling
Not the path now on the ground

They won't be tied down
They won't be held back
All because the fight
Doesn't cater to your cause

Poetic Justice
This is my poetic justice
poetry is the podium
This poem is my speech
From behind the pulpit
The only time they let me preach

P.S. Lander

28 inspirational black Canadian women

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Sun, 03 Mar 2019 03:16:59 GMT

In honour of Black History Month, we're highlighting 28 black Canadian women—one for each day of the month—of the past and present, who have made contributions to Canadian society in the realms of fashion, culture and politics.

ZANANA AKANDE

“This time, we’ll leave no woman behind,” activist and former politician Zanana Akande said at this year’s Toronto Women’s March. Akande has dedicated her life to social issues. She was the first black woman to be elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1990. After leaving politics in 1994, she stayed committed to working with many community-based groups, like the Urban Alliance on Race Relations. As seen at the Women’s March, Akande can still be found using her voice for activism; she’s currently working as the chair of the Black Legal Action Centre, a new non-profit set to launch later this year.

TRACI MELCHOR

For years, Traci Melchor has been bringing her vibrant personality and intelligent reporting to our TV screens. Born in Pickering, Ont., the Etalk correspondent got her start as the host of MuchMusic’s RapCity . Throughout her career, Melchor has covered countless red carpets and conducted insightful interviews with hundreds of stars, including Beyoncé, Oprah, and Mariah Carey. Melchor helped launch The Social as a co-host, but left the show in 2016 to take care of her mental health. Today, aside from her duties at Etalk , she inspires by supporting a number of charities and talking openly about the importance of self-care.

JANAYA KHAN

In 2014, Janaya Khan co-founded Black Lives Matter Canada after the death of Jermaine Carby, who was fatally shot by a police officer in Brampton, Ont. (The police officer was not charged.) Currently based in Los Angeles, Khan continues to fight for the justice and equality of people of colour and the LGBTQ community.

WINNIE HARLOW

Not many people can say they’ve given a TEDx talk, been name-checked in a Drake song, and appeared in a Beyoncé video, but not many people are Winnie Harlow. The 23-year-old was discovered by Tyra Banks on Instagram and made her international modelling debut on America’s Next Top Model in 2014. While the GTA-born model didn’t win the cycle, she began appearing in campaigns, fashion weeks, and in magazines (including gracing the cover of our February 2017 issue).

LANA OGILVIE

In 1992, Lana Ogilvie became the first black model to sign a contract with CoverGirl. After being scouted at her high school fashion show in Toronto, she moved to New York and signed with Ford Modeling Agency, walking in shows for high-profile designers like Azzedine Alaia, Sonia Rykiel and Karl Lagerfeld. In the '90s, Ogilvie became an advocate for more inclusive representation within the fashion industry.

VIOLA DESMOND

After Halifax-born entrepreneur Viola Desmond found success in running her own hair salon, the trained beautician opened a beauty school where she was a mentor to many black Canadian women. But across the country, Desmond is remembered for bravely challenging segregation: while at a movie theatre in 1946 in New Glasgow, N.S., she was forcibly removed after sitting on the ground floor—the whites-only section. Although Desmond offered to pay the one-cent difference in tax, she was still arrested and sentenced to 30 days in jail and charged a $26 fine. In 2010, the province of Nova Scotia apologized to and pardoned Desmond, who died in New York in 1965. This year, she will become the first Canadian woman to appear on the face of a Canadian banknote.

WONDAGURL

Brampton-born producer WondaGurl (née Ebony Oshunrinde) got her big break at the ripe age of 16 when a track sent to Travis Scott, an American rapper, ended up in the hands of rap legend, Jay-Z. “It was weird,” she said in an interview for our March 2016 cover. “It didn’t feel like my beat anymore because you never imagine Jay Z using your stuff—especially at 16.” She went on to produce two songs for Drake’s 2015 album If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late and worked with Rihanna and Big Sean. The now 21-year-old is still producing and working toward the ultimate goal: working with Kanye West.

GERSHA PHILLIPSGERSHA PHILLIPS

Since the '90s, Phillips has worked as a costume designer for both film and television. Although she studied fashion and costume design in school, it wasn’t until she saw the opening credits of the film Beaches that she decided to pursue costume design as a career. The Toronto-based costume designer has worked on the sets of several films like Walking Tall , My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 , and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones , where she was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Achievement in Costume Design. Currently, Phillips works on the set of Star Trek: Discovery and was nominated for a Costume Designers Guild Award for Excellence in Sci-fi/Fantasy TV.

ANGELA JAMES

You may better recognize women’s hockey pioneer Angela James by her nickname, the “Wayne Gretzky of women’s hockey.” James earned the famed moniker after scoring a stunning 50 goals and 73 points in just 14 games during a season at Seneca College. Despite missing the Olympics—she was controversially cut from the first women’s team in 1998—James still made an international mark throughout her career, helping lead Canada to gold four times at the Women’s World Championship. James retired from play in 2000 and moved on to coaching. In 2010, James became one of first two women, the first openly gay player, and only the second Black athlete ever to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

MARY ANN SHADD

Mary Ann Shadd was born in 1823 in the slave state of Delaware to “free” parents, whose home was a safehouse on the Underground Railroad. The eldest of 13 kids, Shadd eventually moved to Windsor and opened a racially integrated school. By 1853, she founded and edited the Provincial Freeman, a weekly newspaper that was anti-slavery and publicized the successes of Black people in Canada, making her the first woman to publish a newspaper in the country. Before her death in Washington D.C. in 1893, she became one of the first Black women to earn a law degree. In 1994, she was honoured as a person of national historic significance in Canada.

MITZIE HUNTER

“By being an example, you have the ability to encourage other women to take risks, show initiative, and take on leadership roles,” Ontario MPP and Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development Mitzie Hunter told us last year. And Hunter, who immigrated to Canada with her family from Jamaica when she was just four years old, definitely leads by example. Before becoming a politician, the U of T grad was the CEO of the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance, where she dedicated herself to social, economic, and environmental issues. Elected to the Liberal government in 2013, Hunter was just recently promoted to the minister of advanced education and skills development, where she will work on issues like providing free post-secondary school tuition to students in need.

MEASHA BRUEGGERGOSMAN

Born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Brueggergosman started singing at age seven. She went on to receive a B.A. in Music from the University of Toronto, and, in 1998, received the lead role in Beatrice Chancy , an opera about an enslaved African-Canadian woman in 19th-century Nova Scotia. Following the success of her debut role, the singer—who combined her and her husband's last names to get Brueggergosman—has gone on to perform across Canada and the world. In 2005, she won the Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral. Brueggergosman recently published her first book and memoir, Something Is Always On Fire: My Life So Far . She can be seen both on and off stage as a performer and music education advocate.

JEAN AUGUSTINE

Jean Augustine is the reason Canadians celebrate Black History Month every February. Born in St. George’s, Grenada, Augustine immigrated to Canada in 1960 and went on to be the first black female member of Parliament. In 1995, August made a motion to recognize February as Black History Month, which passed unanimously, 305-0. As a result of her hard work and dedication to education and politics, she received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, and was appointed to Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2014. Augustine retired from politics in 2006 but continues to work as an advocate and community builder at the Jean Augustine Centre for Young Women’s Empowerment.

ESI EDUGYAN

We’ve been making space on our bookshelves for Esi Edugyan’s writing since her debut novel, The Second Life of Samuel Tyne , was published in 2004. Born in Calgary to Ghanaian immigrant parents, Edugyan’s work explores diaspora, black histories, and ideas about belonging. In 2011, she won the Giller Prize for her second novel, Half-Blood Blues , which CBC included on their list of 150 books to read for Canada 150. Edugyan has also won the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Her most recent work, 2014’s Dreaming of Elsewhere: Observations on Home , was her first non-fiction book. Her newest novel, Washington Black , hits bookshelves later this year.

MARCI IEN

Marci Ien has long been a trusted name in Canadian broadcasting. The Ryerson alumna worked all over the country, joining CTV’s Atlantic bureau in Halifax in 1997. Since then, she’s covered Queen’s Park, national news, and was an anchor during the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Toronto-based Ien greeted Canadians every morning as the co-host of Canada AM for more than 13 years. She now graces our screens as one of the hosts on The Social. On top of her award-winning work, Ien also travels around the world for charity and is a mentor at an after-school program in Etobicoke.

CARRIE BEST

Carrie Best, an active civil rights advocate, is recognized as the first black woman to publish and own a newspaper in Nova Scotia. She founded The Clarion in 1946, which circulated until 1956 when it was renamed The Negro Citizen. As a journalist and publisher, Best used her media platform to advocate for the rights of black Canadians and notably supported Viola Desmond’s case against the Roseland Theatre. (Best and her son had been arrested at Roseland a few years prior, also for sitting in the "whites-only" section.) Her work spread across several mediums including her own radio program, The Quiet Corner, and a column on human rights for the Pictou Advocate. She was awarded an honorary doctor of laws from St. Francis Xavier University and University of King’s College and, after her death in 2001, was posthumously awarded the Order of Nova Scotia in 2002.

MICHELLE JEAN

When she was just a young girl, Michaëlle Jean and her family fled their home in Port-au-Prince, Haiti to escape the totalitarian regime of François Duvalier. They settled in Quebec, where Jean eventually attended the Université de Montréal. While a student, she was also an advocate for survivors of domestic violence and worked at women’s shelters. In the late ‘80s, Jean became a journalist for Radio Canada, making her the first black person in Canada to be seen on French TV news. By 2004, she was well-known by French Canadians and was hosting her own current affairs show. In 2005, Jean became Canada’s 27th Governor General of Canada; she was also the first black person and third woman to fill the role. Since leaving the job in 2010, she has become the secretary general of the International Organisation of La Francophonie, the first woman and Canadian to hold the post.

HARRIET TUBMAN

You’re definitely familiar with American Harriet Tubman, one of the most well-known abolitionists from the U.S., but how much do you know about her connection to Canada? Tubman was born into enslavement in Maryland in 1820, finally escaping to Philadelphia in 1849 using the Underground Railroad. When she learned that her niece and her family were to be auctioned to another slaveholder, she returned to Maryland to help them flee, starting her work as a conductor on the railroad. After a law was passed that would allow refugee slaves who had fled to the North to be forced back into the slave trade, she took her rescue missions to St. Catharines, Ontario. Tubman moved to the Canadian city in 1851, where she would open her door to new refugees, all while continuing rescue missions. She made about 10 trips on the Underground Railroad, leading at least 70 people to safety in Canada.

MARTINE CHARTRAND

Montreal-born painter, illustrator, animator and director Martine Chartrand is truly a master of her craft. Four years after completing her BFA in visual arts at Concordia University and certificate in art education from the Université du Québec à Montréal, Chartrand directed her first animated film, T.V. Tango, for the National Film Board of Canada. Her second NFB film, Black Soul, won 23 awards, followed by her third, MacPherson, which won the Best Short Film Award and the Public Award for the Best Canadian Short Film at the Montreal World Film Festival 2012. Chartrand studied under famed paint-on-glass animator, Alexander Petrov, and helped with the preparation and production of his animated film The Old Man and the Sea. Today, Chartrand continues travel to around the world to hold lectures and workshops for paint-on-glass animation.

EUGENIA DUODU

Eugenia Duodu is a Toronto-based academic, mentor and CEO of Visions of Science Network for Learning, a STEM-based organization that runs educational programs for low-income youth in the GTA. Her love of science and volunteer work came together after volunteering for Visions of Science at a science fair during the studies at University of Toronto. By the time she finished her PhD in Chemistry, Duodu went from being running the organization part-time, to handling all aspects of the organization full-time as CEO. As recently as 2017, Duodu spoke at the annual TEDxYouth Conference in Toronto about her pursuit of science as a black woman in STEM. She continues to work in Toronto with various community partners to engage and encourage youth to explore opportunities in STEM.

ROSEMARY BROWN

Rosemary Brown was a Canadian social worker and politician. Born in Jamaica in 1930, Brown immigrated to Canada in 1951 to study at McGill University and later moved to British Columbia to earn her Masters of Social Work. After years of activism, she decided to join provincial politics. She won a B.C. seat for the NDPs in 1972, making her the first black woman to be elected to any provincial legislature in Canada. During her 14 years as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), she dedicated herself to a variety of issues, including eliminating sexism from B.C.’s educational material. Brown also became the first black woman to run for the leadership of a federal party; she came in second in the NDP’s 1975 leadership election, using the slogan “Brown is Beautiful” during her campaign. After leaving politics in 1988, she returned to advocacy and was eventually appointed Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission five years later.

AURORA JAMES

Aurora James is the cool Toronto girl we all want to become. Her eye for style began in childhood from travelling the world with her mother, whose closet was filled with a collection of traditional yet stylish pieces from just about everywhere. She attended classes at Ryerson University for Journalism but left before graduating. She worked with legendary Canadian fashion journalist, Jeanne Beker, at Fashion Television and later moved to L.A. to work as a freelance creative consultant. It wasn’t until a trip to Morocco in 2011 that James started exploring the world of design. Inspired by the local shoemakers she met and later collaborated with, James founded Brother Vellies in 2013 as an environmentally sustainable footwear brand. Her work quickly gained popularity, most notably for her collection of ‘vellies’ or desert boots, and James expanded her business to work with artisans in Kenya and Morocco. James is currently based in Brooklyn but visits Africa every couple of months to continue working with craftspeople in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, and Morocco.

PHYLICIA GEORGE

As an Olympian, Phylicia George has represented Canada all over the world. The Scarborough-born athlete first started running hurdles when she was 15 years old after falling in love with running and competing while racing her dad in parking lots. She first represented Canadians on an international stage at the 2012 Olympics in London, where she finished sixth in the hurdles event and achieved a personal best time. Although she had to battle through injuries, George continued to compete, appearing at both the Pan Am Games in Toronto and the 2016 Rio Olympics. But an Olympic medal eluded her—until PyeongChang. This year, George became the first black Canadian woman to compete in both the summer and winter games when she teamed up with champion bobsledder Kaillie Humphries. The duo won bronze at the women’s bobsleigh final this week—Canada’s (and Humphries’) third consecutive Olympic medal at the event.

GRACE MAHARY

We go way back with Grace Mahary: she won the ELLE Canada/Québec model search in 2005. The Eritrean-Canadian model was born in Edmonton, Alberta and moved to Toronto on her own when she was just 16 years old to pursue modelling. After winning the contest, she began to model locally. By 2011 she moved to Paris hoping to start modelling internationally. It paid off: the next year Mahary made her big catwalk debut at Givenchy’s fall show. From there, she appeared in a number of shows, including Chanel, Christian Dior, and Valentino; in 2014 she was the only Canadian model to walk the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. When she isn’t modelling, New York-based Mahary is dedicated to philanthropy. In 2015 she founded Project Tsehigh, a non-profit that aims to provide sustainable and renewable energy to impoverished communities.

RUTH B

We’ve had Edmonton-born singer Ruth B’s (full name Ruth Berhe) voice stuck in our head for years. The 22-year-old got her start on Vine, where she would regular post snippets of her covering songs. In 2014, she shared six seconds of chords and vocals she wrote inspired by the TV show Once Upon a Time that quickly reached 84,000 views—a lot for her at the time. The reaction inspired the singer/songwriter to complete the song that went on to become her hit “Lost Boy.” The song grew more and more popular online and by 2015 the Canadian had been signed to a record label. By 2017, she was a superstar on the Canadian music scene, winning Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the Juno Awards. Working with one of Lorde’s producers, Joel Little, Berhe released her first full-length album Safe Haven, which she composed herself, last year. We’ll be closely keeping an eye out for her once again at this year’s Junos, where she’s been nominated for three awards, including artist of the year.

DIONNE BRAND

Brand’s contributions to Canadian literature span decades and genres. Best known as a poet, Brand has also written short stories, essays and several non-fiction books often addressing the intersections of race and gender in Canada. Before she moved to Toronto from Trinidad, Brand submitted poems to various newspapers under the pseudonym Xavier Simone—a nod to legendary singer Nina Simone. In 1970, Brand attended the University of Toronto and graduated with a BA in English and Philosophy and MA in the Philosophy of Education. In 1997, she won the Governor General’s Award for Poetry and Trillium Book Award for her book of poetry, Land to Light On. In 2009, she was named Toronto’s third poet laureate and in 2017 was appointed to the Order of Canada. Brand will be awarded with an honorary degree later this year from the University of Toronto.

VANESSA CRAFT

Call us a little biased, but we can’t help but admire ELLE Canada editor-in-chief Vanessa Craft. Our fearless leader has long been passionate about fashion—she moved to London when she was 18 years old to attend the London College of Fashion. About 13 years later, Craft made her way back home to Toronto, where she dedicated herself to writing. She joined the Canadian edition of More as a beauty editor and founded kickette.com, a woman’s website focused on sports. In 2011, she joined the ELLE Canada family as beauty director, where she was part of a team that won six industry awards and helped increase web traffic to ELLE’s beauty content by 70 percent. After building up more than 16 years of industry experience, Craft took over as editor-in-chief of ELLE Canada in 2016. We couldn’t do it without her.

TREY ANTHONY

As an award winning playwright, actor, and stand‐up comedian, Trey Anthony has entertained Canadian audiences for almost two decades. She is best known for her first play, ’da Kink in my Hair, which debuted at the Toronto Fringe Festival in 2001. The play won four NAACP Theatre Awards and was later adapted for television. The series aired on Global TV from 2007 to 2009, making Anthony the first black Canadian woman to write and produce a television show for a primetime network in Canada. (Anthony was born in London, but moved to Canada with her mother when she was 12.) In 2010, she spoke at the second annual TEDxToronto conference about her experiences as a queer black woman in the entertainment industry and encouraged others to pursue their dreams. Today, Anthony continues her work as a speaker, writer and mentor.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/AnNh30ntnXM

Business Grants available for black women entrepreneurs in 2019

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Sat, 02 Feb 2019 08:13:36 GMT

As women-owned businesses continue to grow, one of the significant obstacles they face is unequal access to funding and venture capital. While most people seek business loans, small business grants provide the capital needed to start or grow a business. Also, grants do not need to be paid back as long as the requirements and obligations are met. The following small business grants for black women entrepreneurs provides them with the capital to take their startup or established business to the next level.

Business Grants available for black women entrepreneurs in 2019

Cartier Women’s Initiative Award

Industry: Any

Grant Amount: $100,000 and $30,000

Cartier Women’s Initiative Award is an annual business grant for early phase (1 to 3 years) for-profit, women-led businesses. Women must have a significant stake in the business in the role of director, general manager, or CEO.

The first place winning package awards seven women entrepreneurs with $100,000 in prize money and one-on-one personalized business mentoring.

The second place winning package, awarded to 14 finalists, includes $30,000 in prize money. The women-owned or women-led business must be designed to generate revenue.

Eligible applicants must be women entrepreneurs 18 years of age or the legal majority age in the country of citizenship at the close date of the application submission.

Application submission opens June 2019 for 2020 award.

The Halstead Grant

Industry: Jewelry Design

Grant Amount: $7,500 cash award and $1,000 in merchandise

The Halstead Grant is for women entrepreneurs in the early phase (less than 3 years) of business in the jewelry industry. This annually awarded grant includes $7,500 for startup capital, $1,000 of Halstead jewelry supplies, and recognition in the jewelry industry.

The grant application process requires applicants to answer a series of questions regarding their business goals and strategies. All applicants receive feedback from the judges about their business plan

Application deadline is Aug. 1st.

#GIRLBOSS Foundation Grant

Industry: Design, Fashion, Music, the Arts, etc.

Grant Award: $15,000

The #GIRLBOSS Foundation Grant is for individual for-profit women business owners in industries of design, fashion, music, and the arts. The grant of $15,000 is awarded twice a year.

Eligible applicants must be United States citizens and at least 18 years of age or older at the time of the closing date of application submission.

Business entities, organizations, or companies are not eligible.

Application submission is currently open.

Amber Grant

Industry: Any

Grant Amount: $10,000

The Amber Grant was established in honor of a young lady named Amber. Amber passed away before she had an opportunity to fulfill her dream of being an entrepreneur at the age of 19. This grant of $1,000 is awarded to women entrepreneurs in any industry monthly. The 12 grant winners get a chance to win a $10,000 grant funds for their business.

Eligible applicants must be U.S. or Canadian citizens and 18 years of age at the close date of application submission. An application fee of $15 is required.

Application submission is currently open.

Open Meadows Foundation

Industry: Non-Profit programs benefiting Women and Girls

Grant Award: $75,000

The Open Meadows Foundation wants to change the world! The $2,000 grant is awarded twice a year to women-backed organizations with projects focused on “activism, political change, and empowerment directed by and benefiting women and girls.” The organization must have limited access to funding and an operational budget of less than $75,000.

Eligible applicants must have tax-exempt status under 501C3 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) or a fiscal sponsor with this IRC designation. Small and startup organizations are given priority in the application review process.

Deadlines for grant proposals via email are 12:00 midnight EST on Feb. 15 and Aug. 15.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/IEDh30nyeSf

New business communities of Nova Scotia

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 03:43:27 GMT

No more ‘old boys club’ for the region’s business environment

I gave a welcome to the room as the new Chair of the Board. I looked out at the crowd and saw a sea of opportunity and diversity. Each table boasted a variety of students, entrepreneurs, both new and established, minorities, immigrants and women. As the first African Nova Scotian and only the fourth woman to hold my current position with the Halifax Chamber, I swelled with pride.

Nova Scotia’s economic climate for minorities and women has never been stronger. Leaders in our region like the Black Business Initiative, ISANS and the Centre for Women in Business create opportunities for our marginalized communities to succeed in their ventures.

The Black Business Initiative is launching their TD Spark Mentorship Program aimed at creating a networking, mentorship and leadership training platform for African Nova Scotian and other racially visible minority post-secondary youth.

ISANS’ Immigrant Women Entrepreneurship Program (IWEP) provides valuable training in business skills. This 48-hour certificate program offers a flexible approach for immigrant women to gain hands-on knowledge of starting and running a business.

The Centre for Women in Business joined forces with RBC to create the RBC Alliance of Young Women Entrepreneurs (AYWE). This initiative encourages students to think in an entrepreneurial mindset before graduating. Students represent a key asset to the region and programs like AYWE show them the possibility of creating a life for themselves in Nova Scotia.

My experience in the province as a black woman in business has shown me the gaps in our business community. We have a plan to fill those gaps. The Halifax Chamber membership is growing and increasingly becoming more diverse, and one of our strategic goals is to increase our membership to reflect our changing demographic. This doesn’t mean increase by numbers only — this is a chance to ensure that we not only reflect the varying industry sectors found in our city, but we are inclusive in reflecting the changing face of our businesses in Halifax. From business sector to ownership, we want a membership wholly representative of our rich and varied diverse community.

The Halifax Chamber cannot do it alone. We need a business community that is actively recruiting members of underrepresented groups with varying backgrounds. Whether it’s mentoring a minority and/or immigrant-run start-up or working with a group of students on a case study, local leaders can step up and create an inclusive environment.

It is important to note that an inclusive environment not only comes through one’s recruitment strategy, it can be driven through one’s procurement strategy. Buying goods and/or services from diverse businesses not only helps to build the economic fabric of our city, it grows and strengthens Halifax’s SME business community. Ultimately, inclusive procurement is a way to engage with a new, growing and varied set of suppliers that have started business right here in our city.

Our province is not growing at the rate we need. Our aging population is (rightfully) slowing down and our students continue to move out of province for lower taxes and bigger opportunities. Let’s encourage an entrepreneurial ecosystem for all Nova Scotians with accessible funding, training, mentorship, procurement opportunities and support. Let’s celebrate our strength in both diversity and community. Let’s make Nova Scotia the global centre of mosaic entrepreneurial talent.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/iJp830nd8iC

Black Explosion adds fresh perspective to historic tragedy

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 03:22:25 GMT

After more than a century, the Halifax Explosion on Dec. 6, 1917 remains an event that looms large in the minds of Nova Scotians as a defining moment in our history. And in the course of his own years of research, Halifax writer David Woods has found there are still many stories to tell about the devastating cataclysm, specifically those from the region’s African-Nova Scotian communities.

Last week, Woods hosted a unique event at the Black Cultural Centre in Cherry Brook, combining history, drama and storytelling titled Black Explosion, connecting the narrative threads of the Halifax Explosion, the First World War and the civil rights movement. Based on the research he’s done for his upcoming play Extraordinary Acts, the evening featured story tellers Wanda Robson from North Sydney, Kentville’s Geraldine Browning and Halifax’s Wanda Lewis, painting a broader picture of the events of that fateful day, as well as uncovering some of the hateful truths about the systemic racism of the time that even an earth-shattering disaster couldn’t shake.

“It’s been a very interesting journey for me, exploring the Halifax Explosion,” Woods told the packed crowd Friday night, before discussing his research and his desire to spread the story of Dr. Clemente Courtnay Ligoure, who treated the wounded at his North Street clinic. Ligoure became a central figure in Extraordinary Acts, which Woods wrote in partnership with Voices Black Theatre and the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children Society.

“It feels like it was my destiny to write about this man,” said Woods. “He was from Trinidad, which is also where I happened to originate, before North Preston stole me away. The more I found out, the more I wanted to learn about this hero, as well as the African-Nova Scotian experience, which is consistently left out of the annual commemorations of the Halifax Explosion.”

The first half of the evening took the form of an illustrated lecture, with familiar images of the two ships that collided at the Narrows of Halifax Harbour, the heavily laden munitions ship Mont Blanc and the Belgian relief vessel Imo, the sight of Halifax’s north end levelled by the blast, and an often-reprinted photo of four women from Africville making their way along what is now Barrington Street past rubble and jagged timbers that used to be families’ homes.

But apart from that photo, Woods says the story of black Nova Scotians is rarely part of the historical record, and when he saw museum displays on the explosion, “there was very little mention of their experience, and what was there was misrepresented.”

Dr. Ligoure is a case in point, a man of many firsts who became the province’s first licensed black physician and publisher of the province’s first black newspaper, the Atlantic Advocate. But he did these things after he moved to Nova Scotia to answer his country’s call of duty and serve as medical officer for the No. 2 Construction Battalion — the first to include African-Canadian soldiers — but was denied the post because the army would not allow a black man to serve as an officer.

“You can imagine the shock of a man who had given up his career path to come here, who was willing to serve, and he was left out,” said Woods.

The explosion’s reach also included the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children, a much-needed institution that was destroyed in the disaster before it officially opened, and was ultimately established in Westphal in 1921. Woods also related the story of Jamaican soldiers forced to stay on an unheated ship waylaid by German U-boats, who were being treated for the resulting frostbite and gangrene at the time of the explosion.

In the second half, vivid pictures of that day and those that followed were painted by the storytellers gathered for the occasion, starting with 92-year-old Robson. She grew up with stories about the Halifax Explosion from her parents and siblings who lived in the Davis home on Gottingen Street, including her sisters, civil rights icon Viola Desmond, who was three years old at the time, and Emily Clyke, who passed away in June just before her 105th birthday.

Within seconds of the blast, their father James Davis ran to the kitchen where little Viola was in her high chair, covered by the window shade which protected her from flying glass.

“She had her hands over her head, and she said ‘Those bad boys are throwing stones at me,’” recalled Robson, before describing how her father then bundled up the kids and went down the street to check on their grandmother.

They found her in her kitchen, where the force of the blast had sent her flying up onto the top shelf of the cupboard.

“You have to laugh, she was a tiny woman, she must have weighed 90 pounds, and there she was sitting with her feet dangling down,” said Robson.

“She cried out, ‘Well, James what are you doing just standing there? Get me down from here! Those Germans are bombing us!’”

But for most African-Nova Scotians, the experience of the Halifax Explosion was far more grim, as Browning recounted how it claimed the life of her grandfather, Andrew Upshaw, from Windsor. He had been working on the furnace of a ship in Halifax Harbour, one of the few that would hire black crewmembers.

“So many people had family working in Halifax who were killed or injured. It affected the whole community, it was a very sad day for the people of Windsor,” said the Annapolis Valley educator and Order of Nova Scotia recipient.

Later, Browning’s grandmother remarried and ultimately had eight children from her first marriage and eight more in her second, plus many foster kids who came from the Home for Coloured Children.

“I guess she just loved children,” said Browning, who pointed out that the relief commission created after the explosion did little to help affected African-Nova Scotian families; a fact borne out by Woods’ discovery of documents outlining its official policy to offer black families less relief than white ones.

“Some people would get $1,000 for their troubles, and my grandmother didn’t get enough to feed her children,” Browning told the crowd. This added to the weight of Wood’s proof of the systemic racism of the time, and Lewis’s story of widowed Halifax businesswoman Rachel Brown, forced to live with her children in a $260 shack after the explosion with no relief money in sight.

As a founding member of the Black Business Initiative and the Black Cultural Society, Browning said these stories remain valuable lessons, even as they’re coming to light 100 years later, and serve as a reminder that we as society can strive to do better.

“We can’t go back, we can only change the present for the future.”

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/3pDo30nd80B

Dear white people, wake up: Canada is racist

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 20:30:41 GMT

Approximately 4,000 people gathered at Vancouver’s City Hall on Aug. 19, 2017 to protest an anti-immigration and anti-Muslim white nationalist rally. They far out-numbered the white nationalist demonstrators. Later, one counter-protester interviewed by CBC-TV news said: “I’ve never seen a racist.”

Did that counter-protester come to the rally hoping to see a racist? What do racists look like, anyway? Are they easily identifiable? Perhaps he was imagining a stereotypical neo-Nazi?

Although his statement was naive and problematic, it actually reflects common misunderstandings of white supremacy and racism in Canada.

It also reflects the mythical Canadian narrative of inclusivity and diversity. Canadians widely believe their country to be a peaceful, multicultural country without racism.

Yet human rights activists and critical race scholars provide evidence that inequity is woven into the fabric of Canadian institutions and normalized in everyday practices.

The absence of racism and racists is one of Canada’s “fable-like” racial stories. In Racism Without Racists , scholar Eduardo Bonilla-Silva says we tell and retell ourselves the same moral story.

The majority of racism “remains hidden beneath a veneer of normality,” says sociologist David Gillborn, “and it is only the more crude and obvious forms of racism that are seen as problematic by most people.”

Institutions of higher education are especially prone to reproducing inequalities beneath a “facade of meritocracy and colour blindness.”

As a Black feminist and critical researcher of race and education at UBC, it is not uncommon to encounter students and colleagues who deny not only institutional racism in Canada but also the ways in which we are all implicated.

This matrix of domination permeates our universities, schools, communities, religious institutions and even our families. That is, intersecting dimensions such as race, class, gender, sexuality, disability and religion affect us all but they can be especially powerful in Canadian institutions.

Suits and ties, a new face of white nationalism

In a recent magazine article, Toronto Black Lives Matter co-founder Janaya Khan credits the lack of critical engagement with race as contributing to the success of white nationalism in Canada.

She says Canadians “have a deep investment in seeing themselves as more enlightened than their counterparts to the south, as if racism and bigotry suddenly stop at the U.S./Canada border.”

Human rights activist and author Leonard Zeskind recently explained the new face of the movement: “It is not one of an angry Klansman in a robe — it’s a young, educated, well-spoken white American.” He describes white nationalists as “smart, mostly middle class and a democratic slice of America.”

To claim to have never seen a racist does not preclude the ubiquity of racism or white supremacy. Today, white supremacists are not white sheet, brown shirt types. But as Zeskind says, “they’re black suits, brown suits, business people.”

Engage critically with race

Those who do not experience racism may be unaware of how it functions in Canada — perniciously and insidiously. For example, The Black Experience Project, a six-year study released this July found Blacks, when compared to non-Blacks nationally, “earn lower incomes, experience higher rates of unemployment, and higher rates of incarceration. They also suffer poorer health outcomes, have more housing difficulties and are more likely to be victims of violence.”

In Vancouver, we like to tout our inclusivity and diversity In Vancouver, we like to tout our inclusivity and diversity In Vancouver, we like to tout our inclusivity and diversity In Vancouver, we like to tout our inclusivity and diversity In Vancouver, we like to tout our inclusivity and diversity In Vancouver, we like to tout our inclusivity and diversity In Vancouver, we like to tout our inclusivity and diversity

I find many residents not only ignorant of the historical Black British Columbian past but also of Black people currently living in British Columbia.

If you’re interested, a few important contributors to British Columbia Black history are: Alice Walker biographer Evelyn C. White, journalist and college professor Crawford Killan, and Wayde Compton, a Vancouver activist and acclaimed writer who is also the program director of creative writing in continuing studies at Simon Fraser University.

Challenge ‘normal’

How often do those of us who work at universities question who receives awards or who gets admitted to programs? Do we question the the lack of representation of racialized and Indigenous tenure-track and tenured faculty. Do we challenge the predominant whiteness of senior leadership teams and Canada Research Chairs? These examples illustrate how white supremacy surreptitiously and successfully performs its work.

In a recent essay, education researcher Michelle Stack gives practical examples of how white educators can work against racism.

All of us must do anti-racist and anti-oppressive work.

If only Indigenous and racialized instructors are teaching about colonialism, systemic racism and white supremacy, the burden remains greater for these marginalized faculty. The same applies to only women, or only LGBTQ instructors teaching about feminism or sexuality, or only people in disability studies teaching about disability. All of us need to be involved.

Moreover, when these subjects are taught in disparate ways in disparate departments, students cannot understand the intersections of these social dimensions.

Although we cannot be experts in all areas, we need to give students a framework to analyze the world in which they live — and will hopefully work to change.

With all of us, including senior leadership, persistently contributing to eradicating these pernicious practices and developing transformative strategies, conversations about race and equity can become part of the everyday dialogues in classrooms, departments, selection committees and wherever important decisions are made.

The white male protester who said he’d never seen a racist has most likely lived with the white privilege of never having to witness or to recognize incidents of racism that people of colour frequently encounter.

He likely would not have confronted the ways that systemic racism pervades all of our lives and is routinized in everyday Canadian life.

Whether the racism is crude and obvious — or hidden in normal routines like a sly fox — he simply may not have recognized it.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/abKR30n41t8

Nova Scotia basketball star builds a basketball court for his hometown

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 20:09:09 GMT

Shaquille Smith helped raise $300,000 to build a basketball court in North Preston

Shaquille Smith knows how some outsiders view his hometown of North Preston, N.S.

"I have people outside of my community thinking I'm supposed to be a drug dealer from the time I'm in Grade 5. That doubt starts to seep in your mind, and you're thinking, 'I'm not supposed to be here,'" Smith told Now or Never .

Smith found those doubts hard to shake. Due to poor grades, he nearly lost a prestigious basketball scholarship to Acadia University — and a part of him questioned if he was even meant to be there.

Although he had exceptional grades in high school, Smith said that when he got to university he couldn't shake the internalized stigma he held against his community. He believed that getting into university itself was exceeding expectations.

"That kind of fuelled me being complacent, because [I was] taking my eye off the ball, and not thinking about what's next."

Fighting back against stigma

For years, North Preston has been plagued by a reputation of being a dangerous place rife with violence and crime. It's a perception that Smith has now dedicated himself to fighting.

Smith eventually found his way — and found a fierce pride in his community. He became a university basketball star and graduated with a business degree. He's now using his platform to inspire the youth in the community.

This year, he helped raise $300,000 to build a professional-grade outdoor basketball court in North Preston. It's currently in construction, and will be ready in spring 2019.

"We're planning big things for the grand opening. I'm thinking food trucks, music playing, bleachers are going to be filled, and everyone just having a good time," Smith said.

Life beyond basketball

North Preston is home to some of the most elite young basketball players that Canada has to offer, many of whom aspire to play professionally. But Smith is on a mission to encourage youth to think about life beyond basketball. His plan is to use the sport as a hook to draw kids into a larger conversation about their futures.

"I just want to wave the red flag — do not get complacent in your first year [of university]. Start thinking about your career. If basketball doesn't work out, you're still able to get your degree, and you can use that to build your life after basketball."

For Smith, it's not just about trying to change the stigma attached to North Preston. Instead, he's hoping the youth will look within themselves.

"We're just setting the bar way too low for ourselves as a community. I'm just trying to inspire the kids to think a bit bigger."

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/ITJG30n40ED

Jean-Jacques Dessalines, le héros haïtien

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 02:39:38 GMT

Jean-Jacques Dessalines est l'ingénieux stratège Haïtien qui a infligé la première défaite à l'armée de Napoléon. Le 18 novembre 1803, au cours d'une bataille éprouvante de 12h, Dessalines écrase les troupes françaises de Rochambeau, un sociopathe raciste extrêmement sadique qui jusque-là torturait et tuait des centaines d'haïtiens rebelles afin de rétablir l'esclavage aboli sur l'île en 1794.

A l'époque l'armée de Napoléon était réputée comme la plus puissante du monde car elle n'avait jamais subi un seul échec. Cette réputation n'impressionna nullement la détermination des révoltés d'Haïti qui prirent la décision ferme de conserver leur liberté ou de mourir. Ce sont donc 55.000 soldats français qui furent massacrés sur les 70.000 envoyés par Napoléon.

Non seulement l'armée française impériale fut vaincue par des hommes sans expérience militaire, sans entraînement et sans formation technique mais en plus ces hommes étaient noirs ! Autant dire que la défaite infligée fut vécue par Napoléon comme une humiliation insupportable. Cette lutte intitulée "bataille de Vertière" fut rayée de l'histoire de France. En effet elle n'apparaît dans aucun livre d'histoire, aucune encyclopédie, aucun dictionnaire des noms propres.

Malgré la tentative de la France d'effacer cet épisode humiliant, l'historien haïtien Antoine Bernard Thomas Madiou a remis le triomphe de Vertière en lumière dans son œuvre en 3 volumes "Histoire d'Haïti" et il a par la même occasion rendu sa gloire historique à Jean-Jacques Dessalines. Pour les moins courageux en lecture il existe un ouvrage plus concis "l'armée indigène, la défaite de Napoléon" de Jean-Pierre Leglaunec.

De nos jours, plusieurs monuments honorent les héros sacrifiés lors de cette bataille en Haïti. On retrouve également des hommages à ce triomphe en Amérique du Sud, comme la grande fresque présente au Vénézuela.

Ce que nous devons commémorer ce sont nos propres victoires et les véritables héros de la liberté, ceux qui ont versé du sang et non de l'encre.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/kj3C30n3kVN

Barbershop Talks In Ottawa

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Wed, 19 Dec 2018 22:48:29 GMT

A safe place to discuss Black masculinity

Many Black men have a special relationship with their barbers. This unique connection has resulted in a series of events called the Barbershop Talks, where the “neighbourhood barbershop” is used to create a safe space for Black community members to meet.

In these informal meetings, participants are encouraged to openly discuss Black masculinity and critical issues that affect Black men and boys in Canada. Besides stimulating conversations, the idea is to brainstorm about solutions to some of the significant stresses Black men and boys face.

The first Barbershop Talks was held Feb. 28, 2018, in a local Ottawa barbershop called The Rite Cut. It was scheduled for two hours but ran for three.

Based on the positive response, francophone communities were invited to the second discussion, which took place on July 11 simultaneously in three cities: Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. Although it is likely that some of these conversations already occur in small interpersonal, informal or accidental spaces, we wanted to host a formal discussion with the community.

Both francophone and anglophone attendees of the July events said they experienced similar racially charged micro-aggressions in Canada. Common among those experiences was the feeling that Black Canadian men and boys were associated with negative stereotypes that demonized their existence.

Why hold them at barbershops? One participant said his barber was his “therapist, coach and his everything.” He also mentioned that going to visit his barber for a haircut on a regular basis helped build his identity as a “Black man” and as he got older “it was a necessity” for him to visit his barber.

We felt it was important to focus on issues facing Canadian Black men because there are many misconceptions that racial discrimination does not exist in Canada.

In particular, misconceptions about Black men — both anglophone and francophone — can grow and fester. Stereotypes of Black men and boys can hinder their autonomy and dampen their ability to cultivate healthy self-perceptions. This denial of racism also robs people and communities of places where they can talk freely about the real issues they are dealing with as Black men.

As Black men and boys respond to and resist the false identities that are superimposed upon them, they wrestle with their identities as they struggle to process racist misconceptions of themselves. For young men trying to develop a healthy understanding of themselves, this is especially challenging.

Perceived as threats and not allies

Scholars like Franz Fanon and W.E.B. Du Bois documented these issues in their work published decades ago. More recently, critical race theorists like Stuart Hall, bell hooks, Paul Gilroy, Katherine McKittrick, Kimberle Crenshaw and George Elliott Clarke) have continued to discuss questions of Black consciousness in North America.

This sample of writers and scholars represents a range of expertise. While they may not agree on every issue concerning Blackness or racialized males, their diversity of thought and scholarship showcases the range of ideas within historical-political contexts.

Philosopher Tommy Curry looks at deconstructing Black masculinity in his 2017 book,The Man-Not: Race, Class, Genre and the Dilemmas of Black Manhood. Curry argues:

“…because Black men are not subjects of, or in theories emanating from their own experience, they are often conceptualized as the threats others fear them to be.”

This general understanding that Black men and their social position in a North American context are perceived as threats and not allies complicates their lived experiences.

A community effort

We are two PhD students, but we see the Barbershop Talks as a community event rather than an academic endeavour. One of us, Warren Clarke, the primary co-ordinator of the event, focuses on race, youth and masculinity in Canada. The other, Nadine Powell, focuses on race and ethnicity in Canada, migration and gender.

We both agreed that we did not want to perpetuate the colonial style of knowledge-gathering that operates from a hierarchical, top-down approach. Instead, the Barbershop Talks encourage community members to speak about the issues that concern them and not merely answer questions generated by the co-ordinators.

To achieve this, we involved people from various parts of the community in the planning, co-ordination and generation of discussion topics. People who helped us includes: Jan van Huezen, Arnold Tabaro, John Wambombo, Eldon Holder, Stephan Spence-Clarke and the facilitators: L.A. Wade, Salina Berhane and Mitchell McLarnon.

The relationship between academics and communities sometimes does not allow for knowledge to flow freely between the two sets of people. In most cases, the knowledge flows in one direction; institutions have a claim on constructing the information that is useful for the community. This doesn’t allow for a reciprocal relationship to develop in which community members are empowered to speak about their needs, desires and solutions.

Defining Blackness

The first talks held in Ottawa primarily dealt with unpacking how we define Blackness. It was an insightful discussion about the depth and complexity of the label Blackness and Black as people within the Black community were expressing what the label means to them.

There were many interpretations of Blackness. Understanding the complexities of Blackness helps to dispel the commonly held misconception that any Black individual is representative of all Black people and all Black histories or all Black stereotypes.

The community also discussed perceptions of women’s roles (mothers, grandmothers, aunts and cousins) in constructing images of young Black men from society at large, and within the African- and Caribbean-Canadian communities.

Issues were raised at the event to help prompt discussion in the second Barbershop Talks. At the core is the question: “What is Black masculinity?” We intend to visit other Canadian communities as a way to understand what Black masculinity represents across different places in Canada.

Barbershop Talks is meant to engage the community to talk, but also to encourage people to listen to one another and to raise awareness from within the Black Canadian community about the negative perceptions that work against Black men and boys.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/bJio30n3eN3

Racism and health in Canada

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Wed, 19 Dec 2018 20:14:47 GMT

Outside in public: Smiling, dressed real fine, manners on point. I am well schooled on how to be respectful, how to take up space, how to use silence when necessary. Travelling home on transit listening to music to drown out my day — filled with injustices from the minute I left my “sanctuary” ten hours earlier. Fumbling for keys, nearly pushing the door down to my home. All I experienced outside threatens to crash down my door and engulf my insides and swallow me whole. My breath struggles to calm itself. Grief shadows me through the hallway. I self-talk my way into the kitchen, slipping my armour off; my thick silver bangle hits the floor, the sound awakening me to reality. I am home. I sit still for a minute and contemplate how I will go out again to face the monster of anti-Black racism. I drink my tea quickly, and begin to make dinner. - Feb 9, 2018, author’s journal

Witnessing and hearing stories about racism can impact your health. The feelings evoked can make you ill if not processed. The recent news of Tina Fontaine’s trial and the acquittal of Gerald Stanley, a white farmer accused of killing a young Indigenous man, Colten Boushie, of the Red Pheasant First Nation are examples of the Canadian legal system’s commitment to the Indian Act and colonial dominance. This ongoing colonial dominance has a transgenerational trauma impact on the health of Indigenous and colonized peoples. Two recent examples that indicate the kind of violence that Black people experience: A school that allowed police to shackle a Black six-year old girl’s wrists and ankles ; a children’s aid system that put a child refugee from Somalia into foster care yet never applied for his Canadian citizenship, so years later he received deportation orders to a country where he does not speak the language. The impact of this colonialism and anti-Black racism on the health of Black and Indigenous peoples is elongated and insidious. We navigate systems, structures and communities that perpetuate abhorrence towards us in all aspects of our lives. Experiencing and fighting such systems for justice for our children, ourselves and our community members has devastating effects on our health. As a health and human rights researcher, therapist and professor who has explored the deep implications of racism, I would like to share some insights into the impacts of racism on our health. My hope is that by doing so I create dialogue and encourage communities to continue to voice their experiences of violence and racism — in order to demand changes and ultimately create more supports.

Violence is a continuum

Health indicator statistics of Indigenous communities report increasing disparities between Indigenous and settler populations. Systemic racism affects Indigenous population’s health in various ways , this includes limited healthy food choices, inadequate living conditions and substandard health care. The infant mortality rate within Indigenous communities is almost 12 times that of settler communities. The statistics, usually presented by state authorities, come without context or consideration to the broad range of causes — one of which is the continued exposure to state violence on a daily basis.

We have anecdotal evidence: We see loved ones, friends, ourselves and respected community leaders struggle with the emotional and physiological impacts of racism on a daily basis. While anti-Black racism’s effect on the health of Black communities is documented , studies from the U.S. are more illustrative. In one U.S. study, researchers studied 1,574 Baltimore residents of which 20 per cent reported that they had been racially discriminated against “a lot.” This same group had higher systolic blood pressure than those who perceived they had been discriminated against very little. Additionally, over a five-year period the group that felt they had been discriminated against “a lot” had higher declines in kidney function. In a 1997 to 2003 study on racial discrimination and breast cancer in U.S. Black women, researchers found that perceived experiences of racism resulted in increased incidents of breast cancer , especially among young Black women. In 2011, a pivotal study on the impact of racism on health scholars linked lifetime experiences of discrimination to higher prevalence of hypertension in African Americans.

Biases in research

These are just a few examples of some studies being done on the impact of racism on health. However, most studies have been conducted in the U.S., the U.K., New Zealand and Australia. Canada does not yet collect race-based health or experiences of racism on health data through any formal mechanism. This poses a problem when scholars are asked to produce “scientific data” to prove that racism impacts health inequities and disparities. How do you provide “statistically significant evidence” on the impact of anti-Black racism when systemic issues limits your access to collecting this same data? My future research proposes to support the collection of increased health data on the impact of anti-Black racism in Canada and globally. In Black communities no one is immune from racism — from our unborn to our school age children to our elderly. Consciously and unconsciously our health becomes obstructed. The impact on health intensifies for those in Black communities who are women, working class, lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans (LGBT), dis(abled), refugees or newcomers. Here, the combination of oppressions creates additional stress on mental and physical health and well-being. I call this intersectional violence. For example, the massacre of Muslims in a Québec mosque and anti-Islam policies continue to further impact the health of marginalized, often surveilled communities. Two victims of the Québec massacre were Black. This fact is hardly mentioned. This is an example of anti-Black racism within communities of colour. Health impacts from anti-Black racism and anti-Indigeneity are often dismissed or kept silent by health scholars and health-care workers. The findings challenge the illegitimacy of systems of dominance and question the humaneness and accountability of colonial power. As such, research on the health impact of anti-Black racism is underfunded and under researched. The “realness” of health impacts related to racism interrupts narratives of the “disadvantaged,” the “poor,” the “lazy” and the “needy.” Such stereotypes re-victimize and further aggregate health inequities. Yet understanding racism as a determinant of health is important to understanding economic and social barriers to success. When we fail to address the real impact of racism on Black communities’ health, we not only lose our community members to often preventable disease, illness, institutionalization and ultimately death , we also lose our opportunity for redress and to energetically participate in transnational anti-oppression movements.

Health impacts

Experiencing racism throughout our lifespan can overwhelm our health functionality. Repetitive acts of untreated trauma and violence lead to debilitating health issues. The impact of anti-Black racism within our educational system is well documented by our lived experiences and “unexplained” drop-out rates. The effect of prolonged injustice from junior kindergarten through to post-secondary education, can lead to exacerbated health conditions. The under-recruiting and under-hiring of African/Black and Indigenous peoples in medicine, psychology, education, health and in academia directly affects the impact of racism on these same communities. Adversely, the over-hiring of African/Black community members as personal support workers, health aids and child care workers with little opportunity to move into positions of power in these fields directly establishes a division between the “helper” and “the helped,” resembling enslavement roles where Africans served whites while living in conditions that gravely impacted their own health. The impact of the over-representation of our children in state care on the health of Black families due to separation and transgenerational trauma is never measured. As our children and elders endure acts of violence during vulnerable times in their lives, without protection or support, their grief response becomes hidden or dissociated. This leads to challenges in seeking and receiving health care which increases despairing health results. The myth that Black people do not seek mental health therapy comes from a falsified notion of “super resiliency” instead of the reality of under-funded and purposely delayed services that prevent health and wellness in our communities. This leads to many community members suffering and seeking services in silence and isolation. The burden on Black and colonized folks’ bodies, minds, spirits, health and wellness is all-encompassing.

Possibilities for change

Having a provincial anti-racism directorate and local Toronto anti-Black racism action plan indicates a way forward. Much activism over many years resulted in these strategies getting put into action. The directorate’s effectiveness will be measured in its implementation, the diversity of its members and its power to eliminate health disparities and address the health impacts of racism and violence on the daily lives of Black, Indigenous and racialized peoples. Research funding needs to be increased. Universities need to hire scholars from communities who are directly impacted by racism and whose work address these health inequities — to support communities impacted by these same injustices. What if the Afrocentric Alternative school , the only one in Canada, was well resourced and supported as a health strategy to combat the early stigmatization and violence experienced by school-aged Black children? What if, in the case of the killing of the late Colten Boushie, the jury was not all white? What if we looked to Black Live Matters as a public health racial justice movement trying to prevent further health atrocities? What if we collected health data on the impact of racism - using both informal and formal research methods - empowered, developed and implemented by Black and colonized communities to create health equity programs and strategies to address our health disparities?

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/pIu230n38kZ

The Blackface Issue

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Fri, 07 Dec 2018 18:55:57 GMT

The recent contentious debate between rappers Drake and Pusha-T has once again brought blackface to people’s minds. Pusha-T, who on June 8 declared the battle officially over, had circulated an old photograph he found of Drake in blackface.

Many of the usual questions were asked on social media as if new: “What’s so wrong with blackface?” “Does it still matter — 150 years after the heyday of blackface minstrelsy?” “Weren’t minstrel shows American and so irrelevant in Canada?” “Can blackface be racist if a Black person is involved?”

In an age of instant information access, it is difficult to accept that these questions are being asked innocently. This article responds to these questions that subtly justify blackface.

What is blackface?

Blackface is the practice of non-Black people darkening their skin in deliberate attempts to impersonate Black people.

Though blackface has a history that is likely as old as transatlantic slavery, it exploded as a form of racist white entertainment in the United States in the 1820s, with the first minstrel shows.

Minstrel performers, pretending to be Black, engaged in borrowed and bastardized forms of Black music and dance to entertain their audiences. By the 1850s, Black minstrel troupes emerged and Black performers performed in blackface in fraught attempts to re-appropriate their cultural forms and profit from them as their white counterparts did.

Pusha-T circulated an old photo, by David Leyes, of Drake in blackface in his video, ‘The Story Of Adidon.’ Drake says was part of a project about young Black actors struggling to get roles.

Blackface minstrelsy continued into the mid-1900s, losing popularity during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. However, the practice of blackface never, in fact, ceased in Canada, the United States or beyond.

Rather, both professional and private performances in blackface have continued since. The most popular form in the present occurs on university campuses, often during Halloween and at campus events for students.

Blackface in Canada

When blackface occurs in Canada, a frequent response is that it is a U.S. phenomenon. Although blackface minstrelsy may have originated in the U.S., it was also wildly popular in Canada. Not only did U.S. minstrel troupes travel to Canada to perform blackface to full houses, but there were also several Canadian minstrel troupes who did their own rounds of the U.S. and Canada.

Québec musician Calixa Lavallée, the composer of the Canadian national anthem, established much of his career travelling as a blackface minstrel. So we can say that blackface minstrelsy is as Canadian as “O Canada.”

The denial of Canadian blackface is not surprising. It is part and parcel of the ways that Canadian antiblackness attempts to erase the fact of blackness in Canada. This erasure results in the general ignorance and denial around Canadian slavery and its brutality. Suggesting that Canadian blackface is not a problem is to perpetuate the myth that Canada does not have historical and ongoing issues with racism.

Stereotyping is violence

An obvious problem with blackface is its representational violence — the way in which it openly ridicules Black people.

In Blackface minstrelsy, performers used burnt cork or shoe polish to paint their skins completely black, leaving wide areas around the mouth that would variously be left uncovered, or painted red or white giving the appearance of oversized lips.

Overall, the makeup was a deliberate attempt to disdainfully represent Black people as outlandish. Once in blackface, minstrels would use exaggerated accents, malapropisms, awkward movements and garish attire to further ridicule Black people.

Minstrelsy depended on, and produced, stereotypical portrayals of Black life. Recent blackface incidents in Canada have depended on disparaging stereotypes.

Drake responds to Pusha-T in this video, ‘Duppy Freestyle,’ on May 25, 2018.

For example, at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2007, those wearing blackface wore fake (dread)locks with KFC buckets as hats, and carried three-foot tubes representing massive marijuana joints.

At Montreal’s Hautes Études Commerciales in 2009, blackface wearers carried monkeys and chanted “Smoke more weed, man!”

So it is clear that in both the past and present, blackface engages in representational violence by drawing on antiblack stereotypes.

Dehumanizing through the echoes of slavery

As egregious as the representational violence of blackface is, this is not the only or even the most important reason that blackface is antiblack.

We live in the “afterlife of slavery,” as Prof. Saidiyah Hartman’s famously wrote. In other words, Black life today continues to be entangled in social relations that are extensions of the antiblack relations of slavery.

These relations attempt to place Black life outside the realm of the human (as philosopher Sylvia Wynter argues), as life that therefore need not be afforded human dignity, and as property. These relations subject Black people to profound violence. This is as true in Canada as it is in U.S. and the rest of the world, as Robin Maynard’s recent book Policing Black Lives has so adeptly argued.

Philosopher and cultural critic Sylvia Wynter argues that antiblackness attempts to place Black life outside the realm of humanity.

The much more central issue with blackface, then, is the way in which it reinscribes these relations.

First, the very need to use garish make-up as part of the process of portraying Black people reveals an attempt to establish an essential difference between Black and white people.

It draws on the logic of biological racism, which argued that the physical features of Africans were visible evidence that Black people were inferior to white people on a presumed evolutionary hierarchy, and therefore that they could justifiably be enslaved.

Today’s blackface wearers may claim they don’t believe in the biological inferiority of Black people, but their insistence on dark makeup in these portrayals, especially since the makeup job is usually deliberately unrealistic, is evidence of their ongoing, racist over-assessment of the significance of skin colour differences. In this way, blackface is dehumanizing.

Second, blackface reinscribes the relations of slavery in the ways that it involves the putting on and taking off of blackness. It makes the Black body property to be appropriated and discarded at will.

This is exactly what African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass meant when he said that Blackface minstrels were, in his opinion, “the filthy scum of white society, who have stolen from us a complexion denied them by nature, in which to make money, and pander to the corrupt taste of their white fellow citizens.”

Douglass’s ideas also draw attention to the extractive capitalist relations that surround blackface.

By impersonating Black people, their dress, their music and their dance (however bastardized), white performers were able to make money doing the things that Black people themselves were unable to make a living doing. Even when Black minstrel troupes emerged, they were not paid as well as white minstrels.

Nowadays, this economic inequality is evident wherever production companies opt to use white characters in blackface to play Black people rather than hire Black actors.

The third problem with blackface is the way that it depends on the disturbing relationships among white pleasure, domination, and the ridicule of Black people established during slavery.

In her book Scenes of Subjection , Saidiyah Hartman demonstrates that white pleasure during slavery was achieved by forcing Black people to act merry for the entertainment of white people, with no regard for themselves.

This historical relationship resulted in the emergence of minstrelsy, with all its antiblackness, as the first purportedly “American” form of popular culture. The relationship between white pleasure and the Black body is rehearsed in blackface today, which almost exclusively occurs in contexts of fun and pleasure.

My own research has found that contemporary blackface in Canada intensifies social pleasure for blackface wearers and their audiences precisely because of the ways that it pushes the limits of acceptable racial discourse. Heightening this effect is the way in which blackface is practised despite Black objection.

In Canada, municipal records tell us that Black communities in Toronto appealed repeatedly to the government to halt the practice of minstrelsy in the city. As Canadian theatre scholar Stephen Johnson has pointed out, these appeals were largely ignored despite the threat of violence toward Black people that minstrelsy performances brought.

The manner in which blackface continues with impunity today despite the loud protests of Black people historically and in the present further demonstrates its antiblack disregard of Black opinion on the racial matters that primarily affect them.

Black people in blackface

With all this antiblack baggage in tow, we come to the question about whether blackface can be other than racist when Black people wear it, and whether it can be used to make any kind of antiracist statement.

In response, I draw our attention again to Black minstrels. Not only were they unable to profit from minstrelsy to the extent that whites did, but in their shows, they were forced to participate generally in the ridicule of Black people for the pleasure of white audiences.

My research has shown a similar effect in the present. Research interviews I have conducted with Black students who have worn blackface or otherwise participated in campus blackface incidents have demonstrated that they did so to win the approval of their white peers.

This approval, however, is achieved only by co-operating in the deprecation of blackness, creating a no-win situation for the Black person who must sacrifice their dignity in order to be accepted.

So, as heavily invested with antiblackness as blackface is, I have difficulty understanding how it can become an antiracist statement under any circumstances. For me, antiblackness simply cannot be repurposed for antiracist ends.

Going back to the public battle that sparked this article, my opinion is that Drake’s use of blackface, whatever the intention, was at best misguided, and builds, even if unintentionally, on an antiblack foundation.

In my opinion, the only way that a Black person wearing blackface could even remotely be read as a protest about Black actors “struggling to get roles, being stereotyped and type cast” is if blackface was a past phenomenon, unanimously acknowledged as racist, to which the current dilemma was being compared.

But as antiblackness, and blackface itself, are ongoing, it is impossible to wear blackface as a message of resistance without simultaneously reinscribing the relations one desires to challenge. This image is now out in the public. And so it is important that its antiblackness be called out (much as the antiblackness and sensationalization of Black death in Childish Gambino’s recent video needed to be called out).

However, whether it is justifiable to unearth an image from someone’s youth to indict them in the present, to engage in a “Blacker-than-thou” contest, or even to stand (on its own) as an indicator of the calibre of one’s Black politics, is an entirely different matter.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/Z6WE30mUe6h

Tax deductions while helping others

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 02:37:57 GMT

30 x 20 = 12

“Thirty people, donating $20 each, can provide a year’s education for a bright youth from a very poor family in Kenya, E. Africa, where high school is not free,” says Burnaby volunteer for KEEF Shelagh Armour-Godbolt.

KEEF – Kenya Education Endowment Fund ( www.kenyaeducation.org ) – is a registered, BC-based, volunteer-run educational charity working in western Kenya. “Currently, we have over 100 students in secondary school and some 37 in post-secondary education.” The families of these students struggle to earn an income equal to $2 to $3 a day. “We are looking for new Giving Tuesday donors able to offer small amounts that can be combined to achieve a big result – a year of high school education!” Giving Tuesday – a national event to encourage sharing – comes on November 27th – after Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

It costs $600 a year for a KEEF scholarship to help a student to go to secondary school in Kenya. This includes tuition, room and board, medical care, etc. to bright students who otherwise cannot attend high school and who often are seriously undernourished. “Not everyone can donate $600, but if we raise $20 donations from 30 new readers by Giving Tuesday, another student can go to high school for a year.” (High school starts in January in Kenya.)

Donations to KEEF are eligible for tax-deductible receipts and can be made by Interac, through the KEEF website or Canada Helps, or by cheque. Please indicate your gift is for Giving Tuesday. Cheques can be made payable to KEEF and mailed to M. Klesner, #904 -2135 Argyle, West Vancouver, B.C. V7V 1A5. For more information about KEEF’s work, or Giving Tuesday, contact Shelagh at 604-415-9397 or shelaghag@shaw.ca .

Thank you for considering being someone who can make 30 x 20 equal 12!

Contact Shelagh Armour-Godbolt, volunteer, KEEF – Kenya Education Endowment Fund

( www.kenyaeducation.org ), 604-415-9397 or shelaghag@shaw.ca

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/U9Wp30mKe00

10 Steps To Start a Successful Black Owned business

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Sun, 25 Nov 2018 18:40:56 GMT

A little known about Black Businesses in CanadaBlack Enterprise research indicates that in 2015, black-owned businesses boasted $24 billion in revenue and 65,443 employees across twenty-nine states. Black business owners are growing at an amazing rate. If you’re ready to jump on the entrepreneurial bandwagon, these ten strategies will help you get started in the right direction.

Ruthlessly identify your target market and ideal client. It may be tempting, but you don’t want to market to everyone, you want to focus your marketing dollars and attention on the right people.
Focus on what your target market wants to buy, not what you want to sell. Period.
Keep your overhead as low as possible. An office in a luxury building may boost our ego, but a co-working space with all the amenities you need will serve the same purpose and boost your bottom line.
Create a cohesive social media presence. It goes a long way toward building your brand and helps your audience recognize you and connect you to your brand.
Market like a maniac – strategically. Do at least one marketing activity every, single day.
Test and measure every marketing tactic you try. This will help you understand what’s working and what’s not, and know which to keep and which to ditch.
Network like you mean it. Start networking as soon as possible – even before you launch your business. Don’t network to make sales, network to make contacts and connections. Make it a point to give as much as you get.
Find at least two strategic partners. These are fellow business owners and entrepreneurs who have a complementary, not competing business, and who come into regular contact with your ideal clients.
Invest in a business coach with a proven record of success and a list of successful clients. Not many things help your business get started in the right direction like someone who’s been there and done that and is willing to share experiences.
Create a for-your-eyes-only business plan. This isn’t the multipage document you take to the bank or investors. It’s a one or two-page document that states your business vision, identifies your target market, defines your marketing plans, outlines your business goals and helps keep you focused and on track.

Our best bonus tip is to spend time with like-minded business owners. Black business owners and CEO’s face life experiences and business obstacles unique to us. You’ll need resources, services, and support and buying black is a great way to expose yourself to the black CEO community, learn from their trials and errors, and help others while helping yourself. In the business world, we call that lifting while you climb.

Newest black-owned industrial conglomerate merge with Bahrain Company

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Sun, 25 Nov 2018 18:36:26 GMT

Mergence Group makes bold play by acquiring 51% stake in BFG Africa

Financial services boutique Mergence Group has made a bold play to create a black-owned industrial conglomerate by acquiring a 51% stake in BFG International Composites (Africa).

The value of the deal was not disclosed but Mergence MD Masimo a Badimo Magerman said BFG Africa was the first of an envisaged series of deals to build an industrial silo that could be listed on the JSE.

Bahrain-based BFG International will retain the balance of the shares in BFG Africa.

“We would like to build a business with revenues north of R1bn before looking at a possible JSE listing.”

He said BFG Africa would be aggressively expanding its infrastructure, mining, automotive, transport and architectural footprint on the African continent.

“The rationale for the on-balance-sheet acquisition is to provide BFG International with a local BEE partner that can assist with unlocking further opportunities in the composites space.”

Magerman said the BFG plant in SA would officially be launched in January 2019. He pointed out that BFG Africa was appointed in September 2014 by Gibela Rail Transport Consortium to clad the interiors of a fleet of 600 commuter trains that will be supplied to the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) over a 10-year period.

The advantage of BFG’s composites — which use glass made from silica — consume very little energy in the manufacturing process, and do not generate green house gases of fluorocarbons.

Mergence — founded in 2004 by Magerman and Izak Petersen (the CEO of Dipula Income Fund) — is also looking to build hubs in financial services and food security.

The financial services segment, which is anchored around the R32bn assets under management at Mergence Investment Managers, already has considerable traction. There is also Mergence Africa Capital (the only 100% black-owned derivatives trading desk in SA), Mergence Africa Property (which owns a stake in the R8bn Dipula Income Fund), Mergence Corporate Solutions and Mergence Credit Africa.

As regards food security, Magerman said Mergence was focusing on Africa, and had already created Mergence Commodity Finance and is exploring trade commodity opportunities in Senegal and Ghana.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/eWOd30mK513

Rwanda's First Female Neurosurgeon

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Thu, 22 Nov 2018 03:31:25 GMT

Dr. Claire Karekezi, a young doctor who survived the Rwandan genocide, will become the African country’s first and only female neurosurgeon. Dr. Karekezi trained at Toronto Western Hospital in its advanced cancer brain surgery program. In July, she will be returning to her home country as the first and only female neurosurgeon.

Speaking on living through the genocide as a 10-year-old, the neurosurgeon said “We grew up with fear, but we grew up with survival instincts — we have to push, we have to get through this.” Karekezi fled Rwanda with her parents in 1994 when members of the Hutu ethnic group wiped out a large number of the Tutsi minority group. Due to the mass killings, more than two million refugees fled the country.

She finished high school in 2001 and went on to study medicine at the University of Rwanda on a full government scholarship. After receiving her medical degree, she applied to the Toronto program where she was accepted for her intelligence and personal story of overcoming struggle. Dr. Mark Bernstein, the Canadian neurosurgeon, who chose Karekezi for the spot.

“I have a soft spot for underdogs,” Dr. Bernstein said. “And just like Rwanda has picked itself up, Claire has picked herself up. She has dogged determination to succeed in neurosurgery.”

Karekezi says surviving the genocide was not the sole inspiration for her becoming a doctor. It was a dream and path she felt she was born to do. When she gets back to Rwanda, the neurosurgeon wants to help to improve cancer care in the country.

SOURCE: http://ow.ly/fFRc30mI4lR
http://ow.ly/UAAc30mI5Ce

Jocelyne Béroard: ‘‘Kassav’ a réellement démarré à Abidjan’’

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Fri, 16 Feb 2018 22:53:11 GMT

Jocelyne Béroard est sans doute la plus grande chanteuse de la Caraïbe francophone. Héritière de la chanteuse Moune de Rivel, au sein du groupe Kassav dont elle constitue un pilier depuis plus de 30 ans, elle perpétue la longue tradition du chant créole. En 1986 elle obtient un double disque d'or pour son premier Album solo, notamment grâce au titre « Kolé séré » chanté en duo avec Jean Claude Naimro. Parallèlement à la chanson, elle poursuit une carrière d'actrice qui ne l'éloigne pas de la scène musicale, puisque qu'elle donne de nombreux concerts aujourd'hui encore, devant un public venu de tous les continents. A ce jour, Kassav est considéré comme le groupe français le plus connu du monde.

The big chop: How black women are embracing their natural hair

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Fri, 09 Feb 2018 01:51:20 GMT

Every eight weeks for nearly two decades, Sophia Kemeh sat patiently while a relative or hairdresser applied relaxer to her hair. The hair-straightening agent burned, but Kemeh, an occupational therapist in Vernon, B.C., thought there was no alternative for styling her hair.

One day, though, a fellow student suggested that the curly, natural look might not be so bad after all. After a year of deliberation, Kemeh walked into a barber shop and told the hairdresser to cut off her straight hair.

“I only had about two inches at the end of it,” she recalls.

Kemeh is not alone. Across Canada, black women are shaving their heads and embracing their curly roots.

The “big chop,” as many call it, reflects a widespread desire among black women to revert to their natural hair texture instead of relying on once-popular relaxers.

Many tout their decision as evidence of a new-found sisterhood and self-acceptance. And there’s an extra bonus too: the women report their hair is much healthier now.

“It’s the authentic me,” says Osas Eweka-Smith, a communications specialist in Edmonton.

Relaxers, laden with chemicals, can cause irreversible damage to scalp and hair, says Dr. Renee Beach, head of the hair loss clinic at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto.

“Some of the effects of relaxers are chemical burns and irritant dermatitis, which is just a form of eczema,” she says. “You could get burned so badly that those hair follicles are in fact destroyed.”

Beach treats these problems regularly in her Toronto clinic, but says she sees fewer cases these days as natural hairstyles become more popular.

Windsor, Ont., hairdresser Angelina Ebegbuzie has walked many women through the drastic cut, especially during the winter months.

“The big chop usually happens in the winter time, because there’s no humidity so it doesn’t affect the hair much,” she says.

The process can be emotionally difficult for women who have spent years believing that only straight hair can be attractive.

“Some of them will chop only a little at a time,” Ebegbuzie notes.

For those who take the plunge, doubts can set in. Kemeh says some African women in her Brampton, Ont., community disapproved.

“They were like, ‘Why did you cut your hair? It was so long. How are you going to find a husband now with your hair?’

“I was like, maybe this is not the right decision,” Kemeh says. “But it was already done. And I just enjoy having short hair.”

Ebegbuzie estimates that fewer than one in five women return to relaxers. When she opened her Entice Salon in Windsor seven years ago, she applied 20 to 30 relaxers a week. Now it’s down to only five to six a month.

“This is about another way of exploring my hair,” says Kemi Adeodu, a teacher who first considered going natural while she was a student at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., and heard a lecture about black people’s experiences in Canada.

Udy Mackenzie, a graduate student in Halifax, went curly three years ago after chatting with her husband, who was concerned about the harmful side effects of straighteners.

“He said, ‘If the people who put it on you have to wear gloves and sometimes masks, why are you putting it on your scalp?”‘ she recalls.

The couple ended up making a deal: she would stop perming her hair if he would cut his consumption of energy drinks.

As more women throw out their straightening agents, demand for natural hair products has soared, says Marlene Robinson, founder of HoneyFig, a natural beauty store in Toronto.

“Overall throughout the last 10 years that we’ve been (in business) it has gained nothing but momentum.”

Eweka-Smith has started natural hair shows in Edmonton and Halifax in response to the demand that she encountered as an organizer of Nappy Roots Beauty, a social group for like-minded black women in Edmonton. She says the inaugural show in 2016 drew 400 attendees and 40 vendors.

“It has become a sisterhood — there are people going through a divorce, looking for a job, or new in town and looking for apartments.”

Part of the sisterhood, though, is recognizing that curls are not for everyone. Ebegbuzie always asks clients a series of questions, and then goes over the benefits and the challenges of curly hair. She says she knows of women who switch from straight to curly only because they want to fit in.

Adeodu says she’s careful not to stoke such prejudices.

“I don’t refer to relaxer as ‘creamy crack.’ I felt it was diminishing to people, saying they’re addicted to something. Everyone has their reasons.”

Source: http://nationalpost.com/pmn/life-pmn/the-big-chop-how-black-women-are-embracing-their-natural-hair

There's A City In The GTA Where Hot Real Estate Won't Cost You $1M

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 13:32:55 GMT

In the GTA's high-priced real-estate market, where the barrier to entry for owning a single-family home is exorbitantly high, the City of Brampton represents a rare vestige where detached properties still average for below the million-dollar mark.

That being said, Brampton is far from an "affordable housing market" and prospective buyers, generally speaking, still need a six-figure household income to land a property in the major suburb.

Repeatedly ranked high up on the list of best places to invest, TheRedPin put the spotlight on Brampton and analysed the diverse city and its housing market by the numbers.

Brampton's detached home market is huge

Brampton represents the second largest market for detached homes in the GTA, only behind the City of Toronto.

In 2017 so far, a total of 2,426 detached homes sold in Brampton alone. That's more than the 1,857 sales in Richmond Hill and Vaughan combined, and over 50 per cent more transactions than in neighbouring Mississauga during the same time.

In simple terms, roughly one in every 10 detached homes sold across the GTA is located in Brampton.

Consequently, it's far from surprising to find that 52 per cent of Brampton residents live in a single-detached home while only 15 per cent live in apartments. Just for comparison's sake, far fewer (37 per cent) of Mississauga's population live in detached properties.

"The dynamic 905 city is anything but a sparsely populated bedroom community."

Home prices have skyrocketed

While looking at the current state of prices is eye-opening, to say the least, turning back the clock and measuring how drastic housing values have changed in the matter of a few years is what really puts the market into perspective.

Since 2012, the average price of Brampton homes increased a whopping 83 per cent, a significant six-figure $336,978 difference. Today, the average price for all home types sits at around the low-to-mid $700,000's.

The city is also no stranger to bidding wars, as roughly one in three Brampton homes sold in 2017 closed for at least 10 per cent over their original asking price.

Brampton is one of Canada's most populous cities, as well as one of its youngest

While Brampton's population may pale in comparison to that of Toronto, which famously ranks as North America's fourth largest city with a total of 2.7 million residents, the dynamic 905 city is anything but a sparsely populated bedroom community.

In fact, Brampton's 593,638 residents propel the city as the ninth largest in Canada -- just shy of Vancouver's position as eighth largest with its population of 631,486.

Aside from Brampton, Toronto and Mississauga, no other GTA cities cracked the top 10 list according to 2016 figures.

Of Canada's major cities, Brampton has one of the youngest populations, with a median age of 36.5, which clocks in at four years less than the national average. Moreover, the city's population is continuing to grow at a rapid pace. Between 2011 to 2016, Brampton's population jumped 13.3 per cent, well ahead of Ontario's 4.6 per cent increase.

Brampton homes sell in under 10 days

According to figures from the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB), homes in Brampton spent an average of just nine days on market (DOM) in 2017 before finding a prospective buyer, which is up to 18 per cent faster than the GTA-wide average.

The only cities with a DOM below Brampton's nine days were Whitby and Oshawa with a record-fast DOM of eight.

Brampton is home to a mix of dynamic schools

Brampton is home to a richly diverse population, which stems from over 170 cultures and speaks over 89 languages. That diversity is exemplified in the list of Brampton's best schools, such as the Khalsa Community. The private institute, which nabbed an acclaimed ranking of 9.7 out of 10 by the Fraser Institute academic rankings, is recognised as Ontario's largest Sikh elementary school. From St. Agnes Elementary Schools, Wali ul Asr Learning Institute and Castlemore, Brampton is home to a roster of religious private and public schools.

In total, Brampton has an estimated 117 public elementary and secondary schools.

Transit in Brampton is only going to get better

Along with its local Züm transit system, which stretches along five routes on major corridors such as Queen and Steeles, Brampton boasts a total of 16 GO Stops in its bounds, three of which are GO Train stations (Bramalea, Brampton and Mount Pleasant stations).

The most exciting transit development to hit the city is undoubtedly the upcoming Hurontario Light Rail Transit. The 20-kilometre, 22-stop LRT will stretch along the Hurontario corridor, linking the cities of Brampton and Mississauga.

The transit development carries a hefty $1.4-billion price tag and is slated to open in 2022.

Brampton may soon be home to a new Ryerson U campus

Ryerson University, one of Toronto's top educational institutions, is currently in talks with the City of Brampton to open up a new campus in partnership with Sheridan College. If approved, the campus will only up the city's profile and investment potential.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/theredpin/brampton-real-estate_b_17128472.html

Ontario ministries pull funding from African Canadian Legal Clinic

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 04:05:30 GMT

Legal Aid announced it would defund the clinic last summer after serious allegations of financial mismanagement and poor governance.

In another crippling blow to the African Canadian Legal Clinic, two government ministries will pull their funding amid serious allegations of financial mismanagement and poor governance.

"The government has made the decision to transition funding to other community agencies that serve the Black community across the GTA," wrote Genevieve Oger, spokesperson and senior media advisor for the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, in an email.

The Ministry of the Attorney General will also back out, months after Legal Aid Ontario yanked its own financial support from the beleaguered clinic. Together, the decisions have stripped the African Canadian Legal Clinic (ACLC) of the vast majority of its funding.

"An important part of this work is ensuring proper oversight and accountability of community agencies and ensuring the Black community across the province can receive consistent and high-quality services that meet their needs," Oger continued.

As Metro first reported in August, the ACLC was plagued by allegations of financial mismanagement, including charges on a company credit card for a diamond ring and alcohol for "Bacardi Fridays" — as well as large bonuses for the executive director and staff.

Executive director Margaret Parsons denied any wrongdoing in a previous interview with Metro. She said former employees made personal purchases with company credit cards but were immediately fired when this was discovered, and all money was paid back. She also said she paid back the money for the diamond ring and never gave any bonuses.

A person who answered the phone at the ACLC this week said Parsons was out of the country and not available for comment, and all senior staff were out of the office.

The Ministry of Children and Youth will provide close to $800,000 to African Canadian Community Services, an entity of the ACLC, during the current fiscal year, which runs until March 31, Oger said. The contract will end then.

Another $85,060 has been provided by the Ministry of the Attorney General, relating to the Direct Accountability Program. That funding will also end on March 31.

Community Justice Workers will refer new clients to the program, which resolves criminal cases outside the courts through measures like apology letters and charitable donations, to other service providers in the area, such as the John Howard Society and Salvation Army, Oger explained.

Parsons told Metro in August the non-profit clinic had 26 employees with a budget of about $1.7 million a year that's "for the most part public funding."

The ACLC was founded in 1994 with a mandate to serve Ontario's Black community, provide legal support for people who need it and draw attention to systemic racism by pursuing "test cases" on issues such as carding.

Legal Aid Ontario pulled funding that made up about 35 per cent of the clinic's budget in August, citing a failure to address concerns of financial mismanagement and poor governance. A Legal Aid spokesperson told Metro in early January that money would go to a new organization for the Black community, set to be up and running by August 2018.

Source: http://ow.ly/CAK430oLWe3

South Africa's Zuma moves closer to resignation

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 03:41:45 GMT

President Jacob Zuma has taken the extraordinary step of cancelling his annual state-of-the-nation speech, bowing to pressure from his ruling party as he faces intensifying demands for his swift resignation.

There were unconfirmed reports on Tuesday night that the South African President has agreed to quit, making room for Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to take over, although the timing and other details are unknown.

An emergency meeting of the national executive of the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), had been scheduled to discuss Mr. Zuma's resignation on Wednesday night. It would have sharply escalated the pressure on Mr. Zuma.

But the meeting was abruptly cancelled on Tuesday night as the ANC revealed that Mr. Zuma is in face-to-face negotiations with Mr. Ramaphosa, who won the leadership of the ANC in December.

Those negotiations have been "fruitful and constructive" and will be continued in the coming days, the ANC said.

The cancellation of the emergency executive meeting may indicate a Zuma resignation deal has been reached, at least in broad terms. Such a deal would allow him to depart with some dignity, avoiding the humiliation of the ANC ordering him to quit. A deal could also allow him to extract some personal concessions from Mr. Ramaphosa.

It was a dramatic day of rapid-fire political developments in South Africa as Mr. Zuma's resignation moved closer. But cancellations and reversals seemed chaotic, making a shambles of Mr. Ramaphosa's promise of unity within his party.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Zuma had unexpectedly agreed to cancel the state-of-the-nation speech. That he was unable even to hold his annual showcase event in Parliament signalled his departure was imminent.

It was the first time since the demise of apartheid in 1994 that a South African president has been forced to cancel the annual speech, which is traditionally surrounded by pomp and ceremony. The decision came just two days before Mr. Zuma was scheduled to deliver the speech to Parliament.

It confirmed that the drive to force Mr. Zuma's resignation is rapidly gaining momentum. He is unpopular in the country, plagued by well-documented corruption allegations, weakened by dwindling support in the ruling party, and is facing possible impeachment and the revival of criminal charges that date back to a 1999 arms deal.

His presidential term does not expire until mid-2019, but the ANC chose Mr. Ramaphosa to replace Mr. Zuma as party leader in December despite Mr. Zuma's efforts to engineer a victory by his preferred candidate.

If Mr. Zuma agrees to resign, Mr. Ramaphosa would become the acting president. He would then become the ANC's official candidate for president in the 2019 election.

Mr. Zuma retains substantial support on the ANC's national executive, but there are signs that his allies are defecting.

The ANC holds a heavy hammer over Mr. Zuma: it can threaten him with a non-confidence vote in Parliament if he refuses to step down. Even if some Zuma loyalists reject a non-confidence motion, it would almost certainly win approval in Parliament, since the opposition members would join with a substantial number of ANC members to support the move.

A transition to Mr. Ramaphosa would have big implications for South Africa's future. He is seen as a pro-business politician, although he began his political career as a trade unionist in the 1980s. After losing a bid to succeed Nelson Mandela as ANC leader in the 1990s, he retreated into business for most of the past two decades, becoming one of South Africa's wealthiest men. From 2003 to 2013, he was a director and shareholder of Canadian-based Ivanhoe Mines.

Mr. Ramaphosa's supporters want him to deliver the state-of-the-nation speech because it would help persuade voters that the Zuma era is over. It would allow Mr. Ramaphosa to launch the ANC's campaign for the 2019 election by demonstrating that he is reforming the party and government.

Technically, the annual speech by Mr. Zuma has only been postponed, without a new date set. But analysts say it is now likely that Mr. Ramaphosa will deliver the speech, perhaps within the next 10 days.

The speech is the official kick-off of the government's agenda for the entire year, and symbolically it would damage the ANC if it is delivered by Mr. Zuma.

In his announcement on Tuesday, Mr. Zuma said he requested the postponement of his speech "due to certain developments which make it not conducive."

The ANC's top six officials held a meeting with Mr. Zuma two days ago, reportedly to ask him to step down. He refused. The top six leaders then called a meeting of the party's 20-person national working committee, which escalated the pressure by calling a meeting of the full executive. All of these steps are highly unusual, signalling that the ANC is using every lever to put pressure on Mr. Zuma.

Mmusi Maimane, leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance, welcomed the decision on the speech. His party had already demanded the postponement.

"We cannot waste money, time or another iota of our dwindling credibility on the international stage by allowing Jacob Zuma to deliver the state-of-the-nation address," Mr. Maimane said. "The ANC is in complete turmoil and being held to ransom by Jacob Zuma."

He said the annual speech "cannot be reduced to a public relations exercise for a man on the precipice of impeachment and possible jail time."

Source: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/south-africas-zuma-moves-closer-to-resignation-as-he-canc...

Why Tiffany Haddish Doesn’t Consider Girls Trip Her Biggest Career Highlight

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 19:00:33 GMT

In a wide-ranging interview, the breakout comedian opens up about her childhood, plans to make 80 films before she’s 50, and the importance of Arsenio Hall.

Long before her landing her breakout role as Dina in the film Girls Trip, Tiffany Haddish was living in her car while doing stand-up at L.A. comedy clubs. In this wide-ranging conversation with Krista Smith, Vanity Fair executive West Coast editor, Haddish talks about her calamitous childhood, her friendship with fellow comedian Kevin Hart, and her fantasy of starring in a Gidget -inspired surfing movie.

Vanity Fair: As someone who used to live in her car, the hustle was real when you worked the L.A. comedy-club circuit. What has this last year been like for you? Has it been as good as you thought it would be?

Tiffany Haddish: You know what’s funny? It’s exactly how I thought it would be except for the part where I’m sleepy all the time. I’m so sleepy most of the time but I guess it’s ’cause I’m constantly doing things and trying to move forward and set up for the master plan. The master plan is to be like little baby Oprah, with my own production company, maybe my own channel, inspire millions. So, yeah. A little bit tiring from time to time. I’m learning how to manage time better now.

What was the moment for you? Was it being cast in Girls Trip ?

Girls Trip, it was like, “Oh, good I got a job.” The big moment for me was doing stand-up on The Arsenio Hall Show, to me, that was bigger than me doing Def Comedy Jam, that was bigger than me doing Live at Gotham, or The Tonight Show, or anything like that because I remember being a little girl watching [the original] Arsenio Hall Show, wishing I could hang out with Arsenio, be Arsenio’s friend, or something in some kind of way.

And then as I got into comedy like, “Oh man, if I could do comedy, I’m there.” And then it went away. And then when it came back, I was like, “Oh, this is my chance.” And, when I finally got a chance to do stand-up on there, to me that was like, “I made it. Whatever comes after this is cake.”

That’s incredible.

I’m real simple.

Well, it’s going to get complicated. Every movie you add on IMDb, it gets more and more complicated.

The goal is to get 80 movies by the time I’m 50. So, I got what? Twelve years. I got 12 years.

Why do you think Girls Trip was such a hit with audiences?

Because it was easy to relate to it. Also, it made you feel really good. It made people feel good. To me, Girls Trip made me feel like, “Oh, I need to call up my girls. I wanna laugh with my friends.” Just like going to a really great comedy show, you know?

And that is what I feel like Girls Trip was. Like that just feel-good experience. And it’s not just like a black movie, even though it’s kinda super-dope that it’s four black females, and you know, we did so good in the box office. I think it’s for all women, because all women go through these types of situations where it’s like, “Dang, I miss my friend, I don’t see you anymore,” and then finally you guys get back together and you’re like, “Oh, this is why I don’t see your ass no more, you get on my nerves. You always get us in trouble, Lord. But at the end of the day, I still love you no matter what.” So, I think that had a lot to do with it.

Hosting Saturday Night Live was huge. I can’t believe that you were the first black woman stand-up in the entire history of that show to host.

I couldn’t believe it either. I was doing the research because I was trying to ask somebody advice, like another female comic that’s done it, that’s you know, urban, so that I know what’s going too far, because I know this is for all of America, the whole world watches S.N.L. I go online and all I see is Whoopi Goldberg, and that’s it. I get people to get me her number. I call her, and she’s like, “No, I never hosted. I just did a sketch.”

So then, I was like, “No, that’s impossible.” She’s like, “No, I just did a sketch and that’s it. You’re gonna be the first, bitch, and you better be funny.” I talked to Queen Latifah because she did it before. I called a few people that I know had done it before just to get a concept of what the environment is, and I went in there ready. I went in there prepared. You know my slogan is: “She ready.”

Is it true that Kevin Hart gave you money at one point because you were living in your car?

Yeah, that is true. He saw all the stuff in my car. He had like this long discussion with me, you know? Basically like, “You’re a beautiful woman. You could stay with any man. Why don’t you just stay with a man, like?” And I was also like, “I’m not sleeping with nobody for a roof over my head. I’m just not that type of person.”

And Kevin was like, “Oh, that’s real commendable, look at your homeless ass.” And he gave me $300 and told me I shouldn’t be sleeping in my car. He was asking me where I was sleeping. I told him, “Beverly Hills. If Imma be homeless, I’m gonna be homeless in the best area.” I would park my car in Beverly Hills and I would sleep over there, and the police would come every morning and make me move. That was like my wake-up call. I got to know a lot of police officers like that.

Kevin gave me $300, told me to get a room for a week, and I was like, “I don’t know where you can get a room for a week in Los Angeles for $300, that’s impossible.” But I got me a motel room, and he told me to write out a list of goals and start doing something every day toward those goals.

So, I got a room that you could get by the hour up on Martin Luther King and Western at this place called the Snooty Fox, which is really like the ho stroll, but I just wanted to take a shower, take a little nap, write out my list. I wrote: Get myself an apartment. Do these things, all these people I wanna work with, everything. I pretty much tackled almost all those goals.

But it’s crazy, because the next day I got a phone call and was offered an apartment. I go look at it, and it’s like the most raggediest apartment you could ever imagine, it was just nasty and disgusting, roaches everywhere, cigarette stains in the carpet, the walls are all yellow from whatever, whoever was living there before smoking so much. It was just disgusting. The stove was full of roaches and the refrigerator was broken. It was all bad. The guy was like, “It’s $550 a month,” and I was like, “It’s perfect! I’ll take it!”

How did you meet Kevin?

I was performing at the Laugh Factory, and we would do shows together. We worked on this sketch-comedy show together called Comedy Playground. Basically, it was every Wednesday night at the Laugh Factory. Sometimes I would go up to the Laugh Factory on Sundays and do Chocolate Sundays. You know, everybody would be like, “Man, Tiffany, you’re so funny.” But they always used to tell me like, “You’re too dirty. You’re too dirty. ” I was doing Bar Mitzvahs, too, but everybody didn’t know that. I was very clean at the Mitzvahs. But I felt like at the comedy club, I would set myself apart from all the other women and I’ll talk like a man. I’ll just talk like men and talk about what I like, and just really enjoy myself, you know?

You and Kevin are going to be in a movie that comes out later this year.

Yeah. It’s a movie called Night School. I’m just like, “Wow. Full circle.” When he sees me, he says he’s so proud of me and stuff. And he’s always giving me the best advice. And I try to listen to him. Sometimes I don’t. And then I’ll be like, “Dang, I should’ve listened.” . . . Sometimes he gets on my nerves ’cause he tries to play the brother and tries to clown, but for the most part he’s an awesome dude. I mean he gave me a job on Real Husbands of Hollywood, and I kept trying to give him his $300 back. He’s like, “I don’t want that money. You keep that money. If I need you to be in something else, you just make sure you can do it.”

Then, when I got Night School and we were working on it, I tried to give him the money back again. He’s like, “I don’t want your money. Just know your lines and be good in this damn movie.”

Which part do you enjoy most? Writing, acting, performing live?

Live performing. Being on stage is like my favorite. The immediate gratification. That’s my favorite.

I heard you met your hero, Mary J. Blige. Is there anybody else you admire in pop culture you want to meet?

We all know I wanna meet Oprah, she gotta be my auntie. I wanna meet Meryl Streep, so she can be my mama. I want Meryl Streep to be my mom in a movie. I feel like she can do anything. . . . And then, I wanna meet Sally Field. She’s the one who played Gidget, right? I wanna meet her so bad. She inspired me to surf.

You surf?

Yeah, I surf. I would love to do a remake of Gidget. It could be like black Gidget.

That would be so good. Like, 35-year-old, black Gidget. That’s hilarious.

Yep. Somebody named me after the TV show. My mama named me after the TV show. I don’t know. Maybe Meryl Streep adopts me. She named me Gidget.

In your book, The Last Black Unicorn, you write about your hardscrabble upbringing in foster care. What is it about you that makes you the unicorn? Why did you come out of it so well?

I made a decision to not be the stereotype. If I’m gonna be a statistic, I’m gonna be a good statistic. . . . I started thinking more positive, you know? I kinda believe in magic. I feel like magic is a way that you think, it’s like that what you put out is what you get back.

You gotta take care of you before you can take care of anybody else. And, I never really understood that concept till I got a little older and realized you know, how can I give any kind of love or any kind of joy, if I don’t have any? So, I started reading books about it, watching YouTube videos. I feel like YouTube videos are everything in my life. YouTube videos have changed my whole existence.

I used to watch this video with [motivational speaker] Louise Hay all the time. She’s like: “It doesn’t matter what kind of upbringing you had, look into the mirror and look into your eyeballs—and just your eyeballs—and just say your first and last name and say, ‘I love and approve of you.’” In her video, she says you’re probably gonna cry for like five minutes.

So, for a year I tried it. I did it. The first time I did it, girl, I cried so hard I couldn’t even see my own eyes. That meant I didn’t really love myself. I didn’t approve of who I was. And then for a week, every day I did it for five minutes and I cried every single time, and then after that week I stopped crying. And I kept doing it every morning, just looking directly into my eyes.

And then I started noticing, after like two weeks, my whole world started changing, things just started opening up for me. Like the road started clearing. And people started treating me the way that I was treating myself. I was treating myself with love, so then people started giving me love and helping me.

You know, a lot of kids have a mama and a daddy who tell them, “Oh, man, I’m so proud of you. I approve of you. What you’re doing is great.” You know, if you have that person in your life that’s telling you that as a kid, it’s kind of easier to be good in school, to succeed in sports. And if you don’t have that, then you have to do it yourself. And if you don’t know how to do it yourself, then how you gonna do it?

I would imagine it’d be probably important to give back to kids that kind of went through or are going through what you went through as a kid.

That’s one of the missions. Eventually I would like to be able to buy two streets that intersect. Maybe one that ends on a cul-de-sac and call it Tiffany and Haddish, and I wanna build a youth center, and I wanna build a mental-health center, and a job-placement center, and maybe like a transitional-housing building, all on that street. And then, you know, our kids have somewhere to learn and create and learn skills. Like actual skills that they can use. They don’t even have wood shop any more, or auto-mechanic class, or anything, or home economics to teach you how to cook, or how to take care of a family, there’s nothing like that anymore.

And then a mental-health center so people can have someone to talk to. There’s so many people who are traumatized by their childhood and don’t have anybody to talk to about it, and then it just keeps repeating itself. And I think when you talk about it, you get that energy off of it and maybe you can accelerate in life. And then job placement gets people training so that they can have a career in something, and then transitional housing or independent living, so kids like young adults can learn how to pay their rent, take care of their light bill, all that kinda stuff.

And then when they become super-successful, and they say, “Where you learn how to do that?”

“Oh, I learned that on Tiffany Haddish.”

Source: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/01/tiffany-haddish-interview-in-the-spotlight

Joy Richu - Winter in Toronto

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 01:51:54 GMT

Toronto is cold in the winter. The type of cold that turns cheeks red and seeps through layers of gloves to leave fingers numb.

Having just moved here from Vancouver (where winters are mild), and before that, from Kenya (where the only snow seen is on mountain tops), this weather was a shock to me!

My initial plan had been to walk the streets of Toronto looking for a job in Design as soon as I arrived.

But then I felt that winter wind blow through my hair. I felt that tingling sensation that comes when you’ve been out in the cold too long on my face. I caught my first flu. This plan needed to change!

After a few days of power-walking in the cold and arriving everywhere I went looking like I had been electrified (my hair is natural; wind does strange things to natural hair), I decided that it would be better to spend some time learning how to dress for this weather, and, more importantly, how the transit system works.

Thanks to the fantastic Toronto trains, boxing day sales, and a few new friends, I must say that I am doing much better now (and back on the job-hunt)!

But why am I telling you this story? Because I, like you, am a young Black/African professional, with the drive to chase my dream. Your dream might be to be the best producer, the best businessperson, DJ, filmmaker, or consultant to come out of Toronto. It might be to open up that salon, restaurant or clothing store that you always dreamed of. Whatever the case, you have a dream, and that is, in and of itself, beautiful.

I would love to help you as you chase your dream by providing outstanding Brand Design services.

You can learn more here .

With love,

Joy.

8 of the most influential black canadians throughout history

info@mbmtinc.com (Willy Mahailet) — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 05:31:44 GMT

Drake

Famously known for being a hip-hop heavyweight, Aubrey Drake Graham began his entertainment industry career as an actor on popular Canadian high-school drama DeGrassi: The Next Generation .

His first studio album, Thank Me Later (2010), debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum. His subsequent albums would have similar success and he’d go on to win many awards including a Grammy, Juno Awards, BET Awards and recognition as one of the top-selling hip-hop artists of all time.

Drake is also a producer under the pseudonym Champagne Papi and has also written songs for other artists, including Alicia Keys (“Un-Thinkable (I’m Ready)”), Rita Ora (“R.I.P.”), Jamie Foxx and Trey Songz. He also has a clothing line under his belt and endorsements.

Henri Bibb

Henri Bibb was an author and abolitionist who was born a slave and escaped to freedom in Canada in the 1800s.

He also published his autobiography Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, An American Slave, Written by Himself , which became one of the best-known slave narratives of the time. Becoming a publisher in 1851, he set up the first black newspaper in Canada, The Voice of the Fugitive . The paper included news and commentary against the slave trade and was a resource for other escaped slaves who’d settled in the country.

Anne Cools

Anne Cools is the first black person appointed to the Senate of Canada and the first black female senator in North America. She’s also its longest-serving member. A native of Barbados, she was raised in Montreal, and as a student she was active in Canada’s civil rights demonstrations including a 1969, 10-day sit-in at Sir George Williams University.

In 1974, founded one of the first shelters for abused women in Canada, Women in Transition Inc., and served as its executive director.

Malcolm Gladwell

Micheal Gladwell is a lauded journalist, bestselling author, and speaker who has served as staff writer for The New Yorker . He has written several books, including Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking and The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference , sold more than 2 million copies in the United States alone. All of his books have been on The New York Times Best Seller list, and are part of major discussions and studies on leadership, business, and strategic success.

Born in England but raised in Ontario, he was appointed to the Order of Canada on June 30, 2011, and continues to be a profound scholar and source for research and debate on psychological and sociological elements of corporate advancement and business and career prosperity.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

An American and Canadian actor, producer and semi-retired professional wrestler, Johnson first gained mainstream fame in the WWE (formerly the WWF) and began a successful acting career in films including The Scorpion King , Get Smart and the box office hit Fast & Furious franchise. He was reportedly paid $5.5 million for The Scorpion King , a world record for an actor in his first starring role.

He is also a critically acclaimed author and philanthropist who founded the Dwayne Johnson Rock Foundation, a charity working with at-risk and terminally ill children.

Anderson Ruffin Abbott

Dr. Anderson Ruffin Abbott was the first black Canadian to be a licensed physician, and one of only 13 black surgeons to serve in the Civil War as a contracted independence doctor. Born in Toronto, he had a very prestigious career, serving as surgeon-in-chief at Provident Hospital in Chicago, the first training hospital for black nurses in the United States, in the mid-1800s, as well as starting a private practice in Canada upon his return to the country in the late 1800s. He became involved with writing for several publications including the Colored American Magazine of Boston and New York, the Anglo-American Magazine of London, and the New York Age, about black history, the Civil War, Darwinism, biology, and poetry.

Joel Anthony

Joel Anthony plays for the Detroit Pistons and is also a member of the Canadian national basketball team. He previously played for the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics, and participated in the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship for Canada. He helped lead the Canadian team to a fourth-place finish, losing in the bronze medal game to Argentina.

In Summer 2010, Anthony competed again for Canada in the 2010 FIBA World Championship, and then in 2013 he was named to the Canadian national team, playing in the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship.

Yvonne Atwell

Yvonne Atwell, is a Canadian hospital administrator and provincial politician and the first black woman elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Nova Scotia.

She worked for two decades as an administrator at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, becoming head of patient services, before returning to Nova Scotia in 1984.

She has also served as the president of the Black United Front and the African Canadian Caucus, a chair of the Indigenous Black and Mi’kmaq Program at Dalhousie University, a member of the Metropolitan Board of Trade’s small business committee, the director of the African-Canadian Employment Clinic and as vice president of the Nova Scotia New Democratic Party.