PAST EVENT
Fondation Michaëlle Jean Foundation is the legacy of the 27th Governor General of Canada, the Right Honorable Michaëlle Jean.
During her five-year mandate, she made serving Canadian youth one of her priorities. She travelled the country with her husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond, engaging with young people from coast to coast, many of them disenfranchised youth; listening to their stories, shedding light on their realities and concerns, making sure that their voices are heard and encouraging them to be socially engaged in their communities, using the full strength of their creativity. They developed a unique connection. In 2010, when her mandate ended, Madame Jean knew that her legacy would be all about serving young people and the arts as tools for social change in Canada.
El Jones
El Jones is a spoken word poet, an educator, journalist, and community activist living in African Nova Scotia. She was the fifth Poet Laureate of Halifax. In 2020, The Halifax Board of Police Commissioners appointed El Jones to define defunding the police, and spearhead ideas for public discussions for justice reform.
Suelyn Knight
Suelyn Knight is the Unit Commander and Manager of the Equity, Inclusion and Human Rights Unit with the Toronto Police Service where she leads a team of subject matter experts on driving progressive and inclusive change in the organization including leading key initiatives such as the Race-Based Data Collection Strategy and the Gender Diversity and Trans Inclusion Project along with the Workplace Well-being, Harassment and Discrimination Review.
Emilie Nicolas
Emilie Nicolas is a columnist with Le Devoir and The Montreal Gazette, as well as a consultant and public speaker on public policy, equity, human rights, international cooperation, race and gender issues. Emilie is committed to social justice and has co-founded Quebec Inclusif (2013) as well as a coalition campaigning for equality and against systemic racism in Quebec (2016).
The National Black Canadians Summit was created out of a call made from emerging artists of African descent, from Halifax, Toronto and Montreal, to confederate the efforts of Black individuals from across Canada, in order to see better outcomes for the community at large. To make this an inclusive and action-oriented summit, The Fondation Michaëlle Jean Foundation worked closely with local communities, lawmakers, private sector and different institutions.
The primary goal was to amplify the voices of the Black communities in Canada, to highlight their contributions to this land and to act to significantly reduce the obstacles they are faced with on their paths to success.
With the outbreak of the global pandemic, they were required to postpone the gathering planned for Halifax to July 2022. A series of virtual events were held beginning April 2021 to convene and mobilize the national Black community and move forward on our way to NBCS 2022. In April 2021, The Fondation Michaëlle Jean Foundation kicked off a series of virtual events that engaged Canadians in conversations around inclusion access to opportunities and solutions to anti-Black racism.
Reimagining Justice featured a panel discussion on the current realities affecting Canadians of Black/Caribbean and African descent who face the inequalities of racial discrimination and violence in proximity to the criminal justice system. The panel featured key players from various sectors and sought to answer some of these key questions:
What do solutions from all levels of government look like for BIPOC communities?
What do tangible actions look like for resolution on the current realities in within the federal justice system?
What responsibility do everyday people play in ending racial discrimination?
What do you think about the idea of reparations? How could reparations be woven into the healing for Black communities?
How do we develop national culturally responsive services for persons of African descent?
where do we start/should we start to reimagine the justice system?
JOIN US ONLINE FOR THE WHOLE CONVERSATION!
We’re very excited to share that this training is being made available LIVE online so that you can join us from wherever you may be! These days most of us have big full lives, and are dealing with various commitments around family, time, money and work. Digitally, you’ll have the speakers, conversation & community – all from the comfort of your own home.
LISTEN. ANSWER. ASK. CONNECT!
You’re not watching – you’re PARTICIPATING! Through our easy online webinar system, you can engage with other viewers, participate in polls & discussions, and even ask questions during question periods. You certainly CAN choose to just sit back and watch & listen, if you like – your active participation isn’t an expectation, but it IS an opportunity.
NO FANCY TECHNOLOGY REQUIRED
There’s nothing to install, nothing to download, nothing to figure out. Here’s what you need to participate and have a great viewing experience!
> a modern internet browser (we recommend Chrome or Firefox)
> a reliable internet connection (hardwired is better than wifi)
> earbuds, headphones or good computer speakers
