Lorna Looby Crosse
2020 Honourees
As a young woman, for Lorna, doing better meant attending university where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts from York University. Later, she attended the University of Toronto where she earned a Bachelor and a Master of Education. As a student at U of T she learnt to see the potential in every student which served to guide her practice in Education.
During her undergraduate years, Ms. Looby-Crosse worked at the Bank of Montreal as a customer service representative. After being certified by Ontario College of Teachers she taught at various communities in Toronto and the greater Toronto area.
She experienced enormous satisfaction as a Vice-principal especially when focusing on student achievement, well-being and success. Driven by student desire to overcome challenges, I invested much time addressing individual needs, creating pathways to success and improving student outcomes. Student graduation rates improved and students gained access to their desired pathway.” After thirty-seven years in Education, Ms Looby-Crosse retired in 2018, as a vice-principal, from Toronto District School Board.
She is a graduate of York University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and Seneca College with a diploma in Early Childhood Education, (with high honours). Over the past thirty years Mabinti has worked at the municipal and provincial levels managing programs with bold commitments to collaborative and cutting-edge programming. This was exemplified by her work at Success by Six where she was a Regional program manager and worked with sixty partners in business, labor, education, recreation, social services and government. These collaborations led to the building of partnerships and to providing sustainable programs for young children.
Mabinti was also a ground breaker at Davenport Perth Neighborhood Centre where she engaged in funding advocacy for the center development. She later went on to serve as a program manager and created a sustainable program for youth and children. She has done extensive work with immigrant women at COSTI immigrant services.
Madge earned a concurrent Bachelor of Arts Degree and Bachelor of Education Degree at York University, and a Master of Education Degree at the University of Toronto.
She has also worked as a Curriculum Consultant, Vice Principal, Principal and Supervisory Officer with the North York Board of Education and has been a Course Leader and Course Director in the Faculty of Education at York University and worked in the Ministry of Education of Ontario as an Education Officer. She has shared her education expertise as a speaker and presenter at a number of conferences and workshops in Ontario and across Canada. She has been a panelist on a number of programs showcased on TV Ontario.
She has been a passionate advocate for student achievement and particularly equity of outcomes for all students and the belief that schools must be sites of possibility for all students.
Malinda S. Smith is a Professor of Political Science and the Provost Fellow (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy) at the University of Alberta. She was born in Nassau, The Bahamas. Currently, Dr. Smith is principal investigator on a 2018 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellowship research, “A Seat at the Table: Engendering Black Canadian Pasts and Futures,” which focuses on unearthing and telling the stories of Black hidden figures in Canadian politics, law and higher education. She is co-editor (with Awad Ibrahim, Tamari Kitossa and Handel Wright) of the forthcoming volume, Nuances of Blackness in the Canadian Academy. Dr. Smith also serves on Statistics Canada’s Working Group on Black communities in Canada, and the Statistics Canada expert group on Immigration and Ethno-cultural Statistics.
Dr. Smith completed her early education in Nassau, where she graduated from Queen’s College High School. She began her postsecondary studies at the University of Idaho and completed a B.A. (magna cum laude) in political science and sociology at Western Michigan University, while on a full-ride field hockey scholarship. Subsequently she was awarded a Graduate Fellowship and completed two Master’s degrees at WMU, one in Political Science and one in Development Administration. Dr. Smith obtained her PhD in Political Science at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.
Currently Dr. Smith teaches international and comparative politics, critical race studies, and gender and politics at the University of Alberta. Before moving to the University of Alberta. Dr. Smith taught at Athabasca University, where she served as the academic coordinator for the BA in Political Economy and the Bachelor of Professional Arts (BPA) in Governance, Law and Management. Dr. Smith is one of four Black female professors currently in political science in Canada, and the only Black female full professor in the discipline.
Marcia Smellie was born in London, England and moved to Canada with her family at the age of 13. She went on to attend Ryerson where she obtained her B.A.A. During her time at Ryerson she joined the Ryerson Afro Caribbean Association (RACA). This led her to doing two summer internships with the program ‘HeadStart for New Canadians’. Here, she was introduced to the power of teaching and being a role model for young Black children.
After obtaining her B.Ed. from the University of Toronto, Marcia joined the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB), as a Family Studies and Special Education teacher at Kitchener Waterloo Collegiate and Vocational School (KCI). She was the first Black teacher at this very multicultural school. She has resided in Waterloo Region since 1982.
Marcia was very involved in the local branch of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF). She was eventually appointed Department Head at Gait Collegiate in Cambridge and after four years she moved into the role of Human Resources Equity Officer. During her six year tenure, she led the development and implementation of Race Relations Leadership Camps, Student Holocaust Education Seminars, as well as Facing History and Ourselves workshops for administrators and teachers. While in this position, she served as President of the Anti-Racist Multicultural Educators’ Network of Ontario (AMENO) for two years.
Marcia Brown, Founder and Executive Director of the Trust 15 Youth Community Support Organization, was born in Toronto, Ontario.
When she started her career as an Educational Assistant with the Toronto District School Board in 2005, Marcia was thrilled to be able to make connections with so many of the children and their families, and acted as a liaison between families from the African diaspora and an education system they didn’t yet understand how to navigate.
Maricia Silvera-Batson was born in the well-known island of wood and water, Jamaica. She accompanied her mother to Canada in 1976 and has been a proud Torontonian ever since.
Coming from a family rich with nurses it comes as no surprise that Maricia has chosen a career that specializes in caring and advocacy. She is a Registered Nurse, graduating from both Centennial College and Ryerson University, with a specialty in Perianaesthesia and Critical Care at an acute care hospital. Always reflective and resourceful, Maricia is on a constant learning journey and has taken opportunities to explore beyond the bedside of nursing to effect change in healthcare personnel and patient safety
Marie France Fleurantin is the 2nd vice-president of Unifor Local 62. She was born in Montreal of Haitian. She studied at Collège Montmorency in Laval in human science with a social profile. She has a 24 year old daughter.
She currently works at Bombardier Aerospace, Center of Excellence in Pointe-Claire for 10 years. When she started working at Bombardier, it was an honour to work for such a large company and also it was her first experience as a union member. Her employment at Bombardier, her employer, was nevertheless a surprise since it was a job mainly made up of men.
Her involvement in the union began when she realized that women did not really have their place in the local union and that this was even less the case for members of color who are a small minority. She got involved in order to learn more about this union subject and to support it.
Marie Nyiramana is currently working as a Canadian diplomat in Ethiopia. Specifically. She is the Head of Political Section for the Embassy of Canada in Addis Ababa. She was born and raised in Gatonde, Rwanda and came to Canada at the age of 30 to complete a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Quebec in Chicoutimi. Prior to obtaining her Master’s, she completed a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Rwanda and an associate’s degree in Finance and Financial Management from the Agence Française de Development.
Professionally, she occupied a plethora of roles within the Federal Government of Canada. She began her career with the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada as a Senior Policy Advisor in 1998. In 2002, she moved on to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) where she worked as an Internal Auditor and a Manager/Senior Advisor to the Vice President. In early 2005, she occupied a position with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat as a Senior Analyst.
Marjorie R. Taylor (nee Brownie) was born in Jamaica, West Indies and immigrated to Canada in November 1969. She first lived in East York, then Thornhill and later in Brampton since mid-1981. She received her education in Jamaica at Manning’s High School in Savanna-la-mar (Westmoreland), Duff’s Business College (Kingston) and in Toronto, Canada at Ryerson (Human Resources), and Wycliffe College (Diploma in Lay Ministry).
Marjorie has always combined continuing education with her “calling” to volunteer while raising her family and has consistently volunteered in some capacity before high school, in her church, in her place of employment and in the community. She has been active in numerous community organizations such as the United Achievers’ Club (a member for 25 years) serving in various capacities including that of President (2006 to 2008), as Chair of the Celebrity Chef – Men Who Cook and currently as Trustee – Communication. In the Kiwanis Club of Brampton, she served on the Board for several years. She was President from October 1, 2013 – September 30, 2015 and is currently an active member. She has volunteered with the Canadian Cancer Society (Ontario Division) since 1993 and is an active member of Christ Church, Brampton (since 1982), where she serves on the Altar Guild.
She is an Eucharistic Lay Assistant, sings in the choir and when called upon is an amateur actor in Christ Church presentations. Marjorie also currently serves on the Osler Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) and the Peel Regional Police Black Advisory Committee. She enjoys writing and has produced the Scholarship & Recognition Awards Program brochure for the United Achievers’ Club since 2000.
Marjorie’s employment history includes: the Metropolitan Toronto Library, Women’s College Hospital and Peel Memorial Hospital. She retired early in the fall of 2007 but continues her activities as a community leader, advocate and volunteer.
Mrs. Marjorie Villefranche is the executive director of Maison d’Haiti, a community and cultural organization in Montreal focused on the social inclusion of new immigrants of all backgrounds and other vulnerable populations.
Mrs. Villefranche has been dedicated to education and defending immigrant women and illiterate people for more than 40 years. The fights against racism, discrimination and all forms of exclusion are part of her daily life. She participated in the Women’s March of Bread and Roses (Du pain et des roses), the work of the Montreal‘s Task force on democracy (2002) and the Montreal Women’s Action and Urban Safety Committee. Currently, she presides on the Saint-Michel‘s neighbourhood council.
A specialist in the history of the Montreal’s Haitian community, Mrs. Villefranche participated, in 2014, in’’ Histoires d’immigrations’’ a project conducted by the University of Quebec in Montreal and the National Library and Archives of Quebec. She has also produced three documentaries: Port-au-Prince ma ville, District 67, and Petites mères.
There are many stages in the process of becoming a justice of the peace. One must have a significant interest in their community, demonstrate humanity, attain the necessary educational qualifications and exhibit a high level of achievement. A Justice of the Peace plays a critical role in the administration of justice; their two main areas of jurisdiction are criminal law and regulatory law court proceedings. With respect to criminal law, a Justice of the Peace presides over virtually all judicial interim release (bail) hearings in the province and the majority of criminal remand courts. They also preside over other criminal hearings.
Her Worship De Gannes was the first black female Justice of the Peace appointed in Durham Region and she was further selected to the position of Local Administrative Justice of the Peace which is responsible for local issues pertaining to the jurisdiction of her bench. This past year, Her Worship received a second Lieutenant Governor Order in Council appointment to become the first black Regional Senior Justice of the Peace in Central East Ontario.
Mary Ogunyemi is an entrepreneur, originally from Nigeria. She immigrated to Canada in 1990. Mary has combined ideas from her homeland—along with her skills, education, and business acumen—to lead a successful career as a businesswoman, managing a unit of almost 250 women across Canada in Mary Kay Cosmetics. Subsequently, Mary applied her business skills and experience to launch a successful and unique retail business, selling custom wigs, hair enhancements, and hair products, while also promoting African haircare practices to women of Newfoundland and Labrador.
After completing an MBA degree in the United States, Mary moved with her husband and small children to St. John’s, Newfoundland, to begin a new life in Canada in 1990. She quickly became involved in the community, where she learned skills to help adapt to the new environment.
Mary was one of the founding members of the African Canadian Association of Newfoundland and Labrador in the mid -1990s. At different times, she has also held positions of President and Vice President.
Maxine currently teaches in the Child and Youth Care program at George Brown College and Sheridan College. She continues to be involved in numerous community-led initiatives that support children and youth of African descent. And advance social justice.
In her role as Project Coordinator for an accredited Children’s Mental Health Agency in Toronto, she led a community engagement project that highlighted the stigma of mental illness among African Canadian youth. Maxine developed and implemented Resiliency, Identity, Transformation, Empowerment, Self-Determination(RITES), a program to affirm African Canadian strength and resilience, address systemic racism, increase cultural identity and support youth to identify and break down systemic barriers.
Maxine, along with other youth in the Caribbean community formed a youth and performing group as an extension of the WWIA. Maxine represented the Windsor Caribbean community at numerous youth conferences. Her first job in Canada was going door-to-door collecting census data and information on the total number of Caribbean individuals living in the Windsor area.
Maxine continued her involvement in the Windsor Caribbean community by Chairing the Caribbean Village for the City of Windsor’s Carousel of Nations for 3 years, mentoring Caribbean youth as the manager and choreographer for the Windsor Caribbean Performers for 5 years. Maxine was also the former President of the Women’s Auxiliary of the Windsor West Indian Association.
Maxine holds a Master of Business Administration from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, where she majored in finance and minored in human resource strategy. Prior to that, Maxine earned a Bachelor of Commerce, Honor’s degree from the University of Windsor.
May-Marie has over 16 years’ experience specializing in community development strategies, public policy implementation, accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion, across various sectors including not-for-profit, municipal and provincial government.
May-Marie has held various positions including Refugee Case Manager with the Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey, Family Service Specialist with the Division of Youth and Family Services (State of New Jersey), Community Developer with Hamilton’s Centre for Civic Inclusion, Economic Development Adviser with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Accessibility and Equity Specialist for the City of Hamilton. She is also the Founder and Publisher of Illuminessence e-Magazine, dedicated to showcasing exemplary fem-leaders and guys who get it for their remarkable accomplishments.
Born in Jamaica, Megan Whitfield and her family immigrated to Canada when she was at a very young age. She wholly thanks her mother, Joan Gooden, who gave her the back bone and inspiration. She would not be the woman she is today if it were not for her encouragement and motivation.
She has been a trailblazer since graduating from Humber College. She was the first woman hired in the security department at the Regal Constellation Hotel. While there, she encountered injustice in the workplace. She organized and assisted in unionizing the department. She then became a mother of three lovely boys (now men) and returned to school at George Brown College.
In 1998, Megan was hired as a temporary worker at Canada Post. Once she became a part-time postal clerk, she immediately became a Shop Steward and a Health and Safety Representative. She also sat on the Local Union’s Women’s Committee and Human Rights Committee. Megan is also a Human Rights investigator. Additionally, she was elected to several committees at the National Level.
Meseret Desta Haileyesus is the CEO Canadian Center for Women’s Empowerment & Maternity Today. She is a trained midwife, nurse, and public health expert, Meseret has assisted many pregnant African women through the amazing journey of pregnancy, childbirth, and new motherhood. She is an advocate for universal, equitable access to high-quality midwifery care, reproductive health rights and strategies to reinforce the reproductive health components of health sector reform programs.
She is an ambassador for World Pulse, a global network to amplify women as well as an ambassador for the RHEALYZ Global Empowerment Initiative Africa. She is also an advocate and speaker against Female Genital Mutilation at Laurentian University. She is a founding committee member for Ethiopiaid Canada’s Sister to Sister project and a member of the End FGM Canada Network in Ottawa.
Michele James (formerly Jordan) is the Vice-president, People and Transformation at Scarborough Health Network (SHN). SHN is Ontario’s third largest community hospital with three acute care facilities. Michele’s diverse portfolio includes the human resources function for the organization’s 5,200 employees. She also provides executive leadership for strategy and transformation, organizational development, workplace health and safety, volunteer services, spiritual care, diversity, inclusion and health equity.
Michele has worked in health care for over 30 years, the last 12 years as an executive in Scarborough’s hospital system. She joined Scarborough’s Rouge Valley Health System in 2008 to develop and lead a strategy for major organizational transformation. The “Lean Thinking” approach, invented by Toyota, was central to this strategy, making the hospital one of the first in Ontario to sustain a hospital-wide Lean improvement program.
Michèle Newton, is an Activist, Changemaker, and Entrepreneur. She was born in Hamilton, Ontario. Michèle and her family lived in the Hamilton area, spent one year in England, and when she was nine years old, they relocated to first St. Johns, then Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Michèle lived in Corner Brook until completing high school and then moved to Ottawa, Ontario, to attend Carleton University. Michèle spent 14 years in the Ottawa area, kick-starting her communications career and business education. She and her family currently make their home in Barrie, Ontario.
Michèle completed a Bachelor of Science in Biology at Carleton University. Upon learning that just three percent of Biology graduates went on to work in their field, she decided to pursue her love of people and relationships. This led her to enroll in a Marketing Certificate program at Algonquin College which gave her a business framework in which to employ her creative writing, public relations and organizational skills. After working in the Marketing and Communications fields, her leadership skills and growing business acumen resulted in her promotion to business management roles. Working concurrently, Michèle completed her Master of Business Administration in Project Management at Athabasca University, through their executive MBA program.
Michelle Henry is a Partner in the Toronto office of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, where she practices management side labour and employment law.
Michelle advises both private and public sector employer on various employment-related matters, including disability management, restructuring, discipline, occupational health and safety matters. She represents clients in litigation, including wrongful dismissal actions, injunctions, human rights and other administrative tribunal proceedings. On the labour relations side, Michelle acts on behalf of employers in grievance arbitrations, matters before Labour Relations Boards, and in collective bargaining. She co-authored Dismissals in the Unionized Workplace. She is also frequently retained to conduct employee training and independent investigations involving complaints of harassment and discrimination.
Mosa McNeilly spins her livelihood as an artist, educator, and editor, while holding it down as a single parent.
Born in Canada, Mosa is part of a generation of Black women artists who have laid a foundation. 2019 marked the 30th anniversary of the first exhibition of Black women artists in Canadian history – Black Wimmin: When & Where We Enter. Recognized at The Feast at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), Mosa was one of the artists and one of the members of DAWA (Diasporic African Women Artists) who collectively curated the 1989 exhibition tour. The DAWA Collective has since regrouped to mark this historical event, with Andrea Fatona as the curator, and A Space Gallery confirmed as the first venue of the 2021 exhibition tour.
Mosa was one of the Toronto 2019 Acker Award recipients, becoming part of a legacy of artist/activist trailblazers and changemakers. Her artwork has been shown in venues such as Harbourfront, Toronto; Articule, Montreal; Eyelevel, Halifax; Houseworks, Ottawa; Grey Roots, Owensound; XChange, Victoria; Marryshow House, Grenada; and the World Youth Festival, North Korea; and featured in publications such as Cosmic.
Currently, Doreen works as an Infection Control Practitioner (ICP) in which she had to do additional studies to obtain a Certification Board of Infection Control (CBIC) certificate. Her role as an ICP is designed to educate Healthcare providers to understand the principles of Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) to guide appropriate infection prevention practices.
She has mentored many nursing students as a preceptor during her nursing career and have worked with youths for years, encouraging, guiding and empowering them in community church programs. She volunteered for the Sickle Cell Awareness Group of Ontario (SCAGO) for over ten years. Her roles included the following: Vice President, President, Outreach Coordinator, member of the Board of Directors and currently the Volunteer Manager.
Nadia Thompson was born and raised in Winnipeg Manitoba. Her parents immigrated to Winnipeg in the 70’s from Jamaica. Nadia grew up in the North end of the city. As a visual minority growing up in Winnipeg and going to school as one of the few black children, staying connected to her roots was a challenge. During the early years, Nadia was involved in many extra circular activities as a child including ballet, gymnastics, baton, piano and swimming. At the age of 12 she became a member of the Jamaican Association of Manitoba dance group. She participated in many events throughout the city performing at Folklorama, Black-O-Rama, at schools and senior home. This would be the start of many years of volunteering and community activities for her.
Nadia graduated from Glenlawn Collegiate in 1995 with Graphic Arts major and Fine Arts minor. After having her daughter she went back to school to attain her Business and Office Administration Diploma from CDI College. She started her career with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority in 2007 in which she has been in various administrative positions and is currently a scheduling clerk for the Palliative Care Unit.
Nadia Hohn, born in Toronto, is an Author, Performer, Educator, and a Diversity in Children’s Literature Advocate, Toronto, ON, Canada. She has a Master of Education, Sociology and Equity Studies in Education (Culture and Communication), Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, 2005. She earned her Bachelor of Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. 2002 and her Bachelor of Arts, Honour’s Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario in 2001. She also has Intermediate/Senior Level Vocal Music and Dramatic Arts, Additional Qualifications: Intermediate Level English, Primary Basic, Junior Basic, French-as-a-Second-Language, Teacher-Librarian; Primary and Junior Music Specialist completed through Primary/Junior Vocal Music Part 1, Orff Level 1 and 2.
Nadia’s is a committed and creative educator. She has taught in Toronto public schools since 2003. In 2009, Nadia was one of the inaugural teachers at the Africentric Alternative School, the first school of its kind in Canada. She was known for the way she integrated African- and Caribbean-history and culture into her lively lessons, incorporated community through guests and assemblies, and planning of educational experiences for her students both in the classroom and outside on memorable field trips. In 2016, Nadia went to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) where she taught early years music.