Congress of Black Women Awards Scholarships to Four Ontario

Monique Monplaisir

By Lincoln DePradine

It’s a tradition as old as the Congress of Black Women of Canada (CBWC), which was founded in 1951 as the Canadian Negro Women’s Association (CANEWA).

The tradition is the awarding of academic scholarships to help Black kids pursue post-secondary studies.

“The awarding of scholarships was one of the main reasons for which the original organization, CANEWA, started. It was the primary objective, with the first scholarship awarded in 1951,” Loris Thomas, CBWC’s Regional President, told The Caribbean Camera.

She made the comment after the presentation of 2024 CBWC Ontario Region scholarships to four students, who were headed to college after graduating from high schools in Markham.

Yasmin Givan

The four – each the recipient of a cash grant of $1,000 – include Monique Monplaisir and Yasmin Givan, who both attended Bill Crothers Secondary School.

The other scholarship recipients were Keldon James, a graduate of St Augustine Catholic Secondary School, and former Pierre Elliott Trudeau Secondary School student Chad Dume.

Keldon James

Dume and Givan are now both studying life sciences at the University of Toronto.

Monplaisir and James have chosen kinesiology as their career options. Monplaisir is a student at Western University and James is at York University.

“Since 1973, Congress of Black Women has been awarding scholarships annually. CBWC saw the need to award scholarships to deserving Black youth to ensure that they are educated and trained to compete for work,” Thomas said.

“This focus on education continues as a primary objective for Congress of Black Women today,” she added.

Chad Dume

“Congress of Black Women Ontario congratulates all students, from kindergarten to university, and wish you a successful 2024-2025 school year.”

CBWC, a non-profit organization, comprises eight chapters, which all award scholarships as part of their services.

The Markham chapter is the youngest of the eight, joining others in Ajax/Pickering, Oshawa/Whiby, Scarborough, Mississauga, Brampton, London and Waterloo.

“Markham is a new chapter and the organization continues a call out about for members to manage this chapter,” Thomas said.

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter