Staff Reporter:
Kayonne Christy, co-fonder of the Black Outreach Leadership Directive (BOLD), described the late Lincoln Alexander who served as Ontario’s 24th Lieutenant Governor, as ” courageous, strong-willed, determined, and passionate.”
Christy who was guest speaker at the Lincoln Alexander Day Celebration in Hamilton, Ontario on Monday, noted that Alexander who was Canada’s first Black Member of Parliament, was “at the forefront of advocating for racial equity at the federal level. ”
But she reminded the audience at the Lincoln Alexander Centre that “while he was ground-breaking in so many ways during his time on earth, we still have a lot of work to do in achieving the society that he worked for.”
She noted that “Lincoln was sworn i n as Canada’ first Black MP in 1968, and it took us almost 50 years after that, to elect a person of colour…to [Hamilton] City Council? So what this tells me, and what this should tell all of us, is that we still have a lot of work to do to achieve a truly equitable society.”
She pointed out that “it’s one thing to break down barriers for yourself, but what is equally, if not more important, is breaking down barriers for others in your community as well.
” So as you’re on your way to become to next city councillor, or the next lawyer, or the next MP, or the next anything… remember to be lifting your community up with you.
” It’s important and vital that we support each other.”
At the Celebration at which friends and relatives of Alexander were present, several students from Mohawk College in Hamilton took part in a program of entertainment which included jazz, gospel. and classical music.
The Celebration was organized by Louise Noel-Ambrose of EvenToBe.
” We still have a lot of work to do to achieve a truly equitable society ‘ – Kayonne Christy added by The Caribbean Camera Inc. on
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