The BBPA Harry Jerome Awards
CBC News Toronto is a proud media sponsor of the 2009 Harry Jerome Awards.
The awards were presented on Saturday, April 24th, 2010 in Toronto by the Black Business and Professional Association.
The awards are named after the late Harry Jerome, an outstanding sprinter who set several track-and-field records during the 1960's and represented Canada in the Olympics, Pan-American Games and Commonwealth Games.
The premier Canadian track athlete of his time, Jerome's athletic successes were partnered with scholastic excellence and social consciousness. Despite his relatively brief life, Jerome left all Canadians a proud legacy and a blueprint for success.
Meet the winners!
Academics - Kwesi Johnson
Kwesi Johnson was born in New Amsterdam, Guyana, where he spent the first five years of his life. At the age of 12, he developed a strong desire to contribute to community outreach. He also enjoyed exploring his surroundings, and these explorations brought him much joy. He saw the potential for the exploration of new and unchartered territories.
This dream soon became a reality, and was accompanied by a move to Kingston, Jamaica - and after a brief stopover in New York City, made a permanent landing at Toronto's Pearson International Airport. Growing up in the marginalized community of Malvern in Northern Scarborough had its share of challenges.
However, these challenges instilled in him a high level of discipline for the academics and compassion for community development. Having applied himself in whatever area of study he embarked on, he has been awarded numerous times for his hard work and dedication.
For example, at Centennial College he was awarded the Alumni of Distinction Award in 2008, and at Ryerson University, Gold Medal Award in 2009. Success has always been Johnson's ultimate goal. After completing his Masters of Sociology in Education from the University of Toronto, Kwesi plans to pursue his PHD in International Child Studies.
He desires to use his academic success and extensive community engagement background to further develop practical ways of working with children and youth in the areas of motivation and resilience.
"If I can change the life of just one other human being, then life's work will not have been in vain. My success in the academics will allow the passion for community development to remain ignited until this light shines no more," remarked Kwesi.
Athletics - Aaron Brown
Aaron Brown loves sports. Born in the diverse city of Toronto, Brown has excelled athletically from a young age. He spent the last four years involved in competitive basketball, football and track and field. He has experienced tremendous success and received numerous accolades, including: World Youth Silver Medalist in the 110m at the World Championships, 2-time Canadian national champion in the 100 and 200m, Indoor Provincial Champion at the 60m Toronto Star All-Star in 2009, and 2-Time School Track and Field MVP.
What is most impressive regarding these achievements is that he has only recently taken up these sports in the last 5 years while in late elementary school and high school.
Aaron has always been involved in sports, and was a successful competitive soccer player on multiple teams at various levels of competition. Whichever sports Brown engages in, success is guaranteed. This is evident in his ability to make every team he tried out for, and is always regarded as one of the best with minimal practice.
Aaron Brown is soft spoken, however, he is a well-known and respected athlete who leads on and off the field. Bill Stephens and Rob Pacas, two of Brown's coaches, know very well that he is easy to work with, is an attentive listener, and a quick learner who can execute a game plan to perfection.
Academically, Aaron is also on track, and is awarded for his hard work which includes increasing his GPA every year. Aaron is a great example of a student-athlete who manages to get his assignments done on time and with a high level of excellence.
Leadership - Saron Gebresellassi
Saron Gebresellassi sees the world through the lens of social justice. She is a mentor and organizer committed to empowering other women to discover and achieve their full potential. Her formidable and multidimensional stance helps her to quietly pass on skills and information in order to inspire a new group of woman leaders.
Born in Saudi Arabia during her parents' flight from civil war in Ethiopia, Gebresellassi was 3 years old when her family settled in Toronto. She started organizing events at an early age, and as a Grade 7 student she organized an assembly to honour primarily women teachers. As a high school student living in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, Saron experienced racism in her community. This prompted her to form Students and Teachers Against Racism (STAR), in order to eliminate racially motivated problems in the school and focus on the eradication of negative stereotypes.
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Fluent in five languages, including French, Spanish and Tigrinia, she is an exceptional communicator. In her capacity as Education and Campaign Coordinator for the Ryerson Women's Center, Gebresellassi focused on outreach to women of colour on campus, creating programs on black feminism, Islamic or religious feminism and Indigenous sovereignty issues. Her passion for non-violence took her to Ottawa, where she met with former Prime Minister Paul Martin to discuss a community led strategy to eradicate gun violence.
Gebresellassi sees her activism as an extension of herself. The first person in her family to attend university, she is a third year student in Ryerson's industry renowned Radio and Television Arts program. In addition to her university-based work, she has held leadership roles in a number of groups, including ROOTS (Reclaiming Our Own Teaching In Solidarity), Journalists for Human Rights, East African Students of Toronto and the Black Youth United. Her strength lies in her ability to pass on leadership skills to others.
Saron is an exceptional academic. At the age of 22 years old, she begun a PhD at York University where she continues to be involved in an alphabet soup of organizations. She completed a Masters Degree at the University of Toronto where she earned straight As and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio and Television Arts with a grade point average of 4.0 (A+) in her graduating year.
Young Entrepreneur - Thomas Tewoldemedhin
Thomas Tewoldemedhin has established himself as an entrepreneur, and is the founder, President, and CEO of TNTech Canada. TNTech Canada is the largest on-site paging service company in the country, and works with industries in the Hospitality, Auto and Retail sector. Their product holds more than 70 per cent of the market in Canada.
Prior to founding TNTech Canada, Mr. Tewoldemedhin obtained corporate experience as a Software Developer and System Architect at IBM and CanadaHelps. He also previously launched two business ventures including a website design company for high schools and PC repair shop as a 'serious entrepreneur'. He is a sought after public speaker for corporate, youth and community groups. Mr. Tewoldemedhin has been featured on many television programs.
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Despite his demanding schedule, he also finds time to share his entrepreneur spirit and insights in various communities with enthusiasm, and with a vision for change which has made him a highly sought after keynote speaker. Having been raised in the Regent Park community, one of Toronto's noted 'at-risk' neighbourhoods, Thomas understands very well the challenges youth face in their communities.
His message is to teach young people that despite their circumstances, "you and only you" can define who you are. He promotes using the odds to one's advantage and not as an excuse, as they can be your strengths which play a significant role in your realm or possibilities. "It's not where you start that counts; it's where you finish," he affirms. Having defied the odds, Thomas has set out to educate individuals on the importance of education and giving back through workshops facilitations, speaking appearances, and volunteering.
Mr. Tewoldemedhin holds his academic degrees in Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) in Electrical and Computer Engineering from University of Toronto. He also served as the Vice-President of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE).
Community Service - Winston La Rose
Mr. La Rose contribution to community building and advocacy is phenomenal. His community work started to make impact in 1966 when he co-founded the Hamilton Guyanese Canadian Cultural Association (HGCCA), and was the Vice-President.
From the first Caribana in 1967, Mr. La Rose has been attending and participating in the annual Parades, in Toronto and Montreal. Mr. La Rose is also the Founding Chair of the Kiddies' Carnival. From his earliest years of community involvement, Mr. La Rose has been prolific in documenting community and social events such as track and field meets, Caribana parades, protest marches, First Friday's, the Applause Institute Cotillion Ball, and many more. He formed the African Canadian Communication & Broadcasting Corporation (ACCBC) in 1994.
Mr. La Rose is the director of the Jane Finch Concerned Citizens Organization. Every year, he works closely with Tropicana Community Services in providing summer job opportunities for youth. Since 1997, Mr. La Rose and the JFCCO have collaborated with post secondary institutions to provide Field Placement opportunities and the facility for supervision of their students, in an appropriate work place environment. Participating students come from the Undergraduate Social Work program at York University as well as Social services Worker Programs from City College George Brown, Humber College, Seneca College King Campus, Medix College and Mirco-skills, among others.
Mr. La Rose was an active member of the Ontario Black History Society in the early 90's working closely with President Rosemary Sadler to document many of the activities. There were no formal sewing training programs in the Jane Finch area when Mr. La Rose introduced the Women on the Move Sewing Program in 1999. He later developed a children's program at Stanley Public School, and a program at Brookeview Middle School.
Arts Media Entertainment - Ron Fanfair
Ron Fanfair is well rooted on the communication highway of the Black community. He is a freelance writer photographer and a journalist at heart. His weekly contributions to the Share, Canada's largest weekly ethnic newspaper, allow him to inform, educate and entertain a wide cross-section of readers. His coverage and reporting of community and international events provide readers with an immediate "play back" of significant issues.
Over the years, Mr. Fanfair has conducted interviews with many dignitaries and heads of state, and covered several international events including the: 2007 World Cup of Cricket in the West Indies, 2003 Road World Cycling Championship in Hamilton, International cricket tours to the Caribbean, World Basketball Championships in Toronto, Basketball Star Isaiah Thomas' retirement ceremony at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit in 1996, Muhammad Ali's last two visits to Toronto, and Toronto Raptors first season in 1995-1996.
Prior to coming to Canada in 1985, Mr. Fanfair, who is also the Caribbean Media Corporation's correspondent, freelanced for the Guyana Chronicle – the now defunct Citizen Mid-week newspaper. He also served as senior sports producer and assistant editor with the state-owned Guyana Broadcasting Corporation, and the Caribbean News Agency's sports correspondent in Guyana.
Mr. Fanfair has won several awards including the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for Community Service, the Guyana Sportswriter of the Year award, amongst others.
Watch Dr. Abdullah K. Kirumira (runs 1:26)Technology and Innovation - Dr. Abdullah K. Kirumira
Dr. Abdullah K. Kirumira is the founder and CEO of Bio Medica Diagnostics Inc. of Windsor, Nova Scotia - a company that specializes in cardiovascular diagnostics as well as affordable diagnostics solutions for resource poor clinical settings.
Dr. Kirumira, a Ugandan native, migrated to Canada in 1975. He graduated from Reading University in the United Kingdom, and later completed his PhD in biotechnology at Murdock University in Australia. Dr. Kirumira started his Medical Biotechnology career as a Senior Research Fellow in Medical Diagnostics at the University of Maryland in the U.S. He taught Biochemistry at Acadia University in Nova Scotia, and was the founding Professor of Medical Biotechnology at Dalhousie University's College of Pharmacy.
Presently, he is the Adjunct Professor in the Chemistry Department at Acadia University. He is world renowned for his pioneering work when he developed the world's first rapid acting HIV test in 1993.
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Dr. Kirumira has been recognized by a number of world forums including being chosen by The Economist (London, U.K.) in 2007 to receive their Innovation Award in the area of Bioscience for his work in the development of rapid diagnostic HIV testing. In 2009, he received the World Economic Forum (Geneva, Switzerland) Technology Pioneer Award in Affordable Medical Diagnostics for Emerging Economics. He also received the Planet Africa Award for Technology Innovation.
Watch Delores A. Lawrence (runs 1:17)Business Award - Delores A. Lawrence
Delores A. Lawrence was named one of the Top 100 Canadian Women Entrepreneurs. She has also received the prestigious Order of Ontario in 2004. She is an accomplished businesswoman, senior executive with a strong record of leadership based on strategic planning and priority setting.
She is the Founder, President & CEO of NHI Nursing & Homemakers Inc, a company that provides Health Care Services and case management that include medical, dental, nursing and home health care services. Her clientele include hospitals, long term care facilities, public and private medical/dental organizations/offices and home care clients.
Mrs. Lawrence has done an outstanding job in overseeing NHI's operations and continues to ensure efficiency, quality, service and cost effective management of resources. Under her guidance NHI has received its 3-Year Accreditation Certification, and for the past three years, the coveted Consumers' Choice Award for professional excellence in nurse services.
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She is a high quality performer with the ability to motivate teams towards commonality of purpose, and the pursuit of excellence in achieving articulated business goals. Mrs. Lawrence has a strong track record of initiating and managing organizational change, ability to analyze and resolve complex business, organizational, operational, financial and human resource issues by applying the knowledge and skills acquired in a range of leadership roles, including significant, governance, financial and change management.
Additional to NHI, Mrs. Lawrence's business acumen has benefited numerous organizations in various capacities including: Director of Sunnybrook Women's Hospital, Chairperson of the Operation Black Vote Canada, Director of the Toronto International Film Festival Group, Chair of the New Pioneers Awards, Church Warden and Chair of the Advisory Council of the Anglican Church, Director to the 2008 Toronto Olympic Bid Committee and the Director of the Toronto Training Advisory Board.
Watch Hamlin Grange (runs 1:12)President's Award - Hamlin Grange
Hamlin Grange is known as an award-winning journalist. He is President of DiversiPro Inc. In his ten years with DiversiPro, he has overseen a true success story. Along with his partner, Cynthia Reyes, Mr. Grange has assisted government and private sector organizations worldwide in diversity change management.
Mr. Grange's career at DiversiPro is marked by several significant accomplishments, including an impressive line-up of clients: The Chinese Hakka Conference 2000; The Stratford Shakespeare Festival; The Canadian Diabetes Association; The LCBO; United Way of Greater Toronto; CTV News, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; Peel Children's Centre; Canadian Bar Association; The Ontario Human Rights Commission; The Nova Scotia Community College; the National Film Board; Health Canada-Ontario Region; several Ontario Government ministries and many others.
His almost 30-year career as a journalist both in Canada and abroad, is marked by numerous awards and accolades, and significant 'first' places. Mr. Grange was the first black reporter to work in the Toronto Star's main newsroom in Toronto, where he spent untold hours sharpening his craft and standing up for a balanced portrayal of all communities.
In 2001, Mr. Grange and his partner, Cynthia Reyes, turned their attention to the 'disenfranchised' in media, embarking on a bold initiative in which hundreds of people of diverse backgrounds gained, and for the first time, access to mainstream media, in a meaningful way. That initiative was called the Innoversity Creative Summit. Innoversity has become a national and international model for building bridges between the media and their communities.
Hamlin has an impressive track record as it pertains to his contribution to Canada's Black Community. He has played key roles as a visionary and 'doer' that conceived, contributed, or helped launch some of the community's seminal activities. A partial list includes the Harry Jerome Awards, the Black Business and Professional Association, the Canadian Association of Black Journalists, the BBPA Scholarship Fund and the National Black Coalition of Canada.
Even as a young man, Hamlin worked for the betterment of the Black Community. A record-holding Canadian hurdler, Hamlin later volunteered as a coach for other athletes from our community, and advocated on their behalf in all arenas.
When, in the early 1980s, six Canadian athletes excelled in the Commonwealth Games, but were not being recognized by the wider community. Hamlin was disturbed, and decided to do something about it. He was among a handful of visionaries that took the lead and helped to conceive an awards banquet which was first called the Gold Medal Dinner, later named the Harry Jerome Awards by Hamlin, to recognize these athletes. It was also Hamlin who, working with a local graphic artist at the time, created the BBPA logo, which was needed in order to present the BBPA to sponsors as the community organization behind the event.
Watch Akwatu Khenti (runs 1:17)Professional Excellence - Akwatu Khenti
Akwatu Khenti is a true professional. His global impact and professional excellence, grows out of an education emphasis on collaborative learning, ensuring that all learners in his classes gain an appreciation of their common humanity and shared future.
He is a respected community leader who is dedicated and instrumental for addressing addiction and mental health issues in Ontario and abroad. He is the Director of International Health Programs and Education Services at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). He is also an Assistant Professor in the Dalla Lama School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto.
Mr Khenti presently leads teams working on strengthening addiction and mental health capacity in primary and secondary care in Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Nigeria and Tanzania. He is also a co-Director of the Caribbean Institute on Alcoholism and other Drug Problems (CARIAD) Mr. Khenti is co-director of a Drug Research Capacity Building Initiative of the Inter-American Drug Control Commission, Organization of American States (CICAD, OAS) involving ten universities in Latin American and the Caribbean.
In Toronto, Mr Khenti is leading projects to adapt cognitive behaviour therapy interventions for the Spanish speaking and Caribbean immigrant and communities in Toronto. He is also co-lead of a three year imitative to build mental health and addiction capacity building in community health care centres across the GTA. At CAMH, he led the teams that developed and implemented three major initiatives: the specialized Drug Treatment and Prevention program for Black Youth in Toronto-the Substance Abuse Program for African and Caribbean Youth (SAPACCY); the setting up the Eli Lilly Learning Centre and most recently, the establishment of an Office of International Health.
In April 2008 he received the Ethno-Racial Education Initiatives Award from the Department of Public Health Science, University of Toronto. In April 2007, Mr. Khenti received the award, Educational Excellence for Community Health Care from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto for excellence in teaching. In November 2005, he was awarded the William F. Hubbard Award by the City of Toronto for pioneering work in community development, human rights and promotion of the African Canadian heritage. In November 2002, Mr. Khenti received the Queen`s Golden Jubilee Medal for innovative use of culture in substance abuse programming.
Watch Stanley Grizzle (runs 1:29)Lifetime Achievement - Stanley G. Grizzle
Stanley G. Grizzle, C.M., O.Ont was born in Canada in 1918 to parents of Jamaican descent. In his youth and early adulthood, he encountered great racial obstacles, which may have defeated many. However, these adversities proved no match for Stanley's determination and perseverance. At the beginning of the Civil Rights era of the 1950s, Mr. Grizzle played a pivotal role in the fight for equality, working tirelessly to combat racial intolerance alongside the Joint Labour Committee.
Stanley was the first black Canadian candidate to run for election to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1959. Although he lost the election, shortly after he became the first Black officer in the Ministry of Labour, and was later appointed to the Citizenship Court, both of which were first for Black Canadians. He is held in high esteem within the educational sphere due to his great, yet unlikely accomplishments.
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As a result, he has been invited to give guest lectures at countless schools to inform students of the tribulations faced by Blacks in earlier decades and the great opportunity lies ahead as a result of the legacy left behind by outstanding Black pioneers. He has also produced over twenty-five documentaries to inform the masses about Black Canadian history.
Mr. Grizzle has been the recipient of numerous awards, some of which include: the Order of Ontario award from Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, the Order of Canada award from Governor General Romeo Leblanc, the Stanley Ferguson Lifetime Accomplishment award, and had a neighbourhood park in Toronto named in his honour.
Among his great political accomplishments, Stanley also served in WWII, being promoted from janitor to corporal after his one-man strike for democracy. This gutsy move and his labour union activism opened up management ranks for Blacks. Through his political activism, dedication, and perseverance, Grizzle has inspired countless African-Canadian people to take control of their lives and strive for the seemingly impossible.
Watch Dr. Lisa Robinson (runs 1:25)Health Sciences - Dr. Lisa Robinson
Dr. Lisa Robinson started her career at the University of Toronto where she trained in Internal Medicine at the Toronto General Hospital. She then completed her residency in Paediatrics at the University of Western Ontario. She received her Paediatric Nephrology training at Duke University. While at Duke University, Dr. Robinson pursued basic research training at the Departments of Immunology and Medicine, with her research interests focusing on exploring the mechanisms whereby leukocytes travel within inflamed tissues.
In 2004, she was appointed the Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Leukocyte Migration in Inflammation and Injury. In 2006, Lisa was promoted to Scientist in the Cell Biology programme. Her research continues to actively explore the mechanisms whereby chemokines modulate not only recruitment of leukocytes into sites of inflammation, but also the immune functions of leukocytes bearing the corresponding chemokine receptors. A complementary line of research focuses on the biosynthesis and targeting of endothelial-expressed chemokines during an immune response.
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In addition to these commitments, Lisa created a program for at risk youth, called Kids Science at SickKids. In developing this innovative program, Lisa has reached beyond the boundaries of the Research Institute. She has established partnerships with the Toronto and District School Board, The District School Board, the District School Board Ontario North East, Visions of Science Network for Learning, Horizons and the Ontario Science Centre.
Her achievements in the paediatrics research is a testament to Dr. Robinson's commitment to the health and well being of children in her community. She was awarded the Early Researcher Award from the Government of Ontario's Ministry of Research and Innovation, Appointed Canada Research Chair Tier 2, Elected to the Society for Paediatric Research, American Society of Transplantation Faculty Development Award, Fellow Research Award from the American Society of Paediatric Nephrology and the Paediatric Scientist Development Program Research Fellowship Award, are just a shortlist of her achievements.
Watch Dr. W. Andy Knight (runs 1:25)Trailblazer - Dr. W. Andy Knight
Dr. W. Andy Knight is an accomplished scholar, obtaining his Ph.D. in Political Science (International Relations) from York University in Toronto. Dr. Knight became a full professor at the University of Alberta, Department of Political Science in 2000, and continues to lecture there to date. He acts as the Director of the Peace and Post Conflict Certificate Programme, as well as the Faculty Advisor for the Model United Nations Club.
Dr. Knight has been awarded with numerous grants and awards for his highly esteemed research, and has written prolifically for scholarly journals, books and book reviews, conference papers, and multitudinous magazines and newspapers from around the globe on a variety of topics including: the United Nations, peace building, international relations and global governance.
Dr. Knight maintains a dominant presence in the educational sphere as an active Chair, Advisory Board Member, Convenor, Co-Chair, Co-Director, and Executive Board Member to name a few, for a wide array of associations, organizations, and councils. Dr. Knight's passion and commitment to learning is an ever present force propelling him forward on his quest for knowledge and the dissemination of it. Dr. Knight continues to blaze the trail on all the aforementioned fronts.
External Links
- More on Harry Jerome
- More information from the The Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA) on the premier Canadian track athlete of his time.
- Harry Jerome on the Walk of Fame
- Celebrating the excellence of a determined athlete and inspiring role model.
- Althetes in Action
- The Harry Jerome International Track & Field Classic at Swangard Stadium, where the legacy of Harry Jerome lives on.
