My story
Toronto-born woman of Afro/Indo Caribbean descent and raised there for most of my childhood, I quickly learned about the importance of community and having a strong village, especially of people who looked like me. Though not all of those years were full of sunshine and lilies, they felt like home. Subsequent years after moving from Toronto to Whitby, on the other hand made me particularly conscious of issues of equity, oppression and marginalization. Besides being one of the only Black girls in my classes coupled with years of anti-Black bullying, streamlining and others forms of anti-Black racism, I quickly became acclimatized
to the contending dynamics of power and privilege that shaped the
perspectives of my peers, influenced outcomes of success determined by educators and ultimately foreshadowed the trajectory of what could have been my academic journey.
Despite the challenging, yet unforgetting beginning of my journey here in Durham Region, I remained grounded in my faith, supported by my family and eventually found solace in the community I later developed, as well as the allied support system curated during my educational journey. Fiercely determined to override personal, economic life challenges and systemic barriers to success, I discovered ways to turn pain into power, setbacks into setups and failure into blueprints not only for myself, but fellow Black students whom I formed a community with during this time. In 2015, I graduated secondary school as one of few Black female valedictorians of my graduating class with numerous awards, scholarships and acceptances at all of my selected university options.
Immediately after accepting my offer at Ryerson University, I continued my student leadership and joined the Social Work Students’ Union. In 2017 as the Co-Chair of this student-led organization in partnership with a collective student organizers, I founded the University’s First “Racism Talks” series. These events provided public education, direct policy solutions and curriculum development to address racism, particularly anti-Black + anti-Indigenous racism woven into the very fabric of the Educational, Mental Health and Criminal Justice Systems both locally and nationally. After being elected as a faculty director, my community-centric approach led me to become intimately involved as a student organizer within the student movement. Namely, as a core organizer for the Ryerson chapter of the #WeAreTheStudents province-wide coalition, I was a part of the largest student action against the provincial cuts to education which led to the favourable judicial verdict revoking and reinstating essential student service and mechanism for equal access to education.
Having completed my Bachelors in Social Work, I continue to serve youth and marginalized communities in various roles and spaces. In 2019, I founded Youth Vote Counts, which is civic-youth based organization building capacity for youth to be actively engaged in the political process and its outcomes through, critical political education. Additionally, I serve as the leading founder of the Durham Black Accountability Coalition and Executive Director of My Sister’s Keeper - a rising social enterprise that is an intergenerational and interdisciplinary mentorship hub for women across the GTA. Though I am a lifelong learner, I am fortunate to have influenced and been a part of the development of particular policies like the Black Youth Compendium. As well, the depth of my dialogue has been featured on both local and mainstream media such as SHARE magazine, CP24, CTVs News and Global News to address anti-Black racism, state violence and criminal justice reform.
Initiatives & partnerships
I am the recipient of various leadership awards for my recognized commitment to social justice leadership; including the John Austin Award for Community Services 2020, The President's Award for Community Engagement and the Denise O’Neil Green Award for Black Student Leadership. I have a strong life vision for a transformed society, grounded community development and strategic thinking. My ‘WHY’ is to honor the historical and modern-day sacrifices of those who have paved the way, mentored and continue to support my work and to equally pave a way for generations coming after me to live a fulfilling life filled with equity, equal opportunity and holistic abundance.
Durham Black Accountability Coalition
Advocating and actively eradicating anti-Black racism in all its forms.
Youth Vote Counts Canada
YVC strives to, build capacity for youth to be actively engaged in the political process and its outcomes, through political literacy and advocacy.
My Sister's Keepeer
Empowering women across disciplines & generations through intergenerational mentorship to build success & lead with impact.
