About this event
Excerpt from And My Crowns Expanded Afar by Aly Ndiaye translated from French as printed in Africanthology, edited by A. Gregory Frankson.
“Canada (and Quebec, from where I write these lines) has become a master in the art of historical camouflage, notably in its least glorious moments: slavery, segregation, migration laws, systemic racism, etc. Its proximity to the USA has made the task easier as each of these facets seemed to be more amplified there. We could always tell ourselves that at least we weren’t the USA, which was always more racist, more pro-slavery, more segregationist. This constant comparison contributed consistently to the minimization of many issues of concern to a segment of the population, notably Indigenous and Black, which, as soon as it started tackling issues related to civil rights, exclusion and representativeness, was accused of importing ideologies and social dynamics from the USA that were not applicable in the Canadian context.”
This podcast will be live-streamed through Streamyard. Participants will receive a YouTube link to the event when they register. Participants will be able to pose questions to the panel through this link.
THE PANEL:
A. Gregory (Greg) Frankson, OCT, B.Ed. Is the founder and CEO of Voice Share Inc., which provides training, presentation, coaching/mentorship, and consulting services focused on transformative organizational change through inclusive leadership and effective communication. Before creating Voice Share in 2018, Greg was a teacher, arts educator, event producer, corporate trainer, and anti-discrimination facilitator.
Throughout his career, Greg has used his voice to create social change as an advocate, award-winning literary artist, and media commentator. Artistically, he published four poetry collections, contributed to three anthologies, edited AfriCANthology: Perspectives of Black Canadian Poets (2022), and released four studio audio recordings, among many other achievements. He was also an on-air poetic commentator on Here and Now Toronto on CBC Radio One. In the community, his leadership resulted in the overdue commemoration of Robert Sutherland, Canada’s first known university graduate of colour and first Black lawyer, at Queen’s University and across Canada. His words have been published in periodicals and poetry journals on three continents.
Greg is a former Canadian national poetry slam champion, an inaugural inductee to the VERSe Ottawa Hall of Honour, and poet laureate of the International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership. He previously served on the boards of Ottawa Community Immigrant Services Organization (OCISO) and Tropicana Community Services (Toronto), currently serves on the board for Prince’s Trust Canada, and chairs the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) Council at the Abilities Centre. Greg has left a lasting impact at his alma mater, Queen’s University, as its first Black student government president, former student senator and ex-officio trustee, and a long-serving current member of the University Council. He graduated from Queen’s in 1999 with Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education degrees, earned concurrently, and holds certificates in Indigenous Awareness and Coaching for Performance and Mentorship.
Tomi Ajele is the Editor-In-Chief at Afros In Tha City – a media collective dedicated to amplifying Black voices in Mohkínstsis/Calgary. Her work has also been published in The Huffington Post, CBC, ByBlacks, Avenue Magazine, and The Sprawl. Tomi is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy and hopes to continue to use her voice to advocate for an anti-oppressive tomorrow.
Adora Nwofor, aka Statuesse, is your typical everyday awkward Amazon Goddess next door. She leads with grace and humour, even when not intended. Comedian and host, she is well-rounded and a 2020 Calgary Herald Compelling Calgarian making an impact on Turtle Island and from co-producing and styling community content with Shaw Cable, hosting events like Folkfest, Cariwest, and Reggaefest, to making folx jaws drop with comedy at Nubian Disciples, your local Comedy Club. or Gogo Battles, she isn’t afraid to tell THE edgy story you needed. A people lover, looking into new communities is her latest adventure; living a creative life on Youtube means how people have continued to express themselves despite a pandemic. That’s not all; there’s also public speaking (at U of C, Mount Royal, and Capilano University in the past year), activism (you saw 2020, but she has been on it), wardrobe styling, and modelling in the YYC, all like she’s having a party. Maybe she IS the party!
MODERATED BY:
Robert “bobby.t” Tyndale is a digital marketer that believes that people connect through stories. Robert runs a small content production agency called Version Me Media, working with different businesses across Edmonton. He spends his downtime working his Youtube channel and podcast interviewing, reflecting, and talking about things he finds interesting. Focused on engaging the Black community, Robert is a co-founder of a local Black publication Melanistic Magazine and a board member of the Federation of Black Canadians and Jamaican Association of Northern Alberta. Seeing a gap in the social space, Robert started a new tech startup called Return on Colour – focusing on interconnecting Black Canadians across the country through a directory highlighting Black professionals, organizations, businesses, freelancers, and organizations.
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