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Congress of Black Women of Canada Mississauga and Area Chapter celebrated black excellence in the community with scholarship awards

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BY: ASHELLY SMITH

On Sunday, June 10, 2018, Congress of Black Women of Canada Mississauga and Area Chapter awarded nine scholarships in the amount of one thousand dollars each to students in pursuit of their education.  There were seven students from the post-secondary schools who received scholarship awards:  Hailey McCalla, Emmanuel Akpata, Najat Ahmed, Royanne Williams, Ephraim Akpata, and Saara Ricketts. The Adult Scholarship was awarded to Renisha Cox. This award is to financially assist a black woman who has a compelling desire to return to school to further her education. Renisha is currently registered in the Paralegal program at Sheridan College. Another award was given to an adult, specifically to a new teacher who has recently completed his program. This award is called The Heather Whittaker Teacher Scholarship. Whittaker was a president of the chapter who died in 2003. With this award, the chapter supports and recognizes members of the Black community who have chosen a profession in education. The chapter believes it is important that black children see positive and cultural reflections of themselves represented in their learning institutions.

At 12:45 pm Loris Thomas the fundraising coordinator, introduced MC Itah Sadu who is a distinguished storyteller and children’s author. She is also the co-owner of A Different Booklist, one of the few independent bookstores left in Toronto. She was a vibrant MC who kept the program entertaining and flowing. There were dignitaries present at the scholarship brunch:  Mayor of Mississauga, Bonnie Crombie, and Member of Parliament Omar Alghabra for Mississauga Central and Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief Ingrid Berkeley-Brown. Mayor Bonnie Crombie presented a short message at the brunch:

“Your organization has an important place here in our community. The Congress of Black Women of Canada is helping to provide new opportunities and shaping brighter futures for young men and women, by offering generous scholarships that will go toward education opportunities. Each and every one of us has a responsibility to mentor, support, inspire and build the character and confidence of young women to help ensure their dreams become a reality.  Once again, I would like to congratulate all the nominees and winners of the 2017-2018 post-secondary scholarships. I wish this organization many more years of continued and enriching success here in Mississauga.”

MP Omar Alghabra would not leave until he gave his remarks at the event: “Since 1985, the Mississauga Chapter has been working tirelessly to connect and empower members of the black and greater Mississauga community, the organization’s dedication and passion are inspirational and a pillar of exceptional leadership. As the Member of Parliament for Mississauga Centre, I want to laud the remarkable work the organization has done and continues to do for the community. I am honored to be a Member of Parliament from a region that has an organization such as Congress of Black Women of Canada that brings incredible enrichment to our community. Congratulations to all of the scholarship winners and to the members of the Congress of Black Women of Canada Mississauga and Area Chapter for another successful year.”

It is important to have the support of educated professionals such as Peel District School Board Director, Peter Joshua and Dufferin Peel Catholic School Board representatives. Also in attendance was Councilor Ron Starr, representatives of Peel Police Service Board and a table of all females’ officers proudly representing Peel Regional Police!

One of the most awaited times was brunch. It was served in a buffet style with a huge delectable salmon in the middle of the table. Some attendees commented that it was one of the coolest and creative presentations of food they had ever seen.  The menu was appetizing with a lot of vegetables, salads and beans. It would be an understatement to comment that the food was good, it was scrumptious. Then there was a musical performance by Anthony Legore who was quite a singer! The moment everyone was waiting for finally arrived, the scholarship awards presentations led by Valerie Williams, the education coordinator.

 

Speaking to Toronto Caribbean reporter, Hailey Mccalla one of the scholarship recipients expressed how she felt about receiving the scholarship.

“I feel very blessed to know that I have been granted the opportunity to win this scholarship and this will be going towards my education so it is amazing to know that I have people supporting me all the way.”

Speaking of support, not everyone has a strong support system but McCalla has her grandmother who she praised highly.

“My grandmother is definitely one of my biggest supporters. She has been one of my biggest supporters over the years because growing up in Barbados she experienced a lot of poverty. However, she still pursued her dreams to become a nurse. So I definitely used that as an example of her resilience,” shared McCalla.

It is always good to show your appreciation by giving back to others. Hailey has a strong desire to do so.

“I definitely plan to volunteer with this community. I think it is very important to give back to the community seeing that they were able to give me one thousand dollars towards my education especially since I like to volunteer at the JCA as well as the WCM.”

Soon everyone sat down to listen to the keynote speaker, Kike Ojo, the founder/CEO of The Kojo Institute. Ojo is a speaker, facilitator, strategist, and advocates for social justice and systems change. She was an educated speaker who spoke about the black community oppressions by referencing statistical research to prove her points.

Toronto Caribbean spotted the Vice President of Congress of Black Women of Canada Mississauga and Area Chapter Palmonia Gordon who was excited to speak with us about raising funds for the annual scholarship awards.

“The plan is to grow ourselves as an organization because if we grow and have more members then, of course, we have more opportunity that there are people out there that can source funds for us. We also want to grow our presence on social media so people can say oh!  who are these people? I see what they are doing. One of the things that is on my heart as a new officer in the organization is to connect with past recipients of the awards…Can I get your story? Let me hear how receiving this award impacted you so that we can have that to compile and we can use this as a marketing tool as proof of what we do.”

As the scholarship recipients go on to their future endeavors, Gordon would like them to know that the future has no boundary.

“The future is limitless. Whatever limit they can imagine, is a lie they have placed upon themselves because there is no limit to what they can accomplish. Whatever the mind can think, it can achieve” said Gordon.

It was a great afternoon at the 2018 Family Brunch & Scholarship Awards at the Mississauga Grand Banquet Hall. The Congress of Black Women of Canada is a national non-profit community organization with chapters across Canada. They have four programs that they consistently run effectively. They are post-secondary scholarships, teacher scholarship, adult scholarship and a non-profit housing project called Camille’s Place. Camille’s Place is a stately nine story non-profit housing that has adorned the Mississauga skyline in the Creditview and Eglinton area since 1996. It was officially opened by Mayor Hazel McCallion in the summer of 1998. Next year’s event promises to be greater with more awards, prizes and a splendid brunch. See you there next year!

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Francis Jeffers

    June 13, 2018 at 8:39 pm

    Great coverage for a wonderful event celebrating excellence in our community. Great job by the Congress of Black Women, Mississauga chapter.

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Junior Contributors

What is Ramadan? People say, we’re fasting; that’s only a part of It

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Photo Credit: Way Home Studio

BY KAHA G. – 15 YEARS OLD

Ramadan is fast approaching! It’s said to be on either Sunday, March 10th, 2024, or Monday, March 11th, 2024, based on the sighting of the crescent moon. However, what is Ramadan? In Islam, Ramadan is the ninth month in the Muslim calendar (we use the lunar calendar) and is the holy month of fasting.

Like I said earlier, it starts and ends with the sighting of the crescent moon. This calendar is different from the Gregorian calendar because “Ramadan begins 10–12 days earlier each year, allowing it to fall in every season throughout a 33-year cycle,” according to Brittanica. This is why, in some cases, Eid (the celebration after Ramadan), can fall on the same day as Christmas.

Additionally, Ramadan is a period where Muslims practice self-restraint, from dawn to dusk from food, drink, sexual activity, and all forms of immoral behaviour. This includes bad deeds as a whole, like swearing, disrespecting your parents, music, etc. Keep in mind that these should be stopped no matter if it is Ramadan, or not. In addition to that, we are encouraged to do many good deeds during this month because the reward for it is multiplied immensely. So, we would partake in good acts like charity, reading the Qur’an (the holy book for Muslims), prayer, and so on.

Before the dawn prayer known as Fajr, we wake up for suhoor which translates to the meal eaten before dawn. We wake up one hour before dawn prayer, eat our suhoor, and read the Qur’an. On the other hand, after the sunset prayer, we have something called iftar, which is the meal we break our fast with.

Now, here is the amazing part of Ramadan. During Ramadan, in the last ten nights, there is a day called Laylat al-Qadr (Arabic word for the night of power). Allah (God) revealed the Qur’an to the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. This day is so special to the point where all of our supplications are answered, and the angels descend giving the day a sense of tranquility.

According to zakat.org, there is a hadith (a statement, or action from the prophet Muhammed peace be upon him) from An-Nasa’i (a scholar who collects the hadith and puts it into a book) that states the following. “There has come to you the blessed month of Ramadan, in which God, the Mighty and Sublime, has enjoined you to fast. In it, the gates of heaven are opened, and the gates of Hell are closed, and every single devil is chained. In it, God has made a night whose value is greater than a thousand months (Laylat al-Qadr), and whoever is deprived of its goodness will indeed have lost.”

I would like to end with a quote from Mufti Menk, an Islamic scholar. “What is Ramadan? People say, we’re fasting; that’s only a part of it. It is the month of peace, the month of tranquility, the month of cure, the month of goodness, the month of forgiveness, the month of mercy, the month of attaining paradise, the month of the Qur’an, the month of revelation, the month of celebration of being a Muslim. “We don’t just do what we want, we do what the Almighty has ordained.”

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The Poetic Word

Law of Power

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Photo Credit: rawpixel.com

BY GLORIA O’KOYE

If only these babies know what’s the cost

Of the path they are on.

Would decisions being solid

Override the tears from loved ones.

 

If these babies knew how legal aid

Would play with freedom.

Hit or miss

Crown and defense address each other as friends

Debriefing over recess and lunch breaks.

 

These babies would never be ready for the morgue.

Funeral procession, to preparation, dealing with estate after it all.

Even caskets built to be engulfed in flames

Cost grands,

Like money was meant to be burn away

Like forest fires within periods of false prosperity.

 

No empires are immune to the great fall.

These babies aren’t ready

Even Devils may cry.

The dawgs and demons will crumble overtime.

A lifestyle teeming with expiry dates

Only the wise

Sprinkled with luck,

Got a fighting chance to make it out

In one piece and alive

 

Courtrooms are throwing life sentences

The prison gates rejoice like Christmas gifts.

Yet behind the scenes there is tension.

Responsibility being passed down like hot coals

No one wants to take the collateral damage, once a death in custody gets pinned

Right to the point.

 

Graveyard making profits

So, both don’t want street beefs to resolve.

Social work is just the same

Wolves in sheep’s clothing,

Money is the root of it all.

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Technology

Jamaica’s Back-to-Back CONCACAF Gold Cup Final Appearances

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Jamaica, a small island in the Caribbean, may not be one of the first countries that come to mind when you think of soccer. However, in recent years, the Reggae Boyz have been making waves. And following the underdog stories unfolding at the current African Cup of Nations, the Jamaicans may well feel that success is just around the corner.

2024 – A Big Year For International Football

In the Ivory Coast this winter, AFCON has been making waves following the stunning early exits of almost every heavy hitter. The likes of Algeria, Tunisia, and Ghana all bowed at the group stage, while Egypt and Morocco followed them in the round of 16.

But it isn’t just Africa that has a continental competition taking place this year. Both the 2024 European Championships and Copa America will take place, tournaments that online sports betting sites have made England and Argentina the favorites to win, respectively. Caribbean involvement will have to wait until next year when the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup gets underway, and Jamaica will be hoping to channel their success from years gone by into action.

2015

The 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup was held in Canada and the United States, with Jamaica competing against some of the best teams from North and Central America. Despite being underdogs in many matches, the Reggae Boyz managed to make it all the way to the final. Inspired by the performances of former Premier League wingers Jobi McAnuff and Gareth McCleary, the Caribbean outfit defeated the highly-rated Costa Rica to top Group B.

That set up a meeting with Haiti in the quarterfinals, and a goal from former Derby County man Giles Barnes was enough to secure a narrow 1-0 victory. In the semifinals, they met a much fancied United States in front of 70,000 raucous fans at the Georgia Dome. But they weren’t intimidated, racing into a two-goal lead before clinging on for dear life in the second half and eventually running out 2-1 victors. Unfortunately, they were ultimately downed 3-1 by Mexico in the final, but not before they had captured the hearts of North America.

2017

Two years later, in 2017, Jamaica once again found themselves in the final of the tournament. This time around they faced the reigning champion Mexicans in the group stage, holding them to a goalless draw. Victories against Curacao and a draw with El Salvador were enough to seal their spot in the knockout round however, they headed into the latter stages as an unfancied side once more.

In the quarterfinals, the Jamaicans duly brushed aside Canada thanks to goals from Shaun Francis and Romario Williams. That set up a meeting with Mexico once again, and this time around, they would have their redemption. Fullback Kemar Lawrence scored the only goal of the game in the 88th minute, leaving El Tri stunned and sealing the Reggae Boyz’ spot in the final.

There, they faced off against the hosting United States at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California – home of the San Francisco 49ers. The Jamaicans were hoping to repeat their heroics of two years prior and come out on top, however, this time around it was the Stars and Stripes that ran out victorious. With the contest level at one goal apiece, Seattle Sounders striker Jordan Morris popped up with an 88th-minute winner to secure the victory.

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