Curtis Carmichael; Changing the Face of Gentrification

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

Despite the fact that this young man has been the recipient of several community-academic and athletic awards, including: the Russ Jackson Award, which is highest honour given to a Canadian football player, the Herbert H. Carnegie Future Aces National Citizenship Award, and the Toronto Spirit of Sport Diversity and Inclusion Award, when this young man walked into the office, he had a tranquil and unpretentious aura, even with his accomplishments.

At only 26 years old, Curtis Carmichael has become the face of social change, leadership, and relentless pursuit; his unique story and magnetic demeanor has mobilized audiences in Canada and around the world, to find their passion and make the difference in their own unique ways. This week, Toronto Caribbean Newspaper is proud to present our Classic Man Feature, Curtis Carmichael.

“The best thing you can do for a person is to inspire them. That’s the best currency you can offer: inspiration. “  Nipsey Hussle

One of the very first things that I learned about Curtis in our interview was his admiration of Nipsey Hussle. We chatted quickly about the work that Nipsey had done that inspired him, and how it was a shame that it took Nipsey’s death for people to recognize the man, and recognize his work. In many ways, Curtis can relate to Nipsey; raised in a low-income Scarborough neighborhood (just east of Toronto, Ontario), Curtis grew up noticing that things were a little different for black people in Canada. He noticed, even at a young age that his community faced immense challenges and systemic barriers. After nearly being killed at 14 years old, and feeling the weight of poverty, crime, urban decay, and inadequate schooling, he knew that he would have to do something different in order to make a difference. He had observed people dying around him during a time most recognized as “The Year of the Gun,” in Scarborough, and he had watched his older brothers get into a lot of trouble living the street life that is so popularized in music but only truly understood by those who have experienced it. His brothers did not want that type of life for him, so they began to guide him to a life off the streets, and into the sports and academic world.

“Education is a tool; use it to help your community!”  Older Carmichael Brother Wisdom

 In grade 10, Curtis was approached to try out for his school football team. From a young age, people all around him saw something special. The coach had seen his hustle on the basketball court and figured that the hustle would be transferable, and usable on the football field. One thing Curtis openly admits is that he was never the fastest, strongest or quickest athlete, but he always chose to be the hardest working athlete. This meant that when his friends were heavily involved in drugs, partying and girls, Curtis was getting up early to practice and hone his skills. It was this relentless drive that not only saved his life but also gave him the opportunity to attend university, something that had not happened in his family before.

Curtis was accepted to Queen’s University on an academic scholarship, and as a person of color and the first in his family to attend a post-secondary institution; it was a bit of a culture shock for him at the beginning. Although he had received an academic scholarship, he still had to work part-time to make ends meet. He knew that he had to leave Toronto to study in a different environment; being at Queen’s gave him the independence and space that he needed to develop as an academic and as an athlete. He graduated a decorated football player and received his degree in Physical and Health Education. He had made a decision that he was going to either be a teacher or continue in his football career; going to university had given him options, and now it was only a matter of choosing.

“You are the one!”  Old G’s

 Although Curtis was an acclaimed football star; in 2016 he made a decision that would change his life forever; he decided to hang up his football cleats instead of pursuing football full time. He had been training for the CFL combine when he discovered that he did not have the passion to continue playing. His heart was telling him that education was his pathway; it was the one way that he could give his community the tools they needed to not only survive but to thrive. His older brother’s thought differently, “You are not going to be a teacher; you are going to be a businessman,” they told him. He took in what they had to say, but he was determined to take all that he had learned at Queen’s and find ways to better his community. He knew that he would have to create a platform that was crazy enough for people to listen to him when he spoke about the power of education, so he went as far as he could with it, and this is how Ride for Promise was born.

Ride for Promise was a commitment that Curtis made to raise $100,000 in three months riding a bike across Canada. He was raising this money to provide funding for after-school programs, and it meant months of organizational planning, logistics, cycling, speaking preparation, and racism. Not only was this young man able to do this in three months, but his relentlessness was also noticed by a filmmaker named Sherien Barsoum, who decided to shoot a documentary about his 2017 ride across Canada. The documentary has won the Best Canada Short Award and the Official Selection of the Canadian Short Film Award. Alongside this success, Curtis is also at the early stages of writing a book that takes the lessons from the streets, and shows young people how to use these lessons in the corporate world; you could look at it like street corner innovation. It is amazing to see what this young man has already accomplished, and it is wonderful to see that there are examples for other young men here in Toronto. Curtis Carmichael, we salute you!