BY SIMONE J. SMITH

This week, I want to provide an update on a story that closed 2024 on a painfully obvious note; that to some people; some lives seem to matter more than others.

As a journalist, I refuse to turn a blind eye to the silent screams of those whose experiences are relegated to mere footnotes in history. I refuse to succumb to the allure of sensationalism, to prioritize clicks over compassion. For every fleeting moment of attention, there are countless untold stories languishing in the shadows, waiting to be heard, waiting to be acknowledged.

This is one such story. It speaks of lives fractured by trauma, of individuals thrust into the crucible of pain and loss, their struggles overlooked, and their voices drowned out by the clamour of the everyday.

In December 2023, the story broke that: Marrio Moore, 40, Jonathan Hankins, 39, and Dexter Wade, 37, were buried in the Hinds County Pauper’s Field without their families’ knowledge. Each man was reported missing, but it took months — and for Hankins, over a year — for them to find out. The families did not know what had happened until NBCNews.com reporters broke the news. Imagine finding out that your family member who you had not heard from was found buried! People all across America were scratching their heads in disbelief about what had happened in Jackson, Mississippi, with this pauper’s graveyard.

Ben Crump, along with attorney Dennis Sweet, a Jackson native, stepped up to represent the families. Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more.

Around the time of the discovery, a press conference was held at the Stronger Hope Baptist Church in Jackson where the families pleaded with city and county officials to explain why they weren’t notified. They also wanted to know why the deaths of each man weren’t properly investigated by the Jackson Police Department.

A further report from NBC News provided a list of names of 215 people who were buried in the same pauper’s field where Moore, Hankins and Wade were.

On Thursday, April 4^th, 2024, Attorneys Ben Crump and co-counsel Dennis Sweet released a statement following the announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice that they would provide technical assistance to the Jackson Police Department and Hinds County Coroner’s Office with next-of-kin death notifications related to those buried in Jackson pauper’s field.

Attorneys Crump and Sweet have released the following statement:

“We thank the Department of Justice, under Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke’s leadership, for taking the steps to address the ongoing issues in Jackson related to the pauper’s field. Our team has been on the ground investigating the situation since Dexter Wade and other horrific cases came to light. We intend to provide any information that might be helpful to the DOJ through this process.”

“The families impacted by local government officials’ shortcomings are grateful that the federal government heard their cries for change and will be intervening. It is our hope that this federal intervention will reestablish trust within the Jackson community and their local agencies.”

The technical assistance, which will be provided by the Civil Rights Division, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi, will examine: JPD’s General Order on Missing Persons, and new General Order on Death Notifications, and provide recommendations on implementation and training. The technical assistance to the Hinds County Coroner’s Office will provide recommendations on policies and training related to locating next-of-kin.

Under Title VI, the department is working to make sure that law enforcement agencies and other recipients of federal funding take affirmative steps to comply with their civil rights obligations by offering technical assistance to facilitate Title VI compliance. The point of technical assistance is to help agencies update and/or enhance their policies and practices, while strengthening the connection between law enforcement agencies and communities of color and other stakeholders.

In the fleeting echoes of media coverage, amidst the constant churn of headlines, there exist narratives, stories etched in the shadows, barely acknowledged before fading into obscurity. Yet, these are the tales that demand our attention.

In bearing witness to these narratives, in amplifying the voices of the marginalized and the forgotten, I want to continue to honour the families in this story. I refuse to allow their struggles to be relegated to the periphery of our collective consciousness. I refuse to let their pain be consigned to the annals of indifference.

This is not just another story—it is a call to action, a reminder of our shared humanity, and a testament to the enduring power of empathy in the face of adversity.

BY PAUL JUNOR

There is much anticipation, expectation and cautious optimism for the 57th Toronto Caribbean Carnival. There have been many challenges that the Festival Management Committee (FMC) have faced over the years notably in terms of funding. The FMC has some exciting plans for 2024, which it recently unveiled. This is good news for North America’s largest Caribbean festival.

In the December 23^rd, 2023, issue of the Toronto Carnival Insider Volume 1: Beyond the Mas some of the achievements and accomplishments of 2023 are highlighted by Jennifer Hirlehey, Chair of the FMC. She lists:

• For the first time in the history of the FMC, we involved representatives of our stakeholders: OPSA, OSA and CAC to join our Board of Directors.
• This year the FMC prioritizes: fiscal responsibility, accountability, and transparency. We were able to produce the Carnival with approximately $1.7 million less than the year before.
• We reinvested our Education Program, enabling us to take the Carnival Arts back to our schools.
• We took preliminary steps to start our scholarships and building projects.
• We refurbished our Sponsorship Program collaborating with multiple high-profile corporations.
• We restructured internally, ensuring that we have qualified professionals at all levels of the organization.
• We’ve prioritized projects aimed at revitalizing our volunteer and judging program.
• We’re taking strides towards self-sustainability and less dependence on grants and other government funding.

In many ways, 2023 was a pivotal year for the largest Caribbean festival in North America as it involved the launch of several creative initiatives. One of them was the Toronto Caribbean Carnival Varsity Collection. It was created by a local artist in Toronto.

Adrian Charles (General Manager) describes some of the changes. “Many of the events will be moved from Lamport Stadium to Exhibition Place, which represents an essential change in location. The utilization of Exhibition Place will see the border of Prince’s Boulevard, New Brunswick and Ontario Drive which is lot number 852 hosting three important events. They include: The King and Queen, the Pan Alive, and the Grand Parade. There will be a significant expansion in the seating capacity that will

include a VIP and judges’ seating. Furthermore, by locating in one area it will help logistically and there will be a better chance of managing other aspects of the festival.”

Board Chair Hirleley followed up on her concerns about funding for 2024. She outlines what the FMC expects in the “Toronto Carnival Insider Vol 0224,” which was sent out on April 3^rd, 2024. “Our goal is to become self-sufficient so that we can ensure the Carnival’s longevity and rely less on government funding to stage the Carnival. However, we must continue to educate all levels of government on the significant economic impact of the Carnival.”

She mentions the economic benefits of the Carnival to the City of Toronto. “We contribute approximately $480 million to Ontario’s GDP. We create approximately 4,000 direct jobs each year and we contribute approximately $180 million to the combined tax revenues of the: federal, provincial and municipal governments. Yet, on average we receive approximately one million dollars in combined funding from all levels of government. Moreover, we receive significantly less funding from the province than other festivals of similar size.”

On March 18^th, 2024, the FMC Executive Leadership Team met with several MPPs of different parties at the Ontario Legislature. MPP Charmaine Williams introduced and welcomed followed by a reception. The New Dimension Steel Orchestra and Dance Caribe performed followed by a display of costumes by Tribal Mas.

The dates and events of the upcoming Toronto Caribbean Carnival are:

July 14^th: Jr. King and Queen

July 20^th: Jr Parade

July 28^th: OCPA Calypso Show

August 1^st: King & Queen

August 2^nd: Friday Night Mas

August 3^rd: Grand Parade

August 4^th: OSA Pan in D Park

August 4^th: International Rum Fest

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

There were environments where he was dismissed and disrespected, and not once did he stop being who he was. He had a way of connecting with people, listening to people, hearing people and engaging with them. Those who speak lovingly of him say he will be most remembered for saying things that matter in his work. For taking a stand.

He fought so hard, and he put so much time and energy into getting stories made. His body of work was one that shared voices that were otherwise not being heard in the Canadian film landscape. He had natural talent; he had charisma.

It was a rainy, chilly April 17^th, 2024, and the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper had been invited by Humanity Ova Vanity to share in a night with Regent Park film festival, Bipoc TV & Film, and Reel Canada to celebrate the work of an amazing Jamaican-Canadian filmmaker whose talents have made an important and intentional stamp on the landscape of the history of African Caribbean cinema in Canada. It was the night that I was formally introduced to the brilliant Charles Officer

Charles Officer told stories from a nuanced perspective that originated from his experience of being a Canadian born child of Jamaican parents. His life was a mix of poetry and pain, and he learned that stories and visuals could help to speak in ways some couldn’t. His curiosity and intentionality as a human and writer-director has left an indelible mark in the pages of Canadian Film history.

Charles was a versatile and prolific filmmaker whose works typically focused on the experiences of Black Canadians. Initially an actor, he went on to direct, write and produce feature films, documentaries and TV series.

Charles directed four episodes of “The Porter,” the CBC/BET drama about the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters — North America’s first Black-led union — that won 12 awards at the Canadian Screen Awards, including: best original music, production, costume design, best writing and best drama series. Another well-known article of work is his documentary Unarmed Verses, which told the story of Toronto Community Housing residents who were uprooted while their neighbourhood was revitalized.

Charles’s 2008 debut feature, Nurse. Fighter. Boy, premiered at TIFF and was nominated for 10 Genie Awards, the precursor to the Canadian Screen Awards. On the 17^th, I had a chance to witness this creative genius on screen with his film “Akilla’s Escape.” In a crime-noir about the urban child-soldier, Akilla Brown captures a fifteen-year-old Jamaican boy in the aftermath of an armed robbery. Over one grueling night, Akilla confronts a cycle of generational violence he thought he escaped.

The movie starts with the dimly lit streets of the city sprawling, a concrete jungle where danger lurks in every shadow. The humid air is heavy with tension as we are gliding through the urban landscape, the distant sounds of reggae music mingling with the rumble of passing cars.

Charles kept me captivated, weaving the narrative of Akilla Brown’s journey. It served as a potent testament to the multifaceted impact of film. Through the lens of urban child soldiers and Caribbean cultural intricacies, the audience was drawn into a world where real-life struggles and dysfunctional family dynamics collided.

Akilla’s forty-year-old existence, straddling between the legitimacy of his cannabis operation and the shadow of his family’s criminal legacy, epitomizes the complexities of identity and morality. As fate intertwines Akilla’s path with that of Sheppard, a mute teenager ensnared in the web of violence, the film delves deep into themes of redemption, legacy, and the cyclical nature of trauma.

Saul Williams’s commanding performance as Akilla, alongside Thamela Mpumlwana’s poignant portrayal of Sheppard, and Donisha Prendergast as the dedicated aunt, brings an authenticity that grips viewers from start to finish. Through Officer’s direction, the film becomes more than mere entertainment; it becomes a mirror reflecting the harsh realities of societal constructs and personal struggles, urging viewers to confront the demons of our past and present.

The screening was followed by a panel with lead actors: Thamela Mpumlwana, Donisha Prendergast, and co-writer Motion and Producer Jake Yanowski. It was moderated by Sarah Tai Black.

Throughout the talk, I learned more about the legacy of this incredible African-Caribbean Canadian filmmaker whose work resonates not just through the lens of cinema, but through the very fabric of storytelling itself. As a: director, writer, producer, actor, cinematographer, and editor, his multifaceted talents illuminated the experiences of African-Caribbean Canadians in a way that was both captivating and authentic.

His films were not merely narratives; they were vivid tapestries woven from the threads of shared experiences, struggles, and triumphs of the African Canadian community. Through his lens, audiences are transported into worlds rich with cultural nuances, social commentary, and the universal human condition.

Beyond his technical prowess and creative vision, it was his boundless energy that truly set him apart. His passion for storytelling was infectious, drawing people from all walks of life into his orbit. Whether collaborating with fellow artists, mentoring aspiring filmmakers, or engaging with audiences, his presence radiated an undeniable magnetism.

In every frame he captured, every line he penned, and every character he brought to life, he not only entertained, but also challenged perceptions and sparked conversations. His body of work serves as a testament to the power of storytelling to bridge divides, inspire change, and celebrate the richness of diversity.

Though he may have left us, his legacy endures—an eternal flame that continues to illuminate the path for future generations of filmmakers. As we reflect on his contributions, let us honour his memory by embracing the spirit of creativity, inclusivity, and resilience that defined his remarkable journey.

REFERENCES:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/hot-docs-film-unarmed-verses-puts-uprooted-tch-community-in-spotlight-1.4091497

https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/csas-final-night-2023-1.6811617

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/charles-officer