Jean Augustine Chair thankful to Diaspora community in Canada for support

The endowed Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora at York University in Toronto, recently held an appreciation gathering to thank those who have supported its mission and to showcase its work from 2021 to 2023.

Dr Carl James, holder of the Chair, said the event was held to report back to the community, especially after soliciting support from the community over the years.

Among those to whom gratitude was expressed were Jamaicans retired Citizenship Court judge Pamela Appelt and Dr Upton Allen, a professor of paediatrics at the University of Toronto and head of the Division of Infectious Diseases at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids).

A special community advisory group, chaired by Appelt, works with Upton, who is the lead investigator of a large-scale antibody testing and data-collection study to understand the prevalence of COVID-19 infection in black Canadian communities.

James, co-investigator of the study, said its findings will, hopefully, be beneficial to the individuals who participate and the community at large.

Located in the Faculty of Education, the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora engages in research and programme activities that are relevant and responsive to the needs, interests, expectations, and aspirations of black youth and members of the black community, generally, in the areas of education, employment, health, housing, and social justice.

“Working with experts like Dr Upton Allen of SickKids Hospital, Dr Istvan Mucsi of UHN (University Health Network), and Professor Terry Sachlos of York University, we are learning the health needs, concerns, and issues of ACB (African, Caribbean, and Black) individuals, supporting the development of health resources which can be used in promoting health awareness,” said the Chair in a document outlining its areas of focus.

James spoke of the intersectionality of the Chair’s work, which means that it employs a framework that takes into account the many intersecting identities and factors that shape the experiences, aspirations, and outcomes of individuals, communities, institutions, and society.

Anika Forde, director of research and programmes at the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora, said the appreciation event was a timely opportunity to connect, reflect, and celebrate the collective efforts that have significantly contributed to the advancement of the Chair.

She said their support played a vital role in the Chair’s ongoing work to enhance access, equity, and inclusivity in education and the work it does in health, housing, employment, and social justice for black students and communities across Canada.

“During the gathering, we were pleased to share insights into the impactful programmes that your donations, funding, support,and partnership make possible. From our discussions on education and employment initiatives to our collaborative research efforts aimed at systemic change, it is clear that our work together is making a meaningful difference,” she said.

Through local, regional, and national partnerships with universities, school boards, and community organisations, the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora strives to ensure that black students are provided educational and career opportunities and examples that serve as incentives and possibilities or pathways from the classroom to post-high school.

“The idea is that the ‘See it to be it!’ initiatives encourage students to envision and, possibly, achieve their life ambitions.”

Several undergraduate and graduate students who work with the Chair as research assistants shared their enthusiasm for being involved in work that will help the community. Richerd Edwards, who is of Jamaican heritage and entered university as a student-athlete, said he is now more focused on academics and was appreciating the possibilities the work as a research assistant provided him.

The Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora is an endowed Chair established by the Honourable Jean Augustine, the first black woman elected to the Parliament of Canada.

In 2007, she was honoured by The University of the West Indies with a Caribbean Luminary Award, recognising her significant contributions to the Caribbean Diaspora.

In that same year, Augustine donated her personal records to the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections at York University Libraries, which “chronicle her four decades of public service and her advocacy on diverse issues such as women’s rights, urban education, black youth, and the betterment of the black community. Her private papers reveal much about her political sentiments and her sense of community”.

Augustine, 87, who was born in Grenada and trained as a teacher before immigrating to Canada under the West Indian Domestic Scheme in 1960, shared the story of how the endowed Chair was established. She said she was pleased with the work that has been done by James and the team.

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