Ontario’s official opposition renames awards in honour of Jamaican-Canadian Rosemary Brown

The Ontario New Democratic Party, the Official Opposition in the province, has renamed its J.S. Woodsworth Human Rights and Equity Awards to the Rosemary Brown Racial Justice Awards.

Rosemary Brown, a social worker, was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on June 17, 1930, and raised by her grandmother in a home of strong, educated, political women. She became the first black female member of a provincial legislature in Canada and was also the first woman to run for the leadership of a federal political party. Brown died of a heart attack on April 26, 2003, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

This week, the Ontario NDP held the Rosemary Brown Racial Justice Awards Nomination Reception at Queen's Park, the Ontario Legislative Building.

The awards honour Ontarians who are actively working towards the elimination of racial discrimination and the promotion of human rights and equity.

“The Rosemary Brown Racial Justice awards have been a way for us to shine light on all activists, volunteers and community members who have made Ontario a more welcoming and inclusive place,” said Marit Stiles, Ontario NDP leader.

“This work is not easy, and it is important for us to lift up the voices of those who take the lead to make our province a better place.” 

Stiles continued, “Rosemary Brown was an exceptional politician and an exceptional political leader. This award not only honours her legacy but ensures that the work can continue.” 

Brown immigrated to Canada in 1951 to pursue undergraduate studies at McGill University which she completed in 1955, and later did a bachelor's and a master's degree in social work at the University of British Columbia.

Her encounter with racism at McGill University in Montreal — what she described as “racism Canadian style – polite, denied and accepted” — fuelled her passion for human rights and dignity for all.

In 1972, she entered politics as a candidate of the NDP in British Columbia and won in the riding of Vancouver-Burrard, thus becoming the first Black woman to sit in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.

Brown served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for 14 years and created a committee to remove sexism in British Columbia's educational material.

When she ran for the leadership of the federal NDP in 1975 with the slogan “Brown is Beautiful”, she came in a close second to Ed Broadbent, ahead of three other candidates.

After retiring from provincial politics in 1988, her work continued internationally where she fought to advance women in political, economic, and social arenas in developing nations. 

In 1993, she became the chief commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Brown was also a director of the Social Justice Fund of the Canadian Autoworkers Union and was a visiting lecturer with the Social Work Faculty at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria.

She received the Order of British Columbia in 1995, an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1996, and the Order of Distinction, commander, by the Government of Jamaica in 2001. Brown penned her autobiography, 'Being Brown: A Very Public Life', which was published in 1989.

There are two parks named in her honour — one in Montreal, the other in Vancouver. In February 2009, Canada Post issued a postage stamp honouring the first black woman elected to public office in Canada.

The Rosemary Brown Racial Justice Awards commemorate the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, March 21. This day was initiated by the United Nations to mark the Sharpeville massacres in South Africa more than 60 years ago, during the struggle to eliminate apartheid.

These prestigious awards will recognise individuals and groups in four categories: individual, group, women, and youth (25 and under).

J.S. Woodsworth was the first leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), the forerunner of Ontario's NDP.  He fought against racial and religious discrimination in Canada, and stood up for the right of all Canadians to vote, regardless of skin colour or socioeconomic status.

Submissions for nominating community members are now open, and recipients will be announced in February 2025.

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