History-maker Kimesha Walters learnt to be voice for voiceless at Gleaner

For Kimesha Walters, who 15 years ago covered the commission of enquiry into the tragic fire at the Armadale Juvenile Correctional Centre, the experience as a reporter for The Gleaner served as the foundation for a career which has now seen her create history as the first Jamaican-Canadian to win Canada’s Mantella Corporation BIPOC Entrepreneur Grant Award.

Walters walked away a winner at the Women Empowerment Awards and with a cash prize of CDN$10,000 to support the growth of her business, Oasis Integrated Communications, which she also started while working with The Gleaner all those years ago.

She came out victorious from a field of 243 applicants in Canada for the Mantella Corporation BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of colour) Entrepreneur category, which contained the highest number of nominees for any category among this year’s Women Empowerment Awards.

The Armadale Juvenile Correctional Centre was destroyed by fire on May 22, 2009, resulting in the deaths of seven female wards. The Armadale commission of enquiry took place later that year with a report, submitted in early 2010, outlining a series of recommendations for the future management of troubled youth.

Speaking with The Gleaner over the weekend, Walters recalled the day she was tasked with the enormous responsibility of being a voice for the voiceless girls, bringing to the public the tale of agony and pain suffered by the girls, as told through the evidence given during the commission of enquiry.

“Something I prided myself on at the time was making sure that their hope was not silenced. Being a voice for the voiceless is something that has really resonated with me over time. It was there, during my time working at The Gleaner, that I started Amazing Prospects in 2010 and it was also when I started my business, Oasis Integrated Communications,” Walters said.

“I feel like my life’s mission is really to serve, and I can tell you that, from early, I knew what it felt like to be invisible, to feel overlooked and to feel forgotten. That’s why I’ve made it my mission to make sure that more people are seen, heard and remembered. That is what I really did as a journalist covering the Armadale enquiry,” she said.

Walters explained that just as the other journalists who were present in the courtroom at Up Park Camp in Kingston, she made sure that the stories of pain, resilience and survival were brought to the attention of the public through the written word.

“It was tough. It was painful and it was emotional, just knowing what these girls went through at the time, and the fact that there was no other way for the stories to come out unless we were there to tell it [for them],” said Walters, who hails from Prospect, Clarendon, a community which she gives credit for her resourcefulness and determination.

“Being a voice for the voiceless is something that has really resonated with me over time. It was deeply emotional for me. I could feel the trauma, the hurt, and just the depth of the suffering and the challenges that they went through. That’s one of the reasons I am drawn to a life of service,” she said.

Being the first Jamaican-Canadian to win at the Women Empowerment Awards was a goal Walters is happy she was able to achieve; it has left her with a sense of accomplishment.

“With all this, what I really want to do is to inspire. With this recognition from the Women Empowerment Awards Mantella Corporation Entrepreneur BIPOC Grant Award, I feel a sense of clarity. I made it as a top three finalist of a whopping 243 applicants, as an entrepreneur, in Canada! Unbelievable! To get this grant is amazing, but it was mind-blowing just to be in the presence of powerful women,” Walters told The Gleaner.

“To tell them I am from Jamaica and what I am doing and have them listen to my vision, was satisfying. It was incredible just feeling that power of women supporting women and lifting others,” she said.

Disappointing job interviews

With operations in Canada and Jamaica, her strategic communications firm crafts meaningful narratives that assist clients with their needs; social, digital and news media, but, if you sat down with Walters and listened to her story over the last five years, she would explain how difficult life has been for her after she took a leap of faith and left Jamaica.

“Back in 2019, before I registered my business Oasis Integrated Communications, I had hundreds of painstaking job applications under my belt,” Walters said.

“I had disappointing job interviews. Some were just downright heartbreaking. Some made me cry. I became frustrated with the employment application process in Canada. The questions came furiously and my overthinking did not help. Why was it that I had over a decade of experience delivering successful campaigns with top brands like Pepsi, Microsoft, Hyundai, Scotiabank, and Western Union, yet I could not land one job?” she said.

Walters also questioned herself, wondering if it was a mistake to leave Jamaica, how would she recover from this setback, and how could she make life better for herself and the new immigrants coming into the country.

“When I finally started working, new challenges popped up that seemed insurmountable. The questions returned. Soon, I figured out the answer: Start a business,” Walters said.

“One day, bravery kicked in. I quit my job, took off to Niagara Falls for the weekend, and put pen to paper,” she said.

Walters said she knew she wanted to create a space for the BIPOC community to be seen, heard, and remembered, but didn’t know what that looked like, so she asked questions, went to networking events, and volunteered a lot.

“I volunteered so much that I hit burnout and my business suffered,” she explained.

Five years on, she is now serving new clients, and has volunteered and worked with over a dozen organisations through which she has led seminars, webinars, workshops, and been a speaker and panellist leading conversations on branding, public relations, and marketing.

These organisations include the Scotiabank Women Initiative, the YWCA Hamilton, ACCES Employment, JELLY Social, Hamilton Fempreneurs, and the Canadian Small Business Women.

She also served as president of the Clarendon College Alumni Association, Toronto chapter for two years, leading the non-profit through the pandemic with stellar accomplishments and being featured in a book.

She served organisations that catered to the BIPOC community, new Canadian immigrants, and entrepreneurs like herself who were seeking answers and advice to make their business dreams a reality.

“I was there for those who were seeking a listening ear and a shoulder to lean on as they scouted jobs and settled into life in Canada,” Walters told The Gleaner.

Walters has also been featured in the Toronto Star, thanks to ACCESS Community Capital Fund, nominated as a YWCA Hamilton Woman of Distinction, became an ecosystem support partner with Startup Canada, and did work with ACCA Hamilton.

ainsworth.morris@gleanerjm.com