Viola Desmond Awards at Ryerson University Honours Five Women

By Neil Armstrong

Photo credit: Clifton Li.   From left: Pamela Appelt, patron of Viola Desmond bursary and awards program; Deborah Mepaiyeda, Mayann Francis, Susanne Nyaga, Malinda Smith, Vivian Barbot, Emily Agard, Denise O'Neil Green, vice-president of equity and community inclusion, and Darrell Bowden, education and awareness coordinator, Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Ryerson University.

Five women were honoured at the 10^th annual Viola Desmond awards and banquet celebrating Black faculty, staff and students at Ryerson University in Toronto.

Organized by the Office of the Vice-President, Equity and Community Inclusion, the event, which is usually held in March, was staged on May 11 as a part of the White Privilege Conference Global – Toronto, a 4-day gathering with the theme: “Are Canadians Too Polite? Addressing Global Perspectives on White Privilege and Oppression in Canada and Beyond.”

The five are Melani Knight who received the Malinda Smith Faculty Award; Emily Agard (Vivian Barbot Staff Award); Susanne Nyaga (Mayann Francis Ryerson Student Award); Shanique Peart (2018 Viola Desmond High School Student Award); and Deborah Mepaiyeda (2018 Viola Desmond Bursary).

The 2018 honorees were Malinda Smith, professor of political science at the University of Alberta; Vivian Barbot, first black female to hold a leadership role in the Bloc Quebecois; and Mayann Francis, the first African Nova Scotian to serve as lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia.

Denise O’Neil Green, vice-president, equity and community inclusion said Desmond was in her early thirties when she stood up to racial segregation – a segregation that was accepted as a part of Canadian society.

“She made history in the cinema in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia and we are now benefitting from the courage and bravery she showed.”

Green said Desmond’s sister, Wanda Robson, who was in attendance told them that education was her sister’s passion.

“Viola resisted and created a way to move past the obstacles that were put in her way. Viola’s story reminds us that advocating for change is important and to bravely call out discrimination and unfairness in spite of fear. And she did this long before Rosa Parks.”

Green said what she loved about the awards event is that it makes “the invisible visible” – meaning that the “contribution of black women, specifically Black Canadian women, is often hidden in plain sight and what this award does is acknowledge and bring into the light the wonderful trailblazing innovative shero work by members within and beyond the Ryerson community.”

Photo credit: Clifton Li     Melani Knight, left, receiving the Malinda Smith Faculty Award from Professor Malinda Smith of the University of Alberta.

Knight said Malinda Smith is the scholar that she aspires to be, describing her as “fierce.”

“She’s an activist scholar that continually in her research, teaching and community work calls for us to examine power,” said Knight about Smith.

Knight, an associate professor and undergraduate program director in the Department of Sociology, said the awards ceremony “legitimizes that we exist, acknowledges the labour that we do as black women.”

Agard is the director of SciXchange at the university and is passionate about making science accessible, engaging and inclusive of all groups.

She said she is very thankful to be in the position where she has the privilege of doing the things she loves to do.

 “I don’t really go out doing these things for the award, they’re just very rewarding, just seeing all the youth and just seeing all the people enjoying the science that we bring to them.”  

Nyaga, who is from Kenya, is completing her Bachelor in Social Work and will graduate in October.

She was the president of United Black Students at Ryerson and also recently served as the first black woman president of the Ryerson Students’ Union, representing over 40,000 students.

“One thing that came to light this year was the importance of mental health,” she said.

Nyaga said a look at the history of the Black Community indicates that black women are the “backbone to our movements” such as the Civil Rights Movement, Black Panther Movement and Black Lives Matter, “which is a movement that is led by trans and queer black folk.”

“But my question is who is supporting the black woman, who is supporting our mental health?”

She said it is important to support “our black women who are leaders” because black women are challenged more when they are in positions of leadership than anybody else, and face misogyny, sexism and anti-blackness.

“Let’s acknowledge how strong they are but let’s also acknowledge that they’re multifaceted human beings. Let us move away from just only seeing their strengths but allowing black women to be vulnerable, allowing black women to be emotional..,” she said.

Mepaiyeda, a third-year computer science student, is the president of the group, Women in Computer Science.

She noted that the gender imbalance in the computer science program spurred her passion. Peart was unable to attend the ceremony.

The event was the first time that the $10 bank note bearing Desmond’s image, which will be in circulation later this year, was at a public event held in Toronto.

Produced by the Bank of Canada, it is the first time a black woman is appearing on Canadian currency.

Photo credit: Clifton Li      Wanda Robson, sister of Viola Desmond, speaking at the 10th annual Viola Desmond awards and banquet held at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, Ryerson University in Toronto on May 11, 2018.

Speaking on behalf of Desmond’s family, Robson shared a story of her sister’s forthright nature in speaking up for her when they both lived in the United States in the 1950s.

She was ecstatic that Desmond’s image is appearing on the $10 bank note. No other woman, except the Queen of England, has ever appeared on Canadian currency.