Denise Jones Danced to a Jamaican Rhythm

            - School to be built to honour her memory in Port Antonio in 2021

By Neil Armstrong

Photo credit: Kevin Jones
Denise Jones with sons, Jesse, left, and Jerimi, behind her, and husband, Allan

 

When Denise Jones was entering her teenage years in Portland, Jamaica in the late 1960s, the government had conferred the late Marcus Mosiah Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), with the Order of the National Hero in 1969. Garvey, who was born in St. Ann’s Bay, St. Ann on August 17, 1887 died in England in 1940 and his body was returned to Jamaica in 1964 and buried at the National Heroes Park in Kingston.

 

His work would later inspire Denise and her husband, Allan, to produce the musical docu-drama, Mr. Garvey, in 1989, two years after they founded Jones & Jones Productions Ltd., which has become one of Canada’s leading music promotions, management and marketing companies. Denise also cited her mother, Louise, an educator, and Garvey as her mentors/heroes in “Who’s Who in Black Canada: Black Success and Black Excellence in Canada,” a directory published in 2002 by Dawn Williams and republished in 2006.

 

“Denise was inspired by what Garvey was able to achieve with so little…He was self-taught, in the era of no Internet he was able to form a worldwide movement, the UNIA. Garvey made things happen and that would have impressed Denise,” says Allan.

 

Denise, who was born on April 23, 1956, in Port Antonio and has been described as a pioneer, icon, innovator, dynamo and phenomenal, died on December 3, 2020 of glioblastoma, an aggressive type of cancer in the brain.

 

The Hope Bay All Age School and Titchfield High School student was a member of a dance group led by well-known choreographer, Neville Black. Her involvement with the Neville Black Dancers happened while she attended high school. Black, who returned to Jamaica from his dance studies in Chicago in the late 60s, also worked as a guest choreographer with the National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica. Brian Heap, a retired educator and former head of the Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts at the University of the West Indies, says Black also did the staging for the Jamaica Folk Singers as well.

 

“At the time Portland was a thriving tourist destination; the Dancers performed mainly in hotels,” says Allan.

 

Denise would have been steeped in the indigenous dance movements of Jamaica. She would also have been listening to songs of Bob Marley and the Wailers founded by Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer and Marley in 1963. Years later, in 2000, she produced the “Tribute to Bob Marley,” a musical “rocumentary” on the life of Bob Marley. 

 

This was the context in which Denise left Jamaica in the early 1970s to study communications at the University of Windsor and graduated in 1977. When she returned to Jamaica, Denise became a seasoned actor in LTM National Pantomimes and various plays. She performed in Verena Reckord’s 1977 pantomime “12 Million Dollar Man,” directed by Easton Lee, and Barbara Gloudon’s 1978 pantomime “ Johnny Reggae,” directed by Bobby Ghisays.

 

The story of “Johnny Reggae” as noted at ltmpantomime.com is that: “Mr. Nuffus wants only the best for his daughter Princess. He wants her to be a cultured young lady, loving only fine things. Princess has her own ideas, she likes to dance at the discos and moreso, to reggae music. But the biggest problem between herself and her father is her love for Johnny an aspiring reggae singer.

“Mr Nuffus in his alter ego of Baldhead goes out of his way to keep the lovers apart. He offers Johnny a contract which he gladly takes up. While on tour, Baldhead sends along Cutie hoping to distract Johnny. But love conquers all and Johnny with the help of his mother Miss Inez are able to set things right.”

Denise, whose surname was Oates then, played the lead of Princess. It was not by accident then that, like this character, she had a love for reggae music and chose to create a business promoting it. Frankie Campbell of the Fab 5 told the Gleaner that Denise and Allan met while working with the band during Louis Marriott’s productions, starting with “A Pack of Jokers” in 1978. She was also a lead in Kay Osborne’s play, “Wipe That Smile From Your Face,” alongside Carl Bradshaw, and performed in other theatrical productions.

                                                                    Photo credit: Francine Buchner

Denise Jones, president and co-founder of Jones & Jones Productions Ltd., was the Supportive Partner Award recipient at the 3rd Annual Women's International Achievements Awards on March 16, 2013.

In the book, “Global Reggae,” Carolyn Cooper, who edits it, references the chapter written by Erna Brodber entitled “Reggae as Black Space,” and posits that Brodber lucidly argues -- and she quotes the historical sociologist and novelist as saying -- that “reggae of the 1970s created a black space, it was an incubator for a kind of knowledge that needed to work its way out of the ground and into the minds of the young descendants of Africans enslaved in Jamaica. Not just platters among the dancers, the early reggae allowed meditation while you danced and even if you did not want to be black, you could at least understand why others would want to be.”

Cooper writes in the book published in 2012 by Canoe Press that Brodber establishes the complex ideological “grounation” in which reggae music is rooted: Black Power, Garveyism, Rastafari and postcolonial/ nationalist politics. 

This is the context from which Denise and Allan came and that would also inform their celebration of reggae in Canada.

After getting married in May 1980, Denise and Allan, who was also an actor in pantomimes, immigrated to Canada in January 1981. They were involved in the Sudbury Afro Caribbean Association Players, which performed at the opening of the Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA) on Dupont Street in Toronto on August 9, 1985.  Roy Williams has an account of this in his book, “The Jamaican Canadian Association (1962-2012): Portrait of a Community Organization (Warts and All),” published in 2012. They were also active in promotional work in Sudbury before relocating to Toronto and then Brampton. 

While living in Sudbury, Denise edited The Caribbean Cookbook, first published in December 1983 with recipes coming from members of the Afro-Caribbean Association of Sudbury (SACA). Members of the group contributed recipes from their country of birth. 

“I designed the front cover and had illustrations inside the book…In late 1982, Denise, myself and others formed the Afro-Caribbean Association of Sudbury and she served as the president from 1982 until 1987,” says Allan.

As a company, Jones and Jones Productions Ltd. was entering a space in the Greater Toronto Area in the 1980s where reggae promoters and forerunners Carl Mullings, in the 1960s, and Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange in the 1970s had laid a foundation and contemporary promoter, Lance Ingleton, of LIP Entertainment, was also producing live reggae music and other genres of music shows in the 1980s. Klive Walker in his book, “dubwise: reasoning from the reggae underground,” published by Insomnia Press in 2005 references the role of LIP Entertainment and Jones and Jones Productions in the reggae promotions and performance scene in the 80s.

“While Jones & Jones were making their mark, there were other show and event promotions happening, for example Sound System stage shows such as Dancert88 at the Concert Hall, [and] various editions of the Golden Soul Classics. Supreme Promotions staging of several blockbuster concerts, the Canadian Reggae Music Awards as an annual entertainment staple, and Ramsey promotions Farm Dance, are just a few entertainment events that were part of the entertainment landscape within which Jones & Jones had to navigate, and thrive,” says educator, veteran radio show host and reggae historian, Luther Brown.

He notes that working through her company, Denise was able “to serve the cultural needs of Toronto and beyond through concerts, plays, festivals, seminars, and her courageous leadership.”

 

“Her religious beliefs and faith guided her every step,” he says. 

 

In 1987, the same year that the company was founded, Jones and Jones Productions Ltd. produced the all-nighter Reggae On Yah from 10pm-6am, which was held at The Great Hall on Queen Street West in Toronto, ending with Blue Mountain coffee and ackee and saltfish. They started Reggaebana in 1993 to infuse reggae music into the predominantly soca and calypso-influenced Caribana festival. The first one featured headliners, including the late great Joseph Hill and Culture, Leroy Sibbles and Willie Williams. Over the years, the festival featured some of the finest names in reggae music from Canada and around the globe. “Reggaebana artists on the annual summer concert series include Shaggy – his first Canadian performance, Half Pint, Majek Fashek, Freddie McGregor, Leroy Gibbon, Alton Ellis, Beenie Man, Luciano, Bounty Killer, Tiger, Big Youth, Dean Fraser and Firehouse Crew, Mikey General, JUNO Award winners Carla Marshall and Nana McLean and a host of others,” notes a synopsis of Jones and Jones Productions Ltd.

 

In 2005, they were invited to produce Air Jamaica Day, which started in 2004 in a parking lot near Eglinton and Oakwood avenues in Little Jamaica. The numbers of attendees grew exponentially from 1,000 in that parking lot in 2005, to 10, 000 at Gage Park in the heart of downtown Brampton in 2006, 20,000 at the Powerade Centre (now CAA Centre), also in Brampton, where it relocated in 2007. In 2009, the first JAMBANA One World Festival,presented by Air Jamaica and produced by Jones and Jones Productions Ltd., attracted 45,000 at Downsview Park in Toronto. 

JAMBANA is billed as “Canada’s premiere one-of-a-kind music, arts and food festival celebrating the nation’s growing cultural diversity” and featuring reggae, Afrobeat, soca, dancehall, gospel, dance and comedy “across two days of jam-packed programming, complemented by delicious food and interesting vendors and activities.”

 

The company subsequently diversified its portfolio to include Rhythm Canada Talent Agency in 1990, and a corporate division started in 1995. Jones and Jones Productions Ltd. did promotional work with CHIN Picnic, Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival and the St. Kitts Jazz Festival, among other events.

                                                                

                                                                        Photo credit: Francine Buchner

Denise Jones with Rev. Deloris Severight at the Jamaica 50th Anniversary of Independence book launch at the Harbourfront Centre in April 2012

It is not surprising that Olivia Grange, Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, says she always “impressed with Denise’s commitment to promoting Jamaica and its culture.”

 

 She noted that Jones and Jones Productions hosted a number of events “which showcased and celebrated her Jamaican roots, music and culture.” 

 

Grange highlighted Denise’s skills and knowledge to promote and manage “a number of reggae inspired artistes to include Exco Levi (Juno Award winner), and Leroy Gibbons, to name a few.”  Exco Levi won five Juno Awards and was nominated seven times.

 

“Denise was instrumental in planning the 1^st Diaspora Day which is now celebrated June 16 annually. Her community involvement allowed her the opportunity to lend support to a number of initiatives across the Jamaican Diaspora in Toronto Canada as well as in Jamaica.”

 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted that Denise was “an incredible advocate for Black and Caribbean arts and culture” who contributed “so much to our country.”

 

Marci Ien, Member of Parliament of Toronto Centre, describes her as, “a trailblazer who contributed so much to the arts, culture and entertainment scene across Canada and around the world.”

 

In the Ontario Legislature, Jill Andrew, NDP Member of Provincial Parliament of Toronto-St. Paul’s, led a moment of silence to honour the memory of Denise Jones, describing her as “a cultural icon” and “a reggae industry legend.”

 

In a statement, the Consulate General of Jamaica, JAMPRO and Jamaica Tourist Board expressed condolences to her family.

 

“Denise was a cultural ambassador for Jamaica and a philanthropist. She was truly a visionary who had deep connections within the entertainment industry,” says Lincoln Downer, consul general of Jamaica at Toronto.

 

He said Denise “warmed our hearts with her effervescent personality” and that “her wit, charm and adept business acumen contributed to her success.” 

 

The Jamaica 50 Committee, co-chaired by Joe Halstead and Pamela Appelt, said, “the Jamaican community has lost an icon in our performing arts.”

 “We are particularly grateful for her contribution to the roster of successful events celebrating Jamaica’s 50th anniversary of independence in 2012 when she developed the vision and execution of, “Jamaican Rhythms,” a “rocumentary” highlighting the best of the past five decades of reggae music held at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. We will be forever grateful for Denise’s dedication and passion.” 

 

Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation (HHJF) says it will carry on her legacy by building a school in Port Antonio in 2021 in her name.

 

Its founder and co-chair, Karl Hale, describes her as a founding member and driving force behind the Foundation.

 

“Her enthusiasm, energy, ethics, and love for Jamaica and its people were unmatched. She inspired and helped thousands of children in Jamaica get a better education,” says Hale, noting that the building of twenty-two schools is part of her legacy.

 

In a media release, HHJF says it has chosen “to dedicate the funds raised during their “Lend a Helping Hand” capital campaign to build the Goodwill Early Childhood Learning Center in Portland Jamaica, where Denise Jones grew up, in memoriam to commemorate her incredible spirit and dedication.”

  

“The foundation’s “Lend a Helping Hand” capital campaign launched on Dec 14 will raise vital funds for the building of the Goodwill Early Childhood Learning Center. Once complete the Center will create a lasting and meaningful legacy of Denise Jones, where she grew up and carry on her vision of eliminating the barriers to education for children,” says the release.

 

 

Meanwhile, the Carpenters’ District Council of Ontario describes her as “a fellow school builder and city builder extraordinaire.”

 

“Her work with Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation built schools and changed lives in parishes across Jamaica, including “the most beautiful parish on the planet,” her beloved Portland.”

 

The Carpenters Union said it was proud to have collaborated with the Foundation, Food for the Poor and Denise on the Wakefield Infant School build in Jamaica during the summer of 2018.

                                                                                Photo credit: JNGroup

Denise Jones of Jones and Jones Productions takes the opportunity to ask questions about the emergence and management of crime in Portland during questions and answers following a presentation by Commissioner of Police, Major General Antony Anderson at the JN Outlook for the Future forum in Toronto on July 17, 2018. The event, organised by The Jamaica National Group, was held at The Omni King Edward Hotel in downtown Toronto.

Describing Denise as “one of Canada’s best cultural ambassadors,” the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA) says “Denise was in a class by herself, a woman of excellence, with a passion for music and the arts.”

 

The BBPA notes that, in 2019, JAMBANA received rave reviews from the Festival and Events Ontario annual conference and was recognized as one of the Top 100 Festivals honoured. In 2014, Denise was the recipient of the Harry Jerome Award for entertainment presented by the BBPA.

 

Denise was an active member of the Jamaica Diaspora Canada Foundation and in 2017 was among the nominees running for the Jamaica Diaspora Advisory Board. “My commitment in my work and life in Canada is positively reinforcing the Jamaica brand and collaborating to build a more impactful Jamaica give,” she said then.

 

Adaoma Patterson, president of the Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA), says Denise represented all things Jamaican Canadian.

 

“She was an ambassador for arts and culture, and significantly advanced the impact of Jamaican, Caribbean and Black music, art, theatre and dance in Toronto,” says Patterson, who recalled attending the Sony Centre in 2016 to see National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica.

 

“Denise was so proud to be instrumental in making that performance a reality. That was a beautiful evening of community, music and dance, thanks in large part to Denise.”

 

Patterson says Denise had a long relationship with the JCA and the Centre and often attended various events “supporting artists such as Steele who hosts his annual birthday celebration at our Centre. Denise coordinated our annual Boonoonoonos brunch on more than one occasion and collaborated on large community events.”

 

In expressing condolences to Denise’s family on behalf of the JCA, Patterson says, “We will miss Denise’s passion for our community but her impact will be felt for generations to come.”

                                                        Photo credit: Neil Armstrong
Denise Jones with five-time Juno Award winner Exco Levi,  centre, and Trevor Massey , Chair of the Lifelong Leadership Institute at the BBPA Harry Jerome Awards press event in 2019. Exco Levi was the recipient of the Harry Jerome Award for entertainment.

                                                            Photo credit: Neil Armstrong

Denise celebrating her  60^th birthday in 2016 at her home.

Her sons, Jesse, president and chief innovation officer of TEN81 Lifestyle Inc., and Jerimi, a pastor in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, were instrumental, alongside Allan, in ensuring that the JAMBANA One World Festival in 2019 and the Tribute to the Legends of Reggae concert in February this year continued smoothly in her absence from producing the shows.

 

Denise’s motto, as published in ”Who’s Who in Black Canada,” is a quote from Bob Marley: “Don’t bury your thoughts, put your dreams into reality.” She certainly did that and was received many accolades for her work. 

 

She is also survived by other family members, including her mother Louise, brother Gary Oates, and sisters Devan Oates-Fraser and Angela Oates-Moses.

 

 I will miss our conversations, friendship, and her dynamic personality.

 

My condolences to Allan, Jesse, Jerimi, and the rest of her family and friends. 

 

 

 

 

 

Black Community Welcomes Nia Centre’s Plans for Professional Arts Space

By Neil Armstrong

Photo contributed    Alica Hall, Executive Director,Nia Centre for the Arts 

 Veteran musician Jay Douglas is thrilled that the Nia Centre for the Arts has major plans for 524 Oakwood Avenue, an address that has been its home since 2015 but also one that used to be Isabella’s Ballroom, an uptown venue for many reggae shows in the late 1960s and most of the 1970s. 

 On October 16, the Toronto-based charitable organization unveiled plans for its $7.5-million capital project which will transform its14, 000 square foot facility into Canada’s first multi-disciplinary professional arts space dedicated to showcasing art from the Afro-diaspora. 

 Located just south of Eglinton Avenue West, the Nia Centre will feature a range of multimedia learning spaces, a performance area, artist studio, co-working space, and a safe, culturally affirming place for Black youth to explore their creative talents. 

 “This was where on any given Saturday night or Friday night you can go there for dancing to a sound system dance – Duke Reid’s Upsetters and another sound even before Soul to Soul,” says Douglas. He performed there with The Cougars, the R&B group he fronted; and Isabella’s Ballroom also had a roster of musicians such as Horace Andy, Ken Boothe, Pluggy Satchmo and Beryl, Delroy Wilson, The Skatalites, and many sound systems. At the time, this was “the new hot place” for shows featuring Jamaican artists and Douglas notes that Eglinton Avenue was “just coming into its own too.” Isabella’s Ballroom was a venue for stage shows and according to Douglas the only other venue in the city was Massey Hall, located downtown. 

 This Oakwood Avenue address opened in the early 1920s and has also served as a bowling alley, nightclub and Toronto Public Health office. The transformation of the building in this historic neighbourhood will position Nia Centre as a key destination for Toronto’s Black communities to gather and for Black artists to showcase the full range of their creative expression to audiences year-round.

 “Today we start building a legacy for our community. A consistent space to support Black artists and youth — nurturing their talents and sharing their work with new audiences,” said Alica Hall, executive director of Nia Centre at the unveiling event which she hosted. 

 “The Centre ensures that Black art and culture is available year-round. Through exhibitions and public programming rooted in modern and traditional Black expression, we will expand our collective understanding of the Black Canadian experience.” 

 Meanwhile, Michael Brathwaite, co-chair of Nia Centre, described the development as “monumentous.”

 “Not only is it just a first but it also carves out a notch in history for us as Black people and for Back artists that are represented here in Canada. There isn’t a physical space for us but there also isn’t much space for us in the art world and we’ve fought for the past few decades in Canada to really cement that space. And having this physical manifestation of that really does put us into the realm of where we always saw ourselves with our art, with our representation, with our stories, and with our voices.” 

Brathwaite says this is “a recognition of the efforts of everyone from the past within Canada, within Toronto; all those Black artists who’ve been fighting for years and generations to get ourselves recognized not only to the Toronto Arts Council and the Canadian Arts Council but within a mass audience.” 

 “This is a pivotal moment in that fight and in that journey to build a legacy for ourselves moving forward,” says the marketing professional who was motivated to give back to the community after the election of Donald Trump in the United States. 

 When he became involved in 2016, he said Nia Centre was looking at moving from a youth hub to a professional arts centre and there were communications, structural, and infrastructural challenges which he was able to help with to communicate that change.

Photo contributed      Jay Douglas, Canadian musician and producer 

 Karen Carter, co-founder and director of Black Artists’ Network and Dialogue (BAND), an organization dedicated to the promotion of Black artists in Canada and abroad, welcomes the renovation and is hopeful for what that will mean for greater opportunities for professional development and professional practice for Black artists and creatives. 

 “This is a big city and we should have more arts and culture and heritage spaces that talk about the diversity of Black communities and the layers by which we should all -- not only in the community -- but the way from the community level we express our ideas and cultural identity to the broader community.

 “I’m happy Nia exists because for me it’s an opportunity for us to just have more layers to the range of the way we choose to express ourselves artistically and creatively. And I don’t think there’s enough stuff within the arts and culture and heritage lane for Black identity and for better education for the broader community about our present and past history in this country, and the contributions from our creatives as well as helping to better give understanding for what we would imagine our future to be.” 

 At the unveiling, Hall was joined by supporters and major funders such as Adam Vaughan, MP of Spadina—Fort York, who noted that he grew up nearby and attended Oakwood Collegiate; John Tory, mayor of the City of Toronto; and Nation Cheong, vice president, Community Opportunities & Mobilization, United Way Toronto and York Region, as well as community members who tuned in through a livestream. 

 “The building of the Nia Centre for the Arts – Canada’s first Black arts centre – is not only momentous for this city and country, but it is a support system that is much needed. I am pleased that the city is able to support the Nia Centre in bringing this new building to fruition,” said Mayor Tory. 

 “Through its expansion, the Nia Centre, with the support of the City, will further the work and reach of Black artists and ensure that the sector is not only thriving but that opportunities are provided to Black Torontonians. I want to thank Alica and the Nia Centre for the Arts for their persistence and commitment to bringing this project to life and for seeing it through.” 

 By Fall 2021, Nia Centre will expand their in-house programs, which range from artist residencies, film screenings, camps, youth engagement, and much more. These programs will take place inside a facility designed for learning, collaboration, and showcasing Black art.

Photo contributed      Michael Brathwaite, Co-Chair of the Nia Centre for the Arts 

Once renovated, Nia Centre will have expanded capacity to present music, dance, photography, film and theatre. It will include a multi-purpose performance space with capacity for over 100 seated guests, multimedia, collaborative artistic spaces including a digital media lab, a recording studio, as well as a collaborative artist studio space. There will also be a youth hub, and private, rentable event space with outdoor recreational use, a board room and co-working spaces, and hallway galleries on two levels. 

This re-development is made possible through a $6M capital funding from the City of Toronto, Canadian Heritage, United Way Toronto and York Region, and Trillium Foundation. 

The Centre has also launched their capital campaign to raise $1.5M, which will go towards completing the renovation and purchasing equipment. 

“On behalf of the Youth Challenge Fund Partnership Committee, we are elated at this ground-breaking. It has been a labour of love and dedication for young Black leaders to reach this milestone. This space would not be possible without United Way's partnership with the City of Toronto and dedicated community leaders,” said Cheong. 

“We look forward to experiencing the renovated facility filled with young Black artists learning, creating, and strengthening community.” 

 Nation said it had been a labour of love and dedication to reach this milestone and he looks forward to the vibrant space where young Black artists can learn, create, build connections, build careers and strengthen their communities. 

 He thanked the local artists who conceived of Nia going back to 2007 and noted that the founding visionaries include Ian Kamau, Mark Campbell, Weyni Mengesha, D’bi.young, Nabil Shash and Felicia Mings. Nation thanked them for sharing their collective vision, hard work, and perseverance to make Nia a reality. 

 He noted that the Youth Challenge Fund was built on the pillars of youth leadership and collaboration with adult allies. “This space was conceived of and developed by visionary young Black leaders in Toronto. However, it would not be possible without standing on the strong community leaders’ shoulders, elders who were vital to making Nia a reality. He singled out Michael Clemons, Zanana Akande and Denise Campbell for “clearing the way for Black youtb across the GTA.” 

 Nia Centre is located in the heart of the Oakwood-Vaughan Village, steps from the Eglinton West area, which has officially been designated as “Little Jamaica”. With a rich artistic history, this Caribbean neighbourhood is in the midst of its own dramatic transformation based on the installation of the Eglinton Crosstown, and overall community development. 

Nia Centre’s milestone construction intersects with important and timely investments which will benefit the local Black community in a generational way, promoting positive development for youth, and offering a safe, welcome space for Black artists. 

Nia Centre’s renovation plans come at a time when there are also other initiatives to create space for Black Canadians nationally. 

Other Initiatives to Create a National Institute for Black Canadians, and a Cultural Centre for Black Canadians 

 Last year, the federal government supported the creation of a national institute for Black Canadians, an idea proposed by a pan-Canadian group of Black organizations. 

 In its presentation of the 2019 budget, the government noted that in recognition of the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent it would provide $25 million over five years starting in 2019-20, for projects and capital assistance to celebrate, share knowledge and build capacity in Canada’s vibrant Black Canadian communities. 

 Adam Vaughan, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, announced that the government’s support would help stakeholders to create the first national institute for Black Canadians. 

 The Canadian Institute for Persons of African Descent (CIPAD) will work to advance initiatives that impact Black Canadians at a systemic level. 

 Floydeen Charles-Fridal, executive director of the Caribbean African Canadian Social Services (CAFCAN) in Toronto, collaborated with the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute in Halifax, Nova Scotia and others to submit a proposal for CIPAD. 

 Meanwhile in August of this year, the new BlackNorth Initiative received a donation of $1,000,000 from The Schulich Foundation – the philanthropic vehicle for Seymour Schulich, a leading Canadian businessman and philanthropist. 

 Wes Hall, founder and chairman of the BlackNorth Initiative, said this pledge also supports “the building of a cultural centre for Black Canadians to ensure Black history is accurately recorded and disseminated.”

 “The cultural centre is an important component of our vision to dismantle the anti-Black systemic barriers negatively affecting the lives of Black Canadians.” 

 The BlackNorth Initiative will support the development of programs and initiatives focussing on the challenges facing Black people when it comes to health care, education, the justice system, community safety, at-risk youth, economic empowerment, and other areas. 

The cultural centre will raise awareness about the challenges Black Canadians face, preserve and spotlight Black history in Canada, promote Black arts and culture, and be a gathering place for people of all backgrounds working together to combat anti-Black systemic racism, notes a statement on its website. 

 The BlackNorth Initiative was created by the Canadian Council of Business Leaders Against Anti-Black Systemic Racism to combat anti-Black systemic racism in Corporate Canada. The initiative challenges senior Canadian business leaders to commit their companies to specific actions and targets designed to end anti-Black systemic racism and create opportunities for all of those in the underrepresented BIPOC community. 

 Meanwhile in Cherrybrook, Nova Scotia, the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, which was set up in 1983, is a museum and a library resource centre that focuses on the history and culture of African Nova Scotians. 

  ‘Little Jamaica’ Heritage and Innovation Hub, and Other Plans 

 Local politicians, business owners and residents are concerned about community erasure caused by gentrification and the economic challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic being faced by businesses in Little Jamaica. 

 Recently, Toronto City Council unanimously passed a motion by Councillor Mike Colle (Ward 8, Eglinton-Lawrence) seconded by Deputy Mayor Ana Bailão (Ward 9, Davenport), establishing a "Little Jamaica" Heritage and Innovation Hub in the Eglinton West area, from Marlee Ave. West to Keele Street.

The motion also calls for the provincial Metrolinx agency to immediately compensate small businesses that have been devastated by the 8 years of the Eglinton Crosstown construction that has seen over 124 small stores closed. 

 It also calls for the immediate completion of the western portion of the Eglinton LRT from Black Creek to Yonge Street and for the elimination of the commercial property tax that assess small businesses like potential condominiums. 

 The "Little Jamaica" will also honour and recognize local Black civil rights community leaders like Jimmy Wisdom, Charles Roach, Dudley Laws and others at the new Eglinton Crosstown Stations of Oakwood, Dufferin and Eglinton West with Heritage plaques and murals, notes the motion.

Photo contributed    Jimmy Wisdom 

One week later, North York Community Council unanimously passed a motion by Councillor Colle to rename Locksley Avenue, from Eglinton Avenue West to Hopewell Avenue, to "Jimmy Wisdom Way."

This is the first of many steps in the creation of the Eglinton West 'Little Jamaica' Heritage Hub. Known by his thousands of friends and admirers as "Wisdom", Jimmy was a uniquely talented musician and an active community leader and pioneer who constantly gave back to his community and helped many newcomers to Canada and the City of Toronto from his barber's chair on Eglinton Avenue West for over 35 years. 

 This stretch of Locksley Avenue is located right by Wisdom's barbershop and will honour this great trailblazer in Toronto's Jamaican Community. 

 "The Wisdom family is honoured and overjoyed by this decision. We are grateful to Councillor Colle for his recognition and leadership to honour our father, affectionately known as Jimmy Wisdom," said Ninfa Wisdom.

 "The creation of an Eglinton West "Little Jamaica" Heritage Hub celebrates the outstanding cultural and economic contributions made by the Black community in Toronto and affords hope and opportunity for this legacy to be expanded upon,” said Councillor Colle. 

 "COVID has impacted all our small businesses, but "Little Jamaica" has also been facing challenges from Crosstown construction for almost a decade. That's why I am supporting Councillor Colle's motion for immediate relief, extending a lifeline to these businesses," said Councillor Bailão.

The Heritage Toronto plaque that was installed on Eglinton Avenue, near Reggae Lane in 2015. 

Councillor Josh Colle was instrumental in making this a reality. 

There was also a motion by Josh Matlow, city councillor for Toronto-St. Paul’s, Ward 12, which includes Little Jamaica, seconded by Michael Thompson, deputy mayor that was unanimously approved by Toronto City Council.

 It seeks “to provide short-term supports and a substantive long-term vision to ensure the retention and growth of Black-owned and operated businesses, while celebrating the identity, and showcasing the resiliency, of the Caribbean community.” 

 Among its recommendations, the motion calls for City Council to direct the Toronto Office of Recovery and Rebuild to engage with the Mayor’s Roundtable on Black Business to develop a tailored and phased approach to help support Black-owned and operated businesses, specifically along Eglinton Avenue West, on their stabilization reopening, recovery and rebuild strategy and report to Executive Committee by end of the fourth quarter of 2020. 

 It also wants City Council to direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture “to explore measures to provide financial relief, including property taxes, license renewal, late tax payment, deferred tax payment with the deferred amount gradually remitted to the city post-construction, or upon the sale of the property, and other measures as appropriate to stabilize Black-owned and operated businesses along Eglinton Avenue West before the end of the first quarter of 2021.” 

 It also calls for the general manager to collaborate with the Mayor’s Roundtable on Black Business, BlackUrbanismTO, Reclaim, Rebuild Eglinton Avenue West, Black Futures on Eglinton, York-Eglinton BIA, Fairbank Village BIA, Eglinton Hill BIA and community members to investigate opportunities, including holding a community consultation process, to rebrand the area of Eglinton Avenue West from Marlee Avenue to Keele Street that reflects the Jamaican-Caribbean history before the end of 2021. 

 The motion recommends developing a plan with the Mayor’s Roundtable on Black Business, BlackUrbanismTO, Reclaim, Rebuild Eglinton Avenue West, Black Futures on Eglinton, York-Eglinton BIA, Fairbank Village BIA, Eglinton Hill BIA and community members that focuses on bringing back previous, and develop new, culturally-focused events and initiatives that will celebrate the Jamaican and Afro-Caribbean cultural heritage of Eglinton Avenue West before the end of 2021.

Black and Caribbean Book Affair Celebrates its 8th Edition

By Neil Armstrong

Photo credit: Eddie Grant                     Afua Cooper

A new book of poems and photographs focused on everyday Black experiences, a collaboration by Halifax’s seventh Poet Laureate Afua Cooper and photographer Wilfried Raussert will be launched during the eighth edition of the Black and Caribbean Book Affair, happening October 15-17, 2020.

Organized by A Different Booklist Cultural Centre: The People’s Residence in Toronto, the three-day celebration of authors, storytellers and publishers will be a virtual event.

Fernwood Publishing describes the result of these poems and photographs in Black Matters as “a jambalaya — a dialogue between image and text”

“Cooper translates Raussert’s photos into poetry, painting a profound image of what disembodied historical facts might look like when they are embodied in contemporary characters. This visual and textual conversation honours the multiple layers of Blackness in the African diaspora around North America and Europe. The result is a work that amplifies black beauty and offers audible resistance, notes the publisher in a synopsis of the book.

Cooper is the author of five books of poetry, including the critically acclaimed Copper Woman and Other Poems. Her historical non-fiction, The Hanging of Angelique: The Untold Story of Slavery in Canada, was shortlisted for the 2006 Governor General’s Literary Award.

 

Dr. Wilfried Raussert is a multidisciplinary artist and scholar. He works across the boundaries of music, literature, photography, art, and literary criticism. He is Chair of North American and Inter-American Studies at Bielefeld University, Germany. 

 

Children’s book author Nadia L. Hohn will kick off the book affair on October 15, 7:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. with #KidsLit4BlackLivesCanada, a post-rally discussion with Black Canadian authors, illustrators and allies.

Photo credit: Oscar Wailoo     Left to right: Rita Cox, Austin Clarke and Kamala-Jean Gopie at a bench naming ceremony at the Harbourfront Centre in November, 2014

 

Also to be featured during the festival is the late bestselling author Austin Clarke’s first collection of fiction, When He Was Free and Young and He Used to Wear Silks, which was published in 1971, and reprinted this month by House of Anansi Press.

Described as a vital exploration of the Black immigrant experience in Canada, it “showcases Clarke’s groundbreaking approach to chronicling the Caribbean diaspora. In lyrical, often racy, and wholly unforgettable prose, Clarke reveals the psychological realities faced by people of colour in a society so often lauded for its geniality and openness,” notes a description of the book on its back cover.

This edition has a new introduction by Rinaldo Walcott, a long-time friend of Clarke and also a Canadian academic and essayist. He is the author of Black Like Who and Queer Returns, and the co-author of BlackLife. His research and teaching are in the area of Black diaspora cultural studies, gender, and sexuality. 

“The neglect of Clarke’s work in the critical realm, despite his unique role as a writer inscribing the Caribbean into the Canadian landscape, has been accentuated by two poles – the Caribbean and Canada. Indeed, Caribbean literature has belatedly celebrated his contributions, and similarly so has Canadian literature,” writes Walcott in the introduction entitled ‘“But I Conquered That Setback”: Austin Clarke’s Gift.’

Walcott will join storyteller and veteran librarian, Rita Cox, in remembering Clarke and his work. 

Photo credit: Clive Sewell    Rinaldo Walcott speaking at the National Black Canadian Summit at the Toronto Reference Library in December, 2017

Earlier this year, award-winning author, scholar and activist Zetta Elliott’s book, Say Her Name, was published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. She will talk about this work on October 16 as part of the festival.

 

“Inspired by the #SayHerName campaign launched by the African American Policy Forum, these poems pay tribute to victims of police brutality as well as the activists insisting that Black Lives Matter. Elliott engages poets from the past two centuries to create a chorus of voices celebrating the creativity, resilience, and courage of Black women and girls,” notes a synopsis of the book.

 

Born in Canada, Elliott moved to the US in 1994 to pursue her PhD in American Studies at NYU. She taught Black Studies at the college level for close to a decade and has worked with urban youth for thirty years. 

 

Her poetry has been published in New Daughters of Africa; We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices; the Cave Canem anthology The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South; Check the Rhyme: an Anthology of Female Poets and Emcees; and Coloring Book: an Eclectic Anthology of Fiction and Poetry by Multicultural Writers. 

 

She is the author of over thirty books for young readers and currently lives in West Philadelphia. 

 

Cheryl Willis Hudson and Wade Hudson have edited The Talk: Conversations About Race, Love & Truth, which was published during the summer.

 

“Thirty diverse, award-winning authors and illustrators invite you into their homes to witness the conversations they have with their children about race in America today in this powerful call-to-action that invites all families to be anti-racists and advocates for change.”

 

It is published by Crown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

 

Other highlights of the festival include: an interview hosted by reggae radio personality Carrie Mullings with Jason Wilson, author of King Alpha’s Song in a Strange Land: The Roots and Routes of Canadian Reggae, an hour of children’s programing featuring Yolanda T. Marshall and her book My Soca Birthday Party: with Jollof Rice and Steel Pans, and Ndija Anderson-Yantha and her book What Are You Gonna Do with that Hair?, and journalist, author and educator Wanda Taylor sharing her book It’s Our Time: Honouring the African Nova Scotian Communities of East Preston, North Preston, Lake Loon/Cherry Brook. 

Jazz journalist and radio host Mark Ruffin will discuss his book Bebop Fairy Tales: An Historical Fiction Trilogy on Jazz, Intolerance, and Baseball with journalist Clifton Joseph. Educator and activist Kofi Aboagye Akrofi Sankofa will perform some of the poems from his new book Sankofa: Ancestral Callin and talk about its representation of “a conceptual black print for the re-awakening of his African Nation.”

The celebration of authors, storytellers and publishers moves beyond Canada, the United States and Jamaica to include Melanie Raabe, author of The Shadow (Germany) and Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City (UK).

Hare’s debut novel is set in London in 1950 and rooted in the experiences of the Windrush Generation in the post-war city.

“With the war over and London still rebuilding, jazz musician Lawrie Matthews has answered England’s call for labour. Arriving from Jamaica aboard the Empire Windrush, he’s rented a tiny room in south London and fallen in love with the girl next door,” notes a synopsis of the book.

Raabe grew up in Thuringia, Germany and attended the Ruhr University Bochum, 

 

where she specialized in media studies and literature. 

 

After graduating, she moved to Cologne to work as a journalist by day and secretly 

 

write books by night. The Trap, her debut novel was published in 2016, followed by 

 

The Stranger Upstairs in 2017, and her upcoming psychological thriller, The 

 

Shadow, will be published in January 2021 by House of Anansi Press.

 

If you want to know how some publishers are coping in this pandemic and some of their upcoming titles, be sure to check out the Publishers’ session with Christine Randle of Ian Randle Press, Shivaun Hearne of UWI Press, Kassahun Checole of Africa World Press and The Red Sea Press, and Scott Fraser of Dundurn Press. Following that Fraser will host ‘In the Black with Dundurn Press.’

The launch of Afua Cooper’s and Wilfried Raussert’s book, Black Matters, and the session with Cheryl Hudson and Wade Hudson about The Talk: Conversations About Race, Love & Truth are ticked events priced at $20. 

A suggested donation of $7 to the book festival is appreciated.

The 2020 Black and Caribbean Book Affair will be live on Zoom, Facebook, and at www.adbcc.org.