Beverley Salmon’s Passing is ‘a Great Loss to the City’ — Councillor Michael Thompson

 By Neil Armstrong

Photo contributed      Beverley Salmon

 

The passing of Beverley Salmon — the first Black woman elected to the municipal government of Toronto and the first Black female commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission — has many reflecting on the legacy she left Toronto. They described her as a trailblazer and a strong advocate for inclusivity.

 

Salmon, a former nurse, politician and prominent anti-racism and community activist, passed away on July 6 at the age of 92 at the North York General Hospital after a brief illness. 

 

A celebration of her life will be held on July 20 at 11:00 a.m. at St. John’s York Mills Anglican Church, 19 Don Ridge Drive, North York, and will also be live-streamed. Visitations will be held on July 18 and 19 at York Funeral Home in Toronto from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and 6:00-8:00 p.m. 

 

In a Facebook post announcing the funeral details, daughter, Leslie Salmon Jones, describes her mother as “ a true earth angel, who led with unconditional love, courage, strength, determination, and justice for all people from any and all walk of life.”

 

Salmon (née Bell) was born on December 25, 1930 in Toronto to a Jamaican father, Herbert McLean Bell Sr., who was from Richmond, St. Mary and came to Canada to sign up for the First World War, and a fifth generation Canadian mother of Scottish/Irish descent, Violet Bryan. 

 

She trained as a registered nurse in 1950 at Wellesley Hospital in Toronto and completed a Public Health Nurse certificate in 1954 at the University of Toronto’s Nursing School where she graduated with the award for the “most outstanding nurse.” Salmon was the only Black woman in her class. 

 

She then served for two years as a Victorian Order Nurse in Toronto before beginning her nursing career in Detroit, Michigan, 1956-60. Salmon subsequently returned to Toronto to live and work, eventually leaving nursing in 1966.

 

During her studies, she met John Douglas Graham Salmon, a medical student who was Toronto-born of Jamaican parents, and who would later become her husband and was the first Black surgeon in Canada. They became the parents of four children: John Douglas Salmon Jr., Warren, Leslie and Heather.

 

While living in Detroit where Douglas continued his training as a surgeon, Beverley was exposed to the civil rights movement museum and heard speeches made by Martin Luther King Jr. and Thurgood Marshall. 

 

When she returned to Toronto in the sixties, she got involved in the Black Liaison Committee and worked with the Toronto School Board on anti-racism training for teachers, and incorporating more Black history into the curriculum. 

Photo credit: Francine Buchner     Beverley Salmon with friends, Elaine Mintz and Joy Bullen, at the opera "Of the Sea"presented by Obsidian Theatre Company at St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts in Toronto

 

In the 1990s, she co-founded the Black Educators Working Group with former school principal MacArthur Hunter to advocate for an inclusive curriculum, teacher training, and anti-racism policies. 

 

In 1985, Salmon was elected to represent North York Centre – becoming the first Black woman elected to the municipal council in Toronto – and later elected to the Metro Toronto Council until she retired from municipal politics in 1997. Her first motion changed the title “alderman” to “councillor.” 

 

While a city councillor, she was very involved in the efforts of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to improve race relations in municipalities across the country. 

 

“Bev Salmon was an amazing leader. She spent a number of years on Toronto City Council where she basically fought for equality and for opportunities for everyone, particularly young people, Black young Torontonians, and so on. She was always very poised and very focused on bringing people together to do the right thing for the best interest of all. I spent a lot of time with her on some very contentious issues facing the city and she was always interested in looking at the best outcome and opportunity,” says Toronto city councillor Michael Thompson. 

 

He described Salmon as a teacher and leader, noting that her family has lost a great leader and matriarch who was an outstanding person. “It’s a great loss to the city,” said Thompson.

 

As the first Black female commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, she was credited with bringing to the attention of fellow commissioners the fact that many acts of discrimination were veiled, hidden under clever disguises, and that systemic discrimination was still rampant in society.

 

Salmon was a founding member of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations established in 1975, and a founder of the Black Heritage Program. 

 

From as early as the 1970s when there were concerns in some communities about the lack of response by the police to several attacks against Black and South Asian people, Salmon and a small group which included community stalwarts Dr. Wilson Head, Bromley Armstrong, representatives of the Social Planning Council of Metropolitan Toronto, and others met to discuss the matter.

 

In 2014 when racial profiling and the carding of Black people by the Toronto Police Service were being discussed and challenged, Salmon was among the leading opponents of the practice. 

 

 

 “We’re deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Beverley Salmon. As Toronto's first Black woman to become a City councillor and a founding member of UARR, Bev was an extraordinary trailblazer who tirelessly ignited social change & amplified marginalized voices in our community,” said the Urban Alliance on Race Relations on Twitter.

Left to right: Beverley Salmon, Pearlyn Baptiste, Nadia Hohn, Denise Herrera Jackson, Jean Augustine and Rita Cox at "Soul-stice," a fundraising event organized by Blackhurst Cultural Centre at Shangri-La Toronto

 

David Betty, president of the Jamaican Canadian Association, hopes her memory will inspire generations to come to embrace their roots and strive for a more inclusive world.

 

"In the graceful strides of Beverly Salmon, we find the unwavering spirit of resilience and the power of diversity. Her legacy as Toronto's first Black female city councillor will forever shine as a testament to the strength of her Jamaican heritage and the boundless possibilities that arise from the fusion of cultures. We mourn the passing of a trailblazer, a woman whose life journey taught us the importance of breaking barriers and embracing our unique backgrounds.”

 

 

Mumbi Tindyebwa Otu, artistic director of Obsidian Theatre Company, said they are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Salmon. 

 

“Bev served on the Obsidian board for fifteen years. While on the board, she served as secretary, then chair, and supported the company through the tenures of three artistic directors. She was full of light and joy, a welcome presence in any space she walked into. She tirelessly advocated for Black art and Black artists. We are really going to miss her.” 

 

Salmon was invested into the Order of Ontario in 2016 for being a prominent anti-racism and community activist, and was awarded the Order of Canada on December 11, 2017. 

 

The citation for the country’s highest honour described Salmon as an exemplary model of civic engagement, noting that as city councillor she advocated for more inclusive policies and practices within municipal government. “Notably, she has been a dedicated champion for the social and educational well-being of Black communities in the city. Although officially retired, she remains an active volunteer, role model and mentor to members of her local community,” notes the citation.  

Photo credit: Francine Buchner    Beverley Salmon is presented with the Dr. Daniel  G. Hill Award by Rosemary Sadlier at the 2014 Ontario Black History Society Black History Month Kick-off Brunch at the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex, Exhibition Place in Toronto

 

Warren Salmon described his mother as strong, humble and courageous and someone who lived a life of service and advocacy.

 

Salmon was predeceased by her husband John Douglas Graham Salmon and son John Douglas Salmon Jr. She leaves behind three children — Warren Salmon, Heather Regal Salmon and Leslie Salmon Jones and five grandchildren: Tyler Boffa Salmon, Caitlyn Salmon, Jordan Boffa Salmon, Sierra Salmon, and Shakarri Salmon. 

 

The City of Toronto will fly all flags at half-mast until after her funeral.

 

Owen ‘Blakka’ Ellis and Rhoma Spencer to Reunite at Nyam Comedy Show

 By Neil Armstrong

Photo contributed Writer, educator and performing artist Owen 'Blakka' Ellis

 

After an absence of about five years from the performance scene in the Greater Toronto Area, Owen 'Blakka' Ellis of the famed Bello and Blakka duo days will return to the Toronto comedy stage on July 8 at the “Nyam! Caribbean Dinner and Comedy Show” in Scarborough, hosted by the incomparable actor, director, playwright and comedian, Rhoma Spencer. Last September, he did a comedy show in Edmonton, Alberta.

 

Both Spencer and Ellis had Toronto audiences in stitches with their “Frankly Speaking” comedy shows circa 2010 and intend to recall those glory days at their upcoming show.

 

“Frankly Speaking,” which started at artist d’bi young anitafrika’s Theatre Space on Fraser Street in Toronto and then at the Todmorden Mills Theatre on Pottery Road, ran from 2009 to 2011.

 

“This reunion is special for me as I now have the opportunity to not only reunite with Blakka but to share this experience with Canadian comic favourites, Jay Martin and Crystal Ferrier from CTV’s Last Comic Standing, and the burgeoning newbie, Enoje, fresh from wowing audiences in Edmonton at the recently concluded, Francomen Comedy Show,” says Spencer.

 

Prior to the “Frankly Speaking” shows, Ellis and Spencer shared stages at the laugh festivals in Trinidad and Tobago and at the Caribbean comedy shows in Washington, D.C. in the nineties. 

 

Writer, educator and performing artist, Ellis has performed the Caribbean comedy circuit in the Caribbean, London, New York and Canada. His brand of comedy is relatable to all and audiences are assured that Blakka will never make you uncomfortable. 

“Nyam is a long -overdue comedy jam that promises a proper bellyful of Caribbean laughter and I can’t wait! I’m looking forward to the opportunity to joke, poke and provoke in collaboration with my friend, Rhoma.” 

 

Acknowledging that it will take some time to complete, Ellis has started a process of trying to phase out the moniker 'Blakka' for several reasons. “For one, I just feel personally that I have outgrown the name. Kinda just feel juvenile to me as I embrace my sense of my 63-year-old self. I'm not going to be hard and strict but going forward, I'm just going to be intentional about leading by example with the use of my government name.” 

 

Ellis has been doing comedy professionally for nearly 40 years now and his first official gig as a stand up comic was in 1985 as part of the Bello & Blakka duo.

The PhD candidate in cultural studies took a break from academia but he is now trying to return to the focus of his study, Trench Town. Ellis is documenting the history and inscribing its significance as space and place — “Trench Town as a site of exodus, exile and pilgrimage.” 

Photo credit: Jocelyn Reynolds       Actor, director, playwright and comedian Rhoma Spencer

 

Nyam! comedy show is a first for Scarborough’s Spade Bar and Lounge. “There is a perception that comedy shows only happen in various comedy clubs in the city and midtown, so coming to Scarborough is a coup d'état,” says Spencer. 

 

Organizers are leaving no stones unturned to deliver an evening of hilarity while being served a sumptuous Caribbean cuisine dinner buffet. 

Tickets for the show inclusive of dinner are available at http://Nyamcomedy.eventbrite.ca. There is also the option to pay more at the door. For further information, call 416-578-8245.

 

 

 

‘Queen of the Road’ and ‘Deception’ Well-received by Audiences in Toronto

 Neil Armstrong

From left to right: Christopher Smith, Dana Seitler, Dwayne White Jr., Rayshawn Pierre-Kerr, Rhoma Spencer, Tracey Ramsubaugh-Mannette, Stacey Sobers, Kedisha Thomas and Shakeil Jones

 

Lovers of Caribbean culture in Toronto were in for a treat over the Father’s Day weekend as two seasoned thespians and directors presented performances on stage that had their rapt attention. 

 

“Queen of the Road—The Calypso Rose Musical” written and directed by Rhoma Spencer, the 2022-2023 artist-in-residence at the Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto was presented as a free event at the 428-seat Hart House Theatre on June 17. On that same evening, Marcia Brown, founder and artistic director of Marcia Brown Productions premiered her dramedy, “Deception,” at the Jamaican Canadian Centre with two more shows the following day. Both events were well supported and the congratulations and comments continue to pour in about the shows.

 

On June 12, the Consulate General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago held a reception for the members of the Tobago Performing Arts Company who were here rehearsing for the musical. This was where some of us who could not make it to the one-night only workshop production later that week got a sneak preview of it. The reviews from those who attended the Calypso Rose musical have been stellar.

 

“Collaboration with others is the key to success in any venture. Audiences will now stand in awe of the outstanding success and the deeply felt artistic fulfilment that we have crowned the musical, ‘Queen of the Road.’ This production represents a triumph for equity, inclusiveness, mutual solidarity, and mutual respect among all communities. “It is a refusal to accept discrimination and a refusal to wallow in the pains and the victimhood of being marginalized. In one phrase, they cyaan keep we down, they cyaan hold we back,” said Michael Lashley, project manager and chef de mission of the Canadian-Caribbean Arts Network (C-CAN).

 

The presentation of “Queen of the Road—The Calypso Rose Musical” concluded Spencer’s residency at the Queer and Trans Research Lab of the Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies where she developed the musical drama over the academic year.

 

Linda McCartha Monica Sandy-Lewis, known to the world as Calypso Rose, is the “Calypso Queen Mother of the World.” The 83-year-old, Black, queer Trinidadian vocalist and composer was born in the village of Bethel, Tobago and has well over 800 music compositions under her name. The lone female in the calypso arena for some time, Calypso Rose paved the way for other female calypsonians and broke down many barriers in a mainly patriarchal space. 

 

Spencer told those gathered at the consulate that she Calypso Rose musical was to have happened in 1996, a year after she did “Bassman—The Mighty Shadow Musical.” Her plan then was to call the production about Calypso Rose, “Fire Fire,” which is from Rose’s 1966 calypso “Fire in Me Wire.”

 

“Of course, it never happened and I wasn’t able to revisit the idea of doing it again until there was this kind of revival for Calypso Rose music and all things Calypso Rose in the last ten years when it seemed she was all over Europe singing. She was literally living out of a suitcase touring the world and that was the inspiration again to revisit the idea of doing this Calypso Rose musical. And then I saw “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical” and that was like, Aha, yes, I really have to get on with the job of doing the Calypso Rose musical.” 

 

In 2017, when she won The Victoire de La Musique Award in Paris (known as the French Grammy) for her album Far from Home, it  was a result of the widespread revival of her music in Europe under the world music category. Later that year she became the eldest artist ever to headline the Coachella Music Festival in California. “

 

In 2019, Spencer flew to New York to visit Calypso Rose and interviewed her for two days to write a jukebox musical on her life using her discography.

 

When Spencer returned to Toronto, she started thinking about how she could secure funding to start the writing process to make the musical happen.

 

“The more I questioned myself is the more I was coming up with no, it was not sufficient enough a Canadian story to have public funders give me money to write the story that is basically a story of a Trinidad and Tobagonian icon.  Where is the Canadian content in this? It wasn’t sufficient that I was Canadian, a Trini-Canadian.”

 

All those questions resulted in her shelving her plans because she was not sure of the path to follow.  That, however, soon changed when in 2020 a friend, Nikoli Attai, encouraged her to apply for the residency at the Queer and Trans Research Lab.

 

Attai had seen a production that Spencer did outside her house during the pandemic when there was no Pride Toronto festival, but Buddies in Bad Times Theatre had put out a call for persons to celebrate Pride in their community — on the sidewalk, veranda, wherever. 

Spencer chose to do “Queerantine,” a physical theatre piece using a particular style of theatre called viewpoints in which there is no narrative; the story was told for thirty minutes by movement only. 

 

After deciding to apply for the residency, Spencer still had doubts concerning what she would apply with and more questions arose in her head such as would they see this story as enough, in terms of its Canadian content, to say we at the Centre would want to fund this development work with you through the residency? 

 

An Aha moment came again when Spencer realized that the album that Calypso Rose won the prestigious French music award with was produced in Toronto with two of the backup singers being Judith Charles and Michelle Walker, who attended the reception. That became Spencer’s Canadian spin and so she applied and was selected out of fifty applicants. 

 

Spencer started writing the musical in October of 2022. In her proposal, she had indicated that she would be bringing in the person to play Calypso Rose from Trinidad for the project. Her plan was only to bring one person but the number grew to five and Spencer thanked Elvis Radgman, CEO of TPAC, for his vision of seeing the need for more to come from Tobago. She also thanked the Tobago House of Assembly.

 

“I said to him I am telling a Tobagonian story, this is Tobago’s shero, a Tobagonian icon and I feel that in order for me to tell the story that the Tobago Performing Arts Company should be able to collaborate on this project. And he said, by all means but not one person, it should be at least two actors and then some observers. Anyhow I ended up with four of them which I am happy for because I didn’t see, I never saw it the way he saw it and I’m really happy that he positioned it in such as way that it is right. Even in rehearsal I am realizing how much it is so right.” 

 

She also thanked the Toronto Arts Council because QTRL only had a specific amount of money to produce the workshop. This meant that with five people coming from Trinidad and Tobago to be a part of the musical, Spencer had to secure money to pay them. She applied to the Black Arts Projects Program at the Toronto Arts Council and got the exact amount that she requested. The writer and director thanked the Queer and Trans Research Lab for choosing her, especially Dana Seitler, director of the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, and Christopher Smith, research associate and QTRL program coordinator. 

Stacey Sobers, 2018 Calypso Queen, Trinidad and Tobago (in the middle) is flanked by members  of the Tobago Performing Arts Company, from left to right: Dwayne White Jr., Rayshawn Pierre-Kerr, Kedisha Thomas and Shakeil Jones

 

Rayshawn Pierre-Kerr, the artistic director of TPAC, thanked the acting consul general Tracey Ramsubagh-Mannette, and Spencer for what she calls “legacy work.”

 

 “We thank you for recognizing that Tobago needed to be part of the conversation and not just from a research premise, but you needed to have the voice, you needed to have the voices, and you needed to have the bodies and you needed to have the spirits inside of the space as we venerate a woman, a shero, an icon, a knowledge bearer, a forward thinker, a poet, a philosopher, in the person of Calypso Rose, who is still very much alive, who deserves all of her flowers, as much flowers as she can be given.” 

Pierre-Kerr noted that the Tobago Performing Arts Company is Tobago’s premier performing arts institution and her colleagues are tremendously grateful to be sharing in what will become a truly successful movement.

 

The workshop presentation featured Trinidad and Tobago 2018 Calypso Queen Stacey Sobers in the title role of Calypso Rose and members of the Tobago Performing Arts Company brought in specifically to further develop the work with Spencer. Joining the visiting cast were local artists, calypsonian King Cosmos and Michelle Walker, along with Trinidadian students at the Centre for Drama, Theatre, and Performance at the U of T, Aria Sharma and Vandana Maharaj. Musical Direction was by Toronto’s Calypso Performer and Musician, Roger Gibbs.

 

The play 'Deception' by Marcia Brown Productions

Photo credit: @mediabizto(Danae Peart) The cast of 'Deception' left to right: Natalie Camille (Wingie), Marcia Brown (Imogene), Naggo Morris (Bredda), Kennisha "Zill" McKenzie (Dottie/Dotlyn), and Adria Smith (Madge)

Marcia Brown Productions is celebrating 20 years of producing Canadian theatre and keeping culture alive, something that is no small feat especially when independently producing theatre productions with high quality scripting and acting on a budget. Brown has done this over that time and has reached thousands of audiences and their families. This year really would have been the 23^rd anniversary but the pandemic prevented any productions from happening over the ensuing period.

 

“Deception,” written, directed and produced by Brown follows three mature Christian women: Imogene (played by Marcia Brown), Dotlyn/Dottie (Kennisha “Zill” McKenzie) and Madge (Adria Smith) as they navigate singleness while also being active church members. Joining them on stage are actors, Bredda played by Naggo Morris and Natalie Camille as Wingie.

Imogene, Dotlyn and Madge realize that being in the church is impeding them from finding a male companion, “because let’s face it; there are no men in the church, and at their age, the chances of this becoming a reality is even more daunting — unless they are open to exploring other options such as on-line dating suggested by Madge. Imogene is not so thrilled at this idea as in her eyes it is not Christian-like to embark on the worldly path.” However, she is promptly reminded by Dotlyn and Madge that she should be more accepting of any option as she is illegal in Canada — where she has lived for 15 years — so really her only chance of ever getting a landed status is by marriage.

Unfortunately, Imogene is picked up by immigration and deported to Jamaica and must now trust her two friends to handle her affairs in Canada. This is when she learns that “friendship and trust don’t always go hand in hand.” While in Jamaica, she also has to contend with her brother, Bredda, who she left in the island to take care of her house but who, it turned out, was swindling money from her for years. He had moved into her house with the expectation that Imogene would not be returning to live in Jamaica because of her illegal status in Canada. The synopsis of the play ends with this line: “Imogene has really hit roc bottom BUT…wait for it…If God is for you WHO can be against you!!”

Brown cleverly crafts a narrative layered in various forms of deception that befall Imogene as she tries to eke out an existence — and thrive — in Canada and Jamaica. The deportation provides a pivotal moment for Imogene to quickly learn that sometimes friends and family will deceive you, even those who share the bond of walking the Christian path. The lyrics of Bob Marley’s song, “Who the Cap Fits,” come to mind — “Your worst enemy could be your best friend and your best friend your worst enemy.”  Ironically, the pace of the play gains momentum after all three women create profiles on a dating site that eventually becomes the site for catfishing and leads to the denouement.  Who gets hoodwinked is telling.

There is recovery for Imogene after hitting rock bottom and, clearly, the audience enjoyed the dialogue and unfolding of the story evidenced in the talkback throughout and thunderous applause at the end of the opening night. The play got a similar reception at both performances on June 18, Father’s Day.

Photo credit: @mediabizto(Danae Peart)  Dottie/Dotlyn, left, is confronted by Wingie and Imogene at Imogene's home in Jamaica shortly after arriving from Canada

What “Deception” reminded me of was the quote from Scottish historian Sir Walter Scott, “Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” The deceivers get their comeuppance — and there are several perpetrators — and the deceived wins in the end, with vindication and even forgiveness to boot. What the dramedy also highlights is the plight of those who live precariously in Canada — those who are labeled illegal aliens as they seek a better life — and how they build community and safe spaces for themselves. Imogene survives by working multiple jobs, is the banker in a church pardner, also known as pardna, a savings scheme that originated in the Caribbean, and puts away her life savings in a Milo can because she cannot officially open a bank account. It is also an examination of friendships and familial ties and what can easily present challenges in those relationships. The characters are hilarious, relatable, and fully embody their personas. Those who were wily got their day in ‘court,’ met their waterloo, and paid the penalty, and those who were aggrieved won our empathy, sympathy, and joy.   

The set and lighting were on point and the directing made optimum use of the entire stage with actors entering and leaving scenes through doors or curtains that placed them in different scenes or homes in Canada or Jamaica. The lighting at high points of the play adds to the suspense and expectation of the moments. The production team includes Evon Buchanan who did the set construction and design, stage manager Ingrid Richardson, production manager and technical director, Yvette Martin, and Danae Peart Communications for publicity and marketing.

Photo credit: @mediabizto(Danae Peart)   Wingie and Imogene meet each other for the first time

Marcia Brown has always been a lover of theatre and its power to emote and connect with audiences. Before migrating to Canada she had the opportunity to act alongside some of the greats in Jamaica and is proud of her experiences from being a Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) awardee to Little Theatre Movement (LTM) Pantomimes and later multiple film credits. 

In Canada, she independently produced plays, which always had a slice of real life, and messaging that could resonate with family audiences. They include award- winning productions such as “Common-Law”, “Rosetta”, “I Need to Know My Father” which had a multi-year run, “Blood Ticka Dan Watah” and many more. 

Brown credits the work of the late Aston Cooke for giving her well-written scripts to reimagine in the early years and is grateful for mentors like “Caribbean King of Comedy” Oliver Samuels and the late Leonie Forbes for supporting her work and nurturing her talents. 

In reflecting on these past 20 years, Marcia says: “Time does fly when you are having fun, I looked up and twenty years of touring and staging these productions have passed.”

She, however, does not want to understate the challenges, noting that, “Being an independent producer has meant many personal sacrifices as I came out of pocket to execute the vision with little to no corporate sponsorship, just my commitment to keeping culture alive.” This year, Marcia Brown Productions welcomed corporate sponsor JN Bank onboard.

These sacrifices have paid off in many ways. Brown reflected on being able to provide annual scholarships through the Jamaica Canadian Association scholarship awards and seeing multiple actors she introduced to audiences go on to have careers in film and television. 

Photo credit: bizmediato(Danae Peart)   The three friends and church sisters, left to right: Imogene, Madge, and Dottie/Dotlyn

With the arrival of summer, there are more upcoming events that celebrate Caribbean culture in Toronto: Blocko After Dark, June 24 and Blockorama, June 25 at Wellesley Stage during Pride Toronto Festival Weekend, Durham’s Caribbean Festival, June 24, Toronto Caribbean Carnival, July 11 to August 7, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Unity Picnic, July 15, Emancipation Day Underground Freedom Train Ride organized by Blackhurst Cultural Centre, July 31, Island Soul at the Harbourfront Centre, August 3-7, JAMBANA One World Festival at Gage Park, Brampton, August 7, Blockobana at Stackt Market, August 6, Jerkfest Toronto, August 10-13, Rastafest, August 17-20 in Little Jamaica, Grenada Day Festival, August 26, and CaribbeanTales International Film Festival, September 6-22. There are also upcoming events to mark Jamaica’s 61^st anniversary of independence, Emancipation Day, and other festivals.

 

 

Dr. Rita Cox Celebrated at School Named in Her Honour

 By Neil Armstrong

     The kindergarten choir at Dr. Rita Cox - Kina Minagok Public School in performance

 

A school in Toronto’s west end that has been in existence for 136 years now bears the name of Dr. Rita Cox, a retired veteran librarian, storyteller and icon of the Caribbean Canadian community, and “kina minagok,” an Indigenous phrase that translates to “all is growing well.”

 

On June 9, a renaming ceremony for the Dr. Rita Cox – Kina Minagok Public School, formerly Queen Victoria Public School, was held at 100 Close Avenue in Parkdale. 

 

Cox began her journey with the Toronto Public Library in 1960 as a children’s librarian before becoming the head of the Parkdale Branch in 1974.

 

While working at the library, she was responsible for numerous programs and initiatives that promoted diversity and literacy in Toronto. In 1973, Dr. Cox created the Black Heritage and West Indian Resource Collection which was later renamed the Rita Cox Black and Caribbean Heritage Collection in 2006. 

 

In expounding on the Indigenous phrase, the school notes that, “Each day brings a new opportunity to cherish those around us and learn from one another. Through language and understanding we celebrate out shared humanity and grow together, bringing us closer to one another.”

 

According to Henry Pitawanakwat, knowledge keeper and elder from Three Fires Confederacy, “The phrase stands as a metaphor for children as seeds growing in a well-tended garden. If you nurture the garden and you take care of your garden and you put your heart into it, you’re going to get a good crop.”

 

He and officials from the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), students of the school, and members of the community at large, including Dr. Jean Augustine, celebrated the occasion that included performances and speeches.

 

In May 2022, the decision to rename the school as Dr. Rita Cox – Kina Minagok Public School was made after the board of trustees voted in favour of it, and came after thorough community consultation and valuable recommendations put forth by the dedicated renaming committee. The committee was composed of students, staff, parents/guardians, members of the Black Student Success Committee, the Student Leadership Team, Queen Victoria school council members and Parkdale community members.

 

The suggestion to rename the school was brought forward to the board of trustees in May 2021 and the process was guided by TDSB policy and procedure, said Dr. Debbie Donsky, superintendent of education, in a letter to parents, guardians, staff and students last year. In December 2021, the School Naming Committee launched a call for submissions for potential new names to replace Queen Victoria Public School. There were more than 150 names submitted by the community for consideration and a shortlist was presented for feedback to the community during a town hall in February 2022. 

 

It was significant that a name was chosen that resonates with the values cherished by the school and the local community. “It’s a name that will capture who you are and reflect the school and the community shared commitment to education, growth, and inclusivity for all,” said Rachel Chernos Lin, Chair of the TDSB.

 

Describing Dr. Cox as a cherished community librarian and an advocate for children’s literacy and education who has left an unforgettable mark on the lives of countless students and staff, she said they were immensely proud to pay tribute to the community stalwart. 

 

Colleen Russell-Rawlins, director of the TDSB, said names have meanings and are not labels but symbols of hope and relationships. She said names have both meaning and power, and the name Dr. Rita Cox and everything that she symbolizes will provide an inspiration and a pathway for change in service to Black, racialized, and all communities and residents around the school.

 

In a message that was read in her absence, Bhutila Karpoche, Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Parkdale – High Park said the “new name was chosen by the community for the community.”

 

Debbie King, TDSB trustee for Ward 7 Parkdale – High Park said the community had a vision of change in 2020 and notions of solidarity that came about through the consultation process. The TDSB unanimously approved the name change one year ago. 

 

“Each of these moments was a beginning, a seed so to speak, and that idea of the seed fits well with the nature of inspired stories that we heard through the consultation process with our Indigenous community members.”

     Dr. Rita Cox speaking at the renaming ceremony

 

Tania Daley of the Roots and Culture Gardening Club said Parkdale is usually underestimated but the community is a powerhouse with a lot of potential in the children. 

 

Among the performers was Itah Sadu, co-owner of A Different Booklist, award-winning storyteller, and long-time friend of Dr. Cox, who spoke about the leadership of the veteran librarian at the Toronto Public Library whose work drew many people to events she organized there.

 

“We thank you for what I am now going to call the sunshine of inclusion that you brought from the great nation of Trinidad and Tobago.”

 

In her response, Dr. Cox said Parkale was a wonderful community and helped her to fight to build some of the services that were necessary.

 

“I am so grateful to have worked in this community and become part of it. It is my community; it’s where I spent the most of my adult life, my career. It’s where I was welcomed by the community and supported. It is where I found the place where I worship — my church — and their support, and I am still there. Almost every part of this community is supportive even when we’re mad at you.”

 

The Order of Canada recipient also thanked the Toronto Public Library and noted that it was her base and the administration encouraged, supported and fostered so many of the things that she was able to do at that time as head of the Parkdale library.

    Colleen Russell-Rawlins, TDSB director of education

 

She said when she was asked a couple years ago if she would give permission to have her name submitted for a school renaming she was overwhelmed, honoured, grateful, humbled, and a little bit afraid because this was something new.

 

When she was further asked if she would be willing to share the name of the school and realized what the phrase “kina minagok” meant, she gladly agreed as it was exactly what she has been doing all her life in the community.

Dr. Rita Cox with some of her friends who attended the renaming ceremony

 

Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha Stirs Audience to Respond Viscerally

By Neil Armstrong

 

The audience at the opening night of Scott Joplin’s opera, Treemonisha, at St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts on June 10 did not need any prompting — though it was encouraged in the printed programme — to embrace the music in any way they saw fit. 

 

“Cheer, talk back, applaud because this is an opera for everyone.” That was done enthusiastically and even after the standing ovation conversations continued at the afterparty about the visceral reactions to certain scenes — the heightened moments of pathos and joy. 

 

If you haven’t seen it yet, there are four performances left, from June 14 to 17, for you to attend “the first all-Black opera orchestra in Canadian history” and to see “the first Black woman opera conductor” weaving the different strands of the story into a whole through music.

 

Indeed, Treemonisha has been seven-years-in-the-making and was long awaited and well received. Produced by Volcano in association with The Canadian Opera Company, Soulpepper, and Moveable Beast, it is being co-presented by TO Live and Luminato Festival Toronto.

 

Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha is a reimaging of an opera composed by the Black American composer in the years leading up to 1911. “In his work on the original, Joplin faced a difficult path of exclusion and discrimination as a Black composer attempting to cross over from ragtime to opera,” notes the production’s team in the programme. 

 

“This new production uses all of Joplin’s original songs, adding one melody from outside the opera and a traditional Maroon spiritual from his era. With the exception of the final song (which retains Joplin’s lyrics), all the words are new, as is the entire orchestration. The characters and setting are the same as the original, with the exception of a name change for Zodzerick, and the invention of the Nana character. Inspired by Joplin’s testament to Black female leadership, the creative team is led by Black women. These extraordinary artists have added more material for the women characters to sing and a story that resonates with the landscape of today, in the same way the original did with the America of 1911.”

 

Treemonisha is one of the few pieces set soon after the abolition of slavery that is written by a survivor of that era. 

 

“Fusing European classical music with the sounds of ragtime, folk, and gospel to creating a thrilling and distinct sound, and introducing a young woman protagonist chosen by her community to lead, Joplin’s nearly lost opera was far ahead of its time,” the notes underscore. 

 

The reimagined Treemonisha tells “a revolutionary story of a young Black woman who, in discovering the truth of her past, and overcoming enormous personal loss, discovers her power to unify a divided people, and lead her community towards a new future.” 

 

The juxtaposition of the Freedmen and the Maroons sets powerful moments of perceptions and conflict but also folk wisdom versus a contrived existence. In the end, it requires one person to bring both sides together; Neema Bickersteth is masterful in her performance as Treemonisha. So too are Cedric Berry as Zodzerick, a Maroon medicine man; SATE as Nana Buluku, leader of the Maroons, and Ashley Faatoalia, who plays Remus, Treemonisha’s fiancé.

 

In 2019, I interviewed playwright and broadcaster Leah-Simone Bowen, who reimagined the opera with a new story and libretto, about Treemonisha. She was excited then about this production that was bringing together musicians from Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. On Saturday night, she beamed with a smile as she told me that they were all looking forward to that world premiere. The co-librettist is Emmy-nominated Cheryl L. Davis and it is arranged and orchestrated by Jessie Montgomery and Jannina Norpoth. 

 

Treemonisha is conducted by the first Black woman conductor in Canadian opera history, Panamanian-American Kalena Bovell, and directed by award-winning internationally acclaimed Canadian stage director Weyni Mengesha. The choreographer is Esie Mensah.