Last year I experienced Pride Toronto for the first time. It was festive and the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled against DOMA – the Defense Against Marriage Act, a case that had intimate connections to Toronto. This year World Pride 2014 is coming to Toronto, and you can see signs of preparation all around. Businesses have transformed their displays to show … [Read more...]
A Note to Chief Diversity Officers: Be A Rainbow in the Clouds
When I heard that Dr. Maya Angelou had died on May 28, I was sad to hear she had passed away. She was such a phenomenal woman that all types of media outlets reported on her death, including Canada’s Globe and Mail. That following Sunday on Oprah’s OWN network, they broadcast several interviews that Oprah had done with Maya Angelou. For three hours I … [Read more...]
How Obamacare Helped Me Have a Happy Mother’s Day
Saturday, April 10, 2010 was a normal day. I spent time with my daughter. We had lunch and tackled chores. I spent the evening with my husband and watched some TV. Earlier that day I tried to call my son, the college student, and invited him to lunch, but I wasn't able to reach him. I assumed I would give him a call the next day. So the day concluded … [Read more...]
Life at the Intersection of Race, Gender and Class
I am a middle-aged African-American woman, single mother of two, raised as the youngest of eight children by a mother with a 10th-grade education. I grew up on the East Coast in an impoverished and crime-ridden former industrial town where the illegal drug trade is now the mainstay of the economy. From the description of me above, some might have me currently pegged as … [Read more...]
Thanksgiving Day Canadian or American Style
Thanksgiving Day in the United States is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November. I have very fond childhood memories of Thanksgiving. Like most school kids, we learned about the Pilgrims and “Indians” coming together, giving thanks and celebrating the harvest. We would make little turkey cut outs, with paper feathers and pilgrims type … [Read more...]