{"id":37631,"date":"2026-02-15T18:53:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T23:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=37631"},"modified":"2026-02-26T16:10:53","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T21:10:53","slug":"black-history-month-gala-celebrates-community-leaders-looks-to-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/black-history-month-gala-celebrates-community-leaders-looks-to-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Black History Month gala celebrates community leaders, looks to future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Black excellence, both within the community and far beyond, was in the spotlight at the Royal Venetian Mansion on Saturday night at the Aurora Black Community\u2019s (ABC) annual Black History Month Gala.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sold-out evening, which featured music and fashion, poetry and prose, a keynote from former Canadian cabinet minister Marci Ien, and the regal presence of cultural leader King Nana Yaw Osam I, who represents the Central Region of Ghana, was a night of celebration, reflection, and displays of community unity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur people\u2019s determination carved out spaces \u2013 spaces where we can now lead,\u201d said Charmaine Williams, Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity in the Ontario Government, and the first Black council member for the City of Brampton. \u201cToday, we hear the echoes of the past, but we still encounter barriers, biases, and burdens that have endured across generations, but we also inherit that unshakable determination \u2013 the same determination that has defined the Black experience in this Province [and] across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams, who is the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario\u2019s first Black Cabinet Minister, took a moment to reach across the political divide by paying tribute to Ien, who served as Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth in Justin Trudeau\u2019s Liberal government, and her work to establish Canada\u2019s National Childcare Strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGlobal pressures remind us daily that our future will be shaped by the decisions we make now,\u201d Williams continued. \u201cThese challenges call for boldness, for innovation, it calls for unity, and for leadership that reflects the diversity and the dynamics of Ontario. That\u2019s why the voices in this room, and the communities all represented here, are so essential. Black entrepreneurs, Black educators, frontline workers, public servants, all you beautiful artists and youth, are shaping the culture and the economic fabric of our Province every single day. We are not contributors to the margins; we are drivers of a modern Ontario story \u2013 remember that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addressing the leaders of tomorrow in the audience, Williams said their leadership is needed now \u2013 \u201cnot someday in the distant future, but today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo all of us, if you ever walk into a room where you\u2019re the first or only, [remember] you belong there. You\u2019ve earned your place, and you carry with you the strength, the sacrifice, and the brilliance of generations who prayed for your moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the local leaders joining ABC founder and president Phiona Durrant in underscoring this theme were Newmarket-Aurora MP Sandra Cobena, Newmarket-Aurora MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy, and Mayor Tom Mrakas, who was joined by Ward 3 Councillor Wendy Gaertner, Ward 4 Councillor Michael Thompson, Ward 5 Councillor John Gallo, and Ward 6 Councillor Harold Kim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the cross-section of Black entrepreneurs, educators, frontline workers, and public service were well-represented in the room, several of whom received special honours during the evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three recipients of the Dr. Jean Augustine Community Builder Award, an honour established by the ABC in the name of Dr. Augustine, the leading force behind the establishment of Black History Month in Canada, received their awards in the presence of the trailblazer herself: Ivan Dawns, a barrier-breaking union leader, ABC founding member Bobbie Marshall, who currently serves on the ABC\u2019s Board of Directors, and York Regional Police\u2019s Lincoln Boyd, who was described as \u201ca consistent and genuine supporter\u201d of the ABC\u2019s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each received a trophy bearing the shape of a symbol that represented their contributions: Dawn, a lion to represent leading with strength and heart, Marshall a gold ocean wave, and Boyd, a similar wave depicted fittingly in police blue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe ocean represents your leadership in service,\u201d said MP Cobena, reading Boyd\u2019s citation. \u201cYou show up again and again, not always loud, but always present, shaping change through consistency, integrity and care. Your service moves people forward, just like the waves shape the shore over time. We honour you for the depth of your commitment and the strength of your impact.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bookending this year\u2019s Black History Month gala were words from Mayor Mrakas and King Nana Yaw Osam, both of whom built upon the night\u2019s theme of Collective Strength, Shared Future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs I look around this room, I see something powerful: connection, conversations, laughter, pride \u2013 and a community that has chosen to come together, not out of obligation, but out of respect. That matters. Because Black History Month is not just about remembering history, it’s about recognizing people \u2013 people who built, contributed, challenged, led, and persevered,\u201d said Mayor Mrakas. \u201cPeople whose stories are not separate from Canada\u2019s story, but essential to it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBlack History Month reminds us that progress has never come easily, and has never come without courage,\u201d he continued. \u201cThe freedoms we enjoy today exist because individuals were willing to challenge injustice, to push past barriers, to insist on dignity and equality, even when the odds were stacked against them, but Black History is not only a story of struggle, it is a story of excellence. Of artists, educators, entrepreneurs, advocates, and community leaders whose impact continues to shape our Town, our region, our Province, and our Country. Of families who built lives here, raised the next generation, and helped make Aurora the welcoming community it is today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was his hope, he said, that people left the gala feeling inspired \u201cnot just by the history we honour, but by the future we can build together, that we carry these conversations beyond this room, and that we continue showing up for one another \u2013 not just this month, but every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Added King Nana Yaw Osam: \u201cToday, we are not only honoring those who came before us, but also burning the flare of hope for those who will come after us. Our presence here is an indication to the strength that lies within our communities and the power of our shared culture. Yet, as we exhibit on the greatness of our past, let us also acknowledge the challenges that continue to confront us: fear, doubt, and division. These are the shadows that have too often held us back from realizing our true potentials. But I stand before you to be clear, we must let go of fear and doubt. We must rise above the voices that seek to divide us and instead embrace the power of unity and inclusivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet us remember that our diversity is our strength. Across continents and cultures, across languages and nights, we are bound by a common dream. The dream of a world where every African child, every descendant of Africa, stands tall with pride, dignity, and purpose. I urge each of you, as leaders and as members of this great community, to reach out to one another with open hearts and open minds. Let us lift each other up, support each other’s dreams and champion the cause of justice and equality wherever we go. Let us create spaces of belonging where no one is left behind and every voice is heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur future depends on our ability to work together, to share our knowledge, our resources and our love. Let us be bold in our activities of progress, fair in our commitment to inclusion and devote our dedication to the legacy of our ancestors. Tonight, we celebrate our rich heritage. Let us also renew our commitment to building a future where every person, regardless of background or circumstances, is empowered to succeed. Together let us be the architects of a new era, one defined not by fear, but by hope, not by doubt, but by determination, not by exclusion, but by unity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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