Shereen Ashman

By Samuel Getachew

Shereen Ashman discovered activism by coincidence. Introduced to it by a beloved late guidance counselor, she still finds the work “equally rewarding, enriching, educational and fun” over a decade later. The York University graduate in Political Science is the founder and project manager of a grassroots organization, A.S.A.P.

Sway talks to the very personable vivid activist of many local and international initiatives.

Your previous mentee, Danielle Webley, describes you as someone who “changed my life and who can take a great idea and turns it into a reality”. Those are powerful words coming from a young person. Tell us about your activist journey so far?

My journey began at 14 years old and was initiated by Mrs. Sleigthome (R.I.P), the guidance counselor at Dr. Marion Hilliard Senior Public School at that time. One day, she asked me to host a new girl to our school who had recently emigrated from Jamaica (where I am from). I enjoyed everything about hosting my new friend, Nickesha and we are still friends today.

That experience sparked my interest to serve. It has remained bright for the past 16 years that I have been active in local and international communities whether leading or contributing to community initiatives to support disadvantaged communities, the residents therein, young entrepreneurs, youths, and capacity building projects in Toronto, St. Maarten, Jamaica and now Haiti.

I have had the pleasure of working with great team members and organizations including the Kiwanis Key Club of St. Maarten (where I completed high school); Woodgreen Community Services, Jamaica Canada Diaspora Foundation, Future Leaders, Jamaica Canadian Association, Artreach Toronto, and others too numerous to list here. It’s been challenging work, but equally rewarding, enriching, educational and for me fun.

Today, I enjoy working at AYCE Employment Services, a division of Tropicana Community Services and initiating projects under my own social enterprise, A.S.A.P.

Tell us about your group, A.S.A.P (a Shereen Ashman project). By its own self-definition, A.S.A.P. aims to “make a difference and have fun doing it”. Please explain?

A.S.A.P. is a social enterprise that is focused on community development projects to support social, educational, career and entrepreneurship causes. I launched A.S.A.P. in April 2011 with our first project, Jam 4 Jamaica, which is a party for a purpose aimed at raising funds to support the education of children in need in Jamaica. Since then, we have launched AT THE TABLE, a mentorship brunch and the team has grown to include an assistant project manager, Gregory Henderson, our photographer David Morgan of Morgan Photography and three new writers for our blog Maia Thomas, Johanna Niles and Jemila Laws.

My goal was to create A.S.A.P. as a platform to do three things – to initiate fun projects that would engage people to make a difference in Canada and the Caribbean; to also profile people who were doing the same work and their projects; and finally to inspire people to make a difference and have fun doing it.

Tell us about M.A.D.E. workshop and why you think it’s important to “bring about positive change in the community”.

M.A.D.E is an [acronym] for Make a Difference Events. I created this workshop series with the objective of teaching youths how to make a difference in their communities by way of organizing and hosting issue/cause-based events.

Recently, I facilitated MADE workshops in the Chester Le community, working in partnership with two amazing grass roots organizations: Rize Above and CLIC (Creating leaders in Chester Le). The same organizations were already operating a girls group in Chester Le and I was asked to facilitate Saturday sessions. The girl from that session organized the Rize Above Violence basketball event to promote gang prevention among youths while raising funds to purchase a basketball net so that youths had a positive alternative activity to engage in.

For me, creating positive change in the community is necessary to ensure a healthy community. One that thrives, offers a better quality of life, and is self sufficient in the terms of encouraging, empowering and supporting its members to solve issues whether working exclusively or in partnership with outside sources. Positive change = healthy communities = less social cleavages and the benefits go on and on.

In your much read website – www.iloveasap.com – you have profiled many role models with many impressive personal stories. Tell us about it?

My team and I write two main profile articles. The first is our community champion profile. Maia Thomas is now the new writer for that articles series, dedicated to profiling persons, community workers or social workers who are leading community projects, a causes, or organizations. Our second article series is called “Behind the Cause.” Here we spotlight vital volunteers who are working to ensure the success of community initiatives.

I initiated these profile articles because I thought not enough spotlight was on the people who are working hard to make our communities better, their projects and stories. Equally, I was hoping that others would be inspired by their stories and would perhaps take action to make a difference in their own way.

Where would you want A.S.A.P. to be in the next five years?

I have big dreams for ASAP. In the coming months we will be launching two new article series, one focused on counseling and the other on education. Second, we will be hosting our 2nd annual Jam 4 Jamaica Party for a Purpose in April 2012.

Over the next five years we encourage you to join us expand the AT THE TABLE mentorship brunch events and our roster or articles and projects. I am personally looking forward to launching our Tour and Volunteer Project. Throughout it all, we plan on having a lot of fun.

Interested in joining the ASAP team? Please contact Shereen Ashman via email: [email protected]

Facebook: www.facebook.com/shereenashman.
Facebook Fan page: I Love A.S.A.P. (community champion circle).

By Samuel Getachew

The Somali Canadian population is “undergoing the growing pains of integration in to the larger Canadian mainstream” according to the head of the influential Canadian Somali Congress Ahmed Hussen.  Sway catches up with the noted activist and soon-to-be lawyer as he reflects on mentorship, influence and integration here at home and in Somalia.

You have been the head of the Canadian Somali Congress for a number of years. What are some of the immediate challenges the community faces?

Well, the community is going through the growing pains of integrating into the Canadian mainstream. This is a process that all new Canadians have gone through in the past. The main issues that we face are youth crime, poverty and access to jobs and professions.

Tell us about the Canadian Somali Congress.

The Canadian Somali Congress is the national advocacy body for Canadians of Somali heritage. The Canadian Somali Congress works to foster a Canada where Canadian Somalis, as part of the multicultural fabric of this country, live in and contribute fully into Canadian Society with the eventual goal of full integration.

Some of the more practical things that the congress is involved in is mentorship among the youth. Tell us about it.

The Canadian Somali Jewish Mentorship Program’s importance is in the assisting of the development of the first cadre of young Canadian Somali professionals and leaders who will in turn reach back into other communities to help those in need. The Jewish-Somali Mentorship Project not only assists in the integration of the largest African diaspora community in Canada but also acts as a model of how diverse communities can collaborate to promote greater social cohesion between diverse communities both in Canada and in the international community.

The Jewish-Somali Mentorship Project is extraordinary in that it is the first time in Canada or anywhere else in the world that the Jewish and a large Muslim community have come together to work at a national level. The Canadian Jewish Congress assists in the provision of the mentors, the Canadian Somali Congress assists with the coordination of the mentees and the Canadian International Peace Project administers the project details.

You are currently in a very exciting journey with journalist Amanda Lindhout to help the youth in Somalia attain education. Tell us about it.

It is a very exciting program that Amanda was able to convince me to join and I am very happy to be part of it. The Somali Women’s Scholarship Program (SWSP) was created with the knowledge that every Somali woman has the potential to make substantial contributions to the development of Somalia. We aim to support and encourage the development of leadership qualities by providing full university scholarships to women who are passionate about creating positive, sustainable change in their communities.

We ask each applicant to share with us in an essay their grandest vision for the future of Somalia and how, with the education we will fund for her, she will contribute to improving her community and empower other women. With no central government to fund education the SWSP works with private universities across Somalia, all of which operate with a mandate of gender equality. Full university tuition and fees are funded by the SWSP. In addition, the women are provided with a living allowance, which allows them to focus on their studies without the burden of poverty.

Education is a tool to create sustainable change in Somalia, a means for women to transform themselves and their communities. It paves the way for a generation of female leaders to hope, dream and take their rightful role in the development of their country.

You met with the Prime Minister on ‘Canadian-Somali National Lobby Day’ a number of years ago. How was the experience like and has there been a follow up to the discussion?

The experience was pleasant and productive. The Prime Minister was well briefed on all the issues of importance for Canadians of Somali background. We have followed up with Minister Jason Kenney on all the matters that we raised in the meeting with the Prime Minister.

Tell us about yourself

I am a simple individual that strongly believes in the value of giving back to the community. If all of us donated a little bit of our time, we would create much stronger communities.

Any parting words?

I believe that the future of all ethno-cultural communities in Canada lies in integration and not assimilation. We can continue to honour our religious and cultural values while at the same time integrating into the Canadian mainstream society. This is the only way to ensure the socio-economic development of our people.

By Adebe DeRango Adem

ArtReach Toronto is a program designed to support arts initiatives that engage youth who have experienced exclusion in under-served areas of Toronto.

A guiding principle for ArtReach Toronto is the idea that funding needs to be accessible to youth directly and it needs to empower youth by placing ownership of projects in their hands. ArtReach Toronto encourages youth to take the lead in defining what art means to them and what they need from the program to achieve their goals.

ArtReach Program Manager Shahina Sayani and ArtReach volunteer May El-Abdallah discuss the array of dynamic opportunities ArtReach provides.

How have you seen ArtReach take effect in Toronto’s youth communities, and in particular, youth communities of colour?  How has ArtReach acted as a bridge — metaphorically but also literally — to arts opportunities?

By providing funding to youth, and in particular youth of colour, ArtReach Toronto is able to enrich the cultural and artistic landscape of the city while empowering young people to express themselves and develop their creativity. We are constantly blown away by the calibre of talent that is in youth communities.

We have funded everything from beat-making to dancehall to basket weaving to drag performance. We are bringing that talent to light and allowing it to flourish. Since 2007, over 2400 youth have participated in 91 arts-based projects that ArtReach funded. Over 500 of those youths were in leadership positions gaining invaluable skills and knowledge.

The grant-writing process is complex and onerous. ArtReach provides an avenue that makes it more accessible – providing a much needed boost to young artists that might not yet be in the place to navigate the bigger funders, but can get there with the right support. We get youth there, overwhelmingly. 66% of ArtReach grantees were successful in obtaining grants from arts funders after their ArtReach experience.

What is the relationship between art/creativity and confidence?  Why is arts programming important for Toronto’s youth, even if unsure about dedicate their lives to the arts?

A lot of young people have been sent messages that their ideas aren’t worth expressing. It’s a hugely empowering and liberating act to find your voice when you’ve been silenced, whether you express it through a graphic novel or a photograph. Having others be responsive and supportive of your expression is another confidence boost. Through art, young people are creating safe spaces to share experiences and learn from each other. It’s not just limited to the art itself.

ArtReach projects put young people in the driver’s seat. They aren’t just responsible for showing up to workshops or creating a piece of work. They are responsible for everything from project design, to marketing, to budgeting and financial management. They learn to set goals, work collaboratively, and be accountable.

Each year, ArtReach Toronto (in collaboration with Manifesto, Grassroots Youth Collaborative and City of Toronto Cultural Services) organizes a city-wide Youth Arts Pitch Contest for young artists between the ages of 16 and 24. The contest has a legacy for being one of Toronto’s biggest opportunities for young artists to “get discovered,” while encouraging community participation through the arts. What do you love most about the Pitch Contest in general?

The best part of the Pitch Contest is the energy in the room. The audience is hugely receptive to the performances. They become really engaged and invested in the finalists. The finalists are endlessly creative in the ways they pitch ideas. We’ve seen everything from theatre to pitches in the form of lyrics to a live musical performance. ArtReach has also been honoured to host industry heavy-hitters as judges. Canadian legends like Farley Flex and Michie Mee have been there to give the finalists feedback and inspire them to keep going.

In your own words, how does ArtReach Toronto stand out from other arts organizations?

ArtReach provides meaningful leadership roles for youth to participate in arts programming and governance.  We don’t just give away money, though that is important! We provide technical support, mentoring and capacity building. Our website hosts a series of toolkits on topics such as grant writing and fundraising (www.artreachtoronto.ca/toolkits).

We also hold at least one workshop per month on the skills needed to carry out successful projects, such as Financial Management and Evaluation. These workshops and toolkits are available to all; not just the youth we fund. Over 1100 youth have participated in our workshops already.

The other unique component of ArtReach as a funding organization is that the Grant Review Team is made up predominantly of youth from the youth arts and nonprofit community. Applicants are presenting to their peers, individuals who get where they’re coming from and the barriers they’ve faced.

To read more about ArtReach Toronto’s initiatives, projects, and funding opportunities, and how you can get involved, visit www.artreachtoronto.ca.

Jessica Acquaye

By Samuel Getachew

Most Canadians have given up on the prospects ever winning the Miss Universe pageant in the near future. The reality is that we have not even come close to winning it in the past. However, if we were to have any hope of winning Miss Universe, the latest recipient of Ms AfriCanada beauty pageant might be it. Sway caught up with the inspiring winner of Miss AfriCanada, Jessica Acquaye, over the long Thanksgiving weekend.

SG: Miss Universe 2011 produced the second African Miss Universe (Angola’s Leila Lopes) earlier this year. What did that mean to you as Miss AfriCanada?

Acquaye: Miss Angola’s win was a further testament to the progressive rise of black beauty, elegance and intellect. It’s such an amazing feeling to see a female of African descent be recognized as the most beautiful woman in the world! Her win solidified my crowning as Miss AfriCanada because one of my primary motives for joining the pageant was to promote the highly underrated ideal of being a strong, confident, independent black woman. She was able to bring [this ideal] to surface on the international scale. Her win made me feel as though I was being crowned all over again!

You are a very accomplished young person of only 20 years old. You have been a student leader in high school, valedictorian and a fourth-year award winning accomplished academic star at the University of Toronto. Tell us about your journey so far.

My journey has been far from an easy one and hearing my accomplishments listed like that really puts into perspective how far God has brought me in life. It wasn’t really until the latter stages of elementary school that I began to excel in my academics. Prior to that, I simply lacked the self-efficacy to do so. I kept this same drive for my academics throughout secondary school, where I also realized how much I enjoyed being involved in extracurricular activities like student council, the basketball team, the choir, the black history month committee and the list goes on.

I believe the biggest stumbling blocks to my journey thus far came in post secondary school, where I was not only faced with the demands of a more challenging work load, but also familial problems and greater financial restraints. With all of this though, I gained a substantial amount of strength and perseverance that has made me the relatively established 20-year-old that I am now.

How did it feel to represent your beloved Ghana as Miss AfriCanada?

It felt absolutely wonderful to be granted the privilege of representing Ghana in this year’s pageant. Ghana truly is a country that is emerging as a global powerhouse, and it was truly an honour embodying all that is Ghanaian! It’s funny; I have such a sense of cultural pride, yet I have not been to Ghana yet. I was born and raised here in Toronto, however my mother has never let me forget where my ancestry lies, and I will use the opportunity I have now with the pageant to at last visit my homeland.

Most of us who are Afro Canadians always attempt to help our home countries. What are some of your future goals when it comes to helping Ghana?

As of right now, I am in the works of getting hospital beds donated to a local hospital in Ghana.  I know healthcare is a huge issue everywhere in the world, and it’s saddening that my own people are sometimes deprived of this human right. In the long run, I hope to collaborate with NGOs in order to promote sport for development programs targeted to adolescents back home. Being a kinesiology major, I am aware of all the physiological and psychological benefits of physical activity and would love to impart such knowledge on to the upcoming generation.

As Miss AfriCanada, what signature initiatives would you want to bring during your one-year term?

Once again, I cannot stress enough how important physical activity healthy lifestyle choices are for everybody, particularly individuals of African descent. It’s a sad fact that Africans who reside in the Western world have some of the highest incidences of diabetes, coronary heart disease and obesity, and unless we prevent this from the grassroots level, this is a problem that will continue to persist.

I intend to implement after school sport programs within local low socioeconomic status communities. These programs would not only grant children the opportunity to be physically active, but would also provide services such as homework help. Occupying the time of adolescents with such productive activities would undoubtedly reduce their chances of engaging in undesired behaviors.

Why are beauty pageants relevant?

I personally perceive beauty pageants, particularly those that are heritage based such as Miss Africanada, as promoting far more than aesthetic appearance. They serve as mediums to encourage charisma, grace and the embracement of culture. Although these may come off as essential values for young women to possess, we now reside in a society where such morals are in large part devalued. I can testify to the fact that the pageant has worked wonders for my self-confidence and has enabled me to never let my inhibitions hinder me from achieving what it is that I want to achieve.

Visit www.missafricanada.ca for more information on the Miss AfriCanada pageant

Lola Gray

By Krysta Celestine

We all know the old African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child”. When it comes to educating our youth, it’s a principle that Lola Gray lives by. “Schools can not do it on their own,” says the retired educator. “School leaders must work with the parents and the community to foster good attitudes.”

And Ms. Lola Gray knows of what she speaks. The Jamaican born child advocate, who spent 39 years as a teacher and school principal in Canada, Jamaica and the Bahamas, is also the author of Transformational Leadership taking Responsibility for Successful Schools; a guide for educators that offers a fresh perspective on how to lead people so that they can view their work as a calling instead of a job.

The second of five children, Lola Gray knew that teaching was her “calling” at the tender age of seven. “I grew up in a household where the values of hard work and goal setting were instilled at a very young age,” says Gray. “My mother had a love for teaching and worked on literacy skills at home with us.”

After graduating from St. Joseph`s teachers college in Kinston, Jamaica, she taught at several schools in her homeland. “In Jamaica, you’re not just a teacher. You’re the doctor, the lawyer; the person who takes care of the community. It’s as if the parents hand (the children) over to you,” says Gray.

Although she enjoyed teaching in Jamaica (and later the Bahamas), she did not attend University. “The competition at UWI (University of the West Indies) was too high,” she notes. It was her desire to pursue a university education which prompted her to migrate to Canada in 1969.

To an outsider, Ms. Gray had three strikes against her: she was black, female, and an immigrant. Not so, counters Gray. “My experience was very positive,”she notes.  In fact, while pursuing a degree at York University part time, she was hired by the North York School Board (now the Toronto District School Board) almost immediately, working in a variety of teaching roles. “Fortunately, my settings from Jamaica and the Bahamas helped me to work with students from diverse cultures. My skills enabled me.”

Being a black, immigrant educator actually worked in her favour.  She reflects, “ In the twenty first century, the school population is diverse and this enriches the school system.  As an ESL (English as a second language) teacher, I was able to empathize with newcomers. I had the same experiences as the students.  Schools leaders should be well equipped to deal with the diverse student population.”

After ten years with the North York school board, Gray moved on to the York Catholic District School board, where she held positions as teacher, and later, vice principal and principal for ten years.  It was in these positions that Gray decided that leadership was her passion.  “The last few years that I spent as principal enabled me to write the book.”

In Transformational Leadership, Gray draws on her 39-year experience as an educator to show how transformational leadership can significantly improve a school. Gray’s aim is to share her knowledge and successes with other educators.  The author calls her book a “call to action”.

“It offers a tactical approach on how to lead people so that they can view their work as a calling rather than merely a job, a place to belong rather than a place to work. Additionally, it shows how to infuse meaning into work, and how to engage and energize your staff, thus creating a community of intellectuals seeking new ways of working and new ways to alter the work environment. It speaks to all these concerns and offers a fresh perspective on the art of leadership”.

While the book is mainly for educators, chapters one to three is for any leader who wishes to infuse motivate and energize their staff. So what’s next for Lola Gray? Although she’s retired from teaching, she assures that she’s “very busy”. Gray plans on pursuing a doctorate and writing another book.  As founder and President of Progressive Leadership Consulting Services, an organization designed for and committed to working with educators, students and parents on mediation matters, she plans on pursuing a doctorate and writing another book.  Ms. Gray has definitely found her calling.

Transformational Leadership: Taking Responsibility for Successful Schools: From Theory to Practice can be purchased by visiting www.essencebookstore.com.

By Fabien Alexis

Singer. Musician. Soul Dawta.

Many words describe the woman known as Kaysha Lee, but few truly embody the emerging and continuously evolving artist. Her sound, a fusion of reggae rhythms, R&B undertones and a jazzy feel, are fluid leaving some to say her work is ‘undefined’.

“Some people may say it’s not a good thing. It really describes the mesh that’s within me. I like all styles of music. That’s why I like to say ‘undefined’. I’m not really strictly reggae, although that’s where my focus is now, and heart is,” explains Kaysha.

The Jamaican-Canadian singer began her solo career in 2009, after years of singing with multiple groups, including the Nathaniel Dett chorale.

“Well, I am a product of the ‘90s and R&B is huge. Classical music is also an influence because I sang with a chorale and I’ve always played classical piano.”

While she also credits years of performing at church, Lee began playing the piano at the age of 6, and progressed through the Canadian Royal Conservatory program to grade ten.

“Church was great. It’s where I learned to play the piano by ear, which was great training,” said the artist.

Lee later studied at York University choosing to spread her love of music through the art of teaching. However, multiple vehicular incidents soon after Lee graduated, changed her life forever. Lee was left with herniated discs in her back and fibromyalgia, a condition that causes constant headaches and pervasive muscular pain.

“Basically the pain triggers in my brain are off-balance. I was feeling a lot of pain all over my body. I was on pain medication for six, seven years,” explains Kaysha.

Kaysha attended therapy for years before determining a healthier lifestyle for herself, allowing her to break free from never-ending therapy sessions and prescribed drugs.

While Kaysha was healing, she also began to evolve spiritually and eventually embrace a Rastafarian lifestyle.

“I’m not religious. I look at it strictly as a ‘livity’ – a lifestyle,” she elaborates.

Throughout her physical ordeal and spiritual growth, Kaysha discarded plans to teach. In September 2010, the singer managed to release Undefined, her first mix tape to audiences in Toronto, London and Kingston.

“When I came out with my mix tape, even though I knew what direction I was going in, I was still very much exploring who I was in the sense, coming out of sickness,” Kaysha says.

Following the release, Kaysha moved to Jamaica in December 2010 for a change of air and to grow musically. Lee wanted to be closer to the roots of Rastafari and to further extend her brand to the Caribbean country.

“Within myself I feel like I’ve moved there (Jamaica),” says the Jamaican-Canadian.

Kaysha followed her mix tape with the 2011 release of “3 Weeks” and “Take Me From Disgrace” before returning to Toronto.

Since her return, Kaysha has been working hard to connect with the Canadian music scene in an effort to learn more.

“I hope the album that I’m coming out with won’t be called ‘undefined’ but will still have that undefined essence to it.”

Kaysha’s message, despite her growth over the past two years has always been love. “I do think I have that oneness message in my music, whether I’m talking about someone I loved… it’s there. I can see it on Facebook, the type of people responding are from so many different walks of life. I’m happy about that. I’m pushing to keep that message as I elevate within my own ideals.”

She continues, “we’re all people going through a human condition…I think there is a lot of unnecessary fight, and with that unnecessary fight we lose our togetherness and oneness that we’re really supposed to be pushing towards.”

Lee looks forward to an upcoming trip back to Jamaica to work with producer Rory Stone Love.

“I know he’s going to want to focus me a little bit. And it will just be for those five tracks that we do, I know it’s going to have a certain kind of direction/focus.”

While Kaysha has been working in the reggae genre for the past year, she is still working on creating her own niche in the scene.

“I feel like a lot of my outside reggae influences are in the reggae I’m doing… and so it doesn’t match up with the other reggae that’s out there. There isn’t really a spot for it. It’s like I’m trying to carve out my own little spot.”

Kaysha currently resides in Toronto, but has future plans to alternate between Kingston and Toronto.

“I absolutely want to move there permanently. I just need to organize myself to really have a fulfilling life over there.”

Outside of the music scene, Kaysha actively tweets (@KayshaLeeTweets) and blogs about her vegan lifestyle, sharing colourful recipes.

“Hopefully next year this time I can say my album will be out by a certain date. I’m working towards it but I’m not in a rush, just trying to work with the best around me. I feel like I’m now getting around people who have been it a long time, who have experience so I feel like I’m going to soak some of that up and put out a really professional product.”

And while Kaysha is still gunning for the undefined essence that draws people from many walks of life, she promises a more defined presence in her future work.

“The world is going to see elevation; they’re going to see more of the real me. You’re really going to get a sense of Kaysha Lee from the upcoming album. It’s going to be something different.”

Undefined is available for download at www.KayshaLee.com.

Dr. Andrew Brown

By Krysta Celestine

A young black patient once walked up to Andrew Brown.  “You’re a doctor?,” she asked in amazement.  It’s a question that Dr. Andrew Brown hopes that young black children will not have to ask again.  “There is more to the black experience than basketball and athletes,” says the 27-year-old Toronto-born physician. “Don’t be confined by what you see on TV.”

Ironically, Dr. Brown wanted to be an athlete himself.  “I ate, breathed and slept baseball, ”he says. Sadly, a shoulder injury in his final year of high school dashed his dreams.  It was his personal physician who helped him to realize that maybe he wasn’t supposed to play baseball after all. His doctor’s ability to encourage him to think outside the box inspired him to pursue a career in the medical field.

The transformation from promising baseball star to physician, of course, was no easy feat.  It required a lot of work, and a lot of studying, says Brown.   He credits his parents, whom he calls “advocates of education” for helping him to realize the importance of education.  “My parents never went to high school, ” Brown says, “so education was very important to them.”

Brown proudly paid his way through undergrad and medical school through scholarships and bursaries, and he encourages other youth to do the same.  Brown, who is currently penning “Cake”— a book about pursuing financial aid believes that “if you’re savvy and seek out these opportunities, you can certainly find the money to pay for University”.

Dr. Brown is not just a doctor.  The lecturer, author and workshop facilitator has so many awards under his belt—among them the Medical Student Achievement Award (2010),  Canadian Who’s Who (2008), Harry Jerome Award (2007), and Young Citizen of the Year (2006) award—that it’s hard to imagine that he’d be able to do anything else.  But the sky’s the limit for Brown.  He also serves as Director of Representation for Altitude, a Healthcare Mentoring program, created by the Ontario Medical Students Association which aims to empower underrepresented students to pursue a career in healthcare.

The program pairs students with mentors in the health care field and helps them realize their full potential.  Growing up underprivileged himself—“we didn’t have much money,” the child of working class Jamaican immigrants believes in giving back to the community and over the course of the academic year, he will be recruiting students for the next program.

According to Brown, low income and black and aboriginal students especially, are significantly underrepresented in the medical field.  In other words, most medical students come from wealthy homes.    As Director of Representation, his mission is to change that by promoting the interest of all medical students.  “It’s important that the medical profession reflects our society, ” Brown notes.

With this hectic lifestyle, one has to ask:  how on earth does he manage?  “Balance is important,” Brown says.  Describing a typical day, Brown says that he wakes up, goes to the gym, and after he sees patients on the floor and in the emergency room, he unwinds by spending time with his fiancé, friends and family.  Oh… and plays X-box with his little brother.  “People think I’m different from other people, but for the most part, I’m just a normal guy.  I really don’t think I’m different from anyone else”.

Sure.  A “normal guy” who just happens to be a doctor…a lecturer…an author…and a director.

For more information on Dr. Andrew Brown, visit www.andrewbrown.ca or email:  [email protected].  More information on Altitude can be found at:  www.altitudementoring.ca/

By Anya Wassenberg

“I hit a high G,” says Mark S. Doss of his upcoming role in the Canadian Opera Company’s season opening Iphigenia in Tauris. “It’s quite dramatic. The singer at the Metropolitan Opera sang it a tone lower. I won’t say who it is… but I sing it in key. It’s treacherous.”

It seems like the kind of “treachery” Mark enjoys, however. The Grammy award-winning bass baritone has had a good year so far, you could say. He completed a successful tour of European opera houses, including Verona, Florence, Venice, Bologna and Madrid. He made his debut as Balstrode in Peter Grimes with the Teatro Regio Torino and opened the season in Salome as his house debut with the Deutsche Staastoper Berlin. At the end of August, he celebrated 25 years as Mephistopheles in Faust with the Santa Fe Opera, considered one of his signature roles.

It’s not that the pace has slowed down any. I caught up with him in Toronto recently during rehearsals for Gluck’s opera. He’s full of praise for the people he’s working with in Toronto. “It’s a strong production that Robert Carson is putting together. This may be his best of the ones I’ve seen.”

His is a thoughtful, intense and focused energy, although that focus on his craft as a singer of opera wasn’t at all a foregone conclusion. “The early aspirations about becoming a baseball playing priest changed when I got to the seminary,” he says with a typical understated humour. He talks of putting the disadvantages tossed in his way to good use.

“One of my weaknesses was being behind in school,” he explains. After moving around quite a bit and dropping a couple of grades, he was horrified at the impending ignominy of being the oldest student at his high school. “I thought I couldn’t endure the humiliation,” he says. A counsellor’s advice to make up the credits he needed at that juncture was to take drama, and, gifted with a rich voice, that’s how he ended up in a production of Godspell as John the Baptist.

He became fascinated with the possibilities and began listening to Mario Lanza records obsessively. “I got the idea from that,” he says of his eventual career. As it happened, a teacher recommended him to a touring production of the Metropolitan Opera when they visited Cleveland, and he got paid $8 a day to carry something on stage as an Ethiopian in a production of Aida. At that point, the hook was in.

A Cleveland summer youth program provided a grounding in music and theatrical techniques, and another chance on stage. He still felt a higher calling, however, and recalls that his vocal coach was disappointed when he decided to enter the seminary. There again, though, it seems fate wouldn’t let him leave music alone. He intended to major in math but didn’t have enough of a background, and so settled on sociology with a minor in music – a minor that ended up as his double major. “That was kind of the transition,” he says of his unintended path.

At the time, he was singing tenor roles. “I was still in the Mario Lanza mode,” he jokes. It was a teacher who switched him to bass baritone – although the Mario Lanza mode may explain those high Gs. He later polished his technique in graduate studies at the Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington, and credits his teachers there with pointing him in the right direction. “I started getting really involved in music,” he says. “I was really excited to be at Indiana.”

One of his career high points came singing the role of the High Priest in Samson and Delilah with the Pittsburgh Opera. He was called in to do the role at the last minute when the original bass baritone fell ill. “I had done the role before in 1998,” he explains. “I thought I had two days – it turns out I had to do it the night I arrived.” For the first few performances, he sang from the orchestra while the original bass baritone blocked through the motions on stage, but the pressure and the challenge produced something special. “It was one of the best performances of my life,” he says.

The absolute height cycles back to his very first role as John the Baptist, this time  however with the venerable Teatro alla Scala in Milan in the opera Salome. “The second performance, everything clicked. I thought, I have arrived.” His religious aspirations had melded seamlessly with the music. A colleague who was in the audience later remarked that he’d heard many sing the role, but felt that Mark brought something different to it, and wondered what that could be. “It’s because I believe the words,” was Mark’s simple answer.

For Mark, opera satisfies every creative impulse. “It’s the culmination of all the arts,” he says. He approaches it with a meticulous and studious sensibility, working on all the elements that go into it – the singing, the projection, the drama and theatrical considerations, even down to getting the language exactly right. “Opera is trying to fill the hall. I know that I’m very critical about myself. It’s never quite a 10; you’re always working to get towards perfection.” He delves deep into the emotional centre of the character to block out any anxieties he has about his technique during performance. “I don’t want to stop in terms of development. I want to keep growing.”

He lists his Uncle Milton, a photographer, as an early mentor, along with the Chicago restaurant owners who let him try out new repertoire as he entertained their patrons. “You dedicate those performances to them, and to the glory of God – even when I’m singing the devil,” he says. “When I do Mephistopheles, I end by acknowledging the audience, and then a final kiss up to God. That’s always something that’s there.”

“It’s been a journey.”

If you’re in Toronto, you can catch Mark singing the role of Thoas (the Scythian king) in Iphigenia In Tauris, which opens the Canadian Opera Company’s 2011-2012 season (September 22, 25, 28; October 1, 4, 7, 12, 15, 2011).

On October 22, he’s one of the featured performers at the Planet Africa Awards at Roy Thomson Hall.

Later this year and into 2012, he’ll sing the role of Amonasro in Aida with Opera Tampa, the Title Role in Teatro Regio Torino’s The Flying Dutchman, and the Four Villains in The Tales of Hoffman with Opera Tokyo.

These days, when he’s not on tour, Mark divides his time between Toronto and a residence in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Saidah / ANNA KEENAN

By True Daley

There are many words that could be used to describe Saidah Baba Talibah, ‘subtle’ is not one of them. The singer/songwriter, actor and musician embodies sex appeal, strength, and soul in a way that few of her peers can. One performance is all it takes to silence the most cynical skeptic. She is not R&B, rock, soul, jazz, or blues.  Her music is all of these genres and more. However, this culmination isn’t part of a marketing scheme to generate mass appeal. Talibah says her debut LP (S)cream is a natural expression of her life experiences.

“It’s me, and it’s a reflection of people, we’re not one-dimensional. We’re not all rock, we’re not all soulful, we’re not all jazz. No one music is all one thing. We’re all influenced by one another. When I hear rock, I hear funk, and I hear dirt, grit and nastiness and soul, and blues. When I hear Sound Garden, Dead Weather and Foo Fighters, I hear soul. Just the same way when I hear Otis Redding and Bill Withers, I hear country. As people we’re absolutely different. In Canada, it’s not typical for a black girl to be doing rock, even though Canada is where I grew up. We’re living in rock country. So why wouldn’t I be doing it?”

Talibah’s fearlessness and unapologetic attitude inspires audiences and fellow artists alike. Her live performances have been compared to Tina Turner due to her powerhouse vocals, larger-than-life stage presence, and ability to mesmerize an audience.

Saidah/ RHETT MORITA

“In the studio, the closest that I can get to energy exchange is playing live off the floor, which is what I do mostly. I prefer being on stage because there’s something to be said about being in front of an audience and feeling a massive wave of energy from hundreds of people. Once I get off stage, it’s exhausting. I feel like I’ve given a lot but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I couldn’t imagine not putting myself into it. I would feel very detached.”

That emotional exchange is what landed Talibah and her band solRawkestra, in the top spot at Harbourfront Centre’s inaugural SoundClash Competition which featured artists from contemporary and cutting-edge music forms. When asked what story she’s been placed her to tell, the daughter of Canada’s first lady of blues, Salome Bey, responds,

“To be empowered in every single type of situation that you’re in. Whether it be in a relationship with a lover, yourself, a friend or with food. Just be empowered. Just take hold and really be authentically you. You are worthy and significant and have something to offer the world. I’m just letting people know that we’re all part of this picture and everybody’s story is valid.”

For more info on this ground-breaking musician, visit sbtmusic.com

SCREAM – SAIDAH BABA TALIBAH

Antonio 'Kai' Messam

By Samuel Getachew

Henry Ward Beecher once said, “The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won’t.” If that was to be the case, local artist Antonio “Kai” Messam would probably have come from the strong will in deeds and words. At only 22 years old, the Kitchener native has lived what most would never experience in a lifetime, yet he has come out strong and determined. Then again, how could he not be strong as he grew up in the only boy in a house of five strong women.  Sway had a chance to speak to the up-and-coming dancer on influence and perseverance.

SG: Antonio, you are a talented dancer in so many words. Tell us about your experience as an upcoming film / TV star.

Messam: In September 2009, I moved to Toronto to push my career in the film and television industry and to also be closer to my the college that gave me my foundation. The very first day I got here in Toronto, my sister Whitney Messam, called to say she had found a job for me.

She was looking for work for herself but ended up finding an ad stating that a studio is looking for a Hip Hop Dance Instructor. She told me this over the phone so I decided to check it out right away since I needed a job. I immediately headed straight to the studio, was interviewed and hired instantly. My ambition was to find work in the film and TV industry but some how I got an employment that was both fulfilling and inspiring to say the least. I enjoy very much being a dance instructor.

How has mentorship played a role in your journey so far?