The Order of Ontario is the highest and most prestigious official honour from the Government of Ontario. The award was first given out in 1987 by Lieutenant Governor, Lincoln Alexander.

Among the 27 recipients for this year’s awards are two dynamic African Canadians.  Former NDP MP Howard McCurdy and Carpenters’ District Council of Ontario (CDCO) Executive Secretary-Treasurer Ucal Powell, join 567 other distinguished Ontarians who have joined this exclusive membership since its inception.

Howard McCurdy

Dr. Howard McCurdy was a distinguished member of the House of Commons for the riding of Windsor – Walkerville from 1984 – 1993. He was the first African Canadian to sit as an NDP Member of Parliament. Prior to his election in 1984, the noted scientist served as a biology professor at the University of Windsor, authoring 45 scientific articles and served two terms as a Windsor city councillor.

A civil rights activist, McCurdy was president of Michigan State University’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) during his graduate studies at the institution.

McCurdy served as president of the Windsor & District Black Coalition, which he co-founded in the 1960’s to fight racial discrimination in Windsor and was co-founder and first chair of the National Black Coalition of Canada.

Ucal Powell. Courtesy Build Toronto

The second recipient is union leader, Ucal Powell. A carpenter by trade, Mr. Powell is an executive with the Carpenters’ District Council of Ontario (CDCO). He has been active in the carpenters union since his arrival in Canada in 1969. In addition to that, he is a member of Humber River Regional Hospital Foundation’s board of directors and the founding member of 31 Division Community Police Liaison Committee bursary program. He represents nearly 20,000 workers in a variety of skilled trades, including carpentry, drywall and resilient flooring.

The Vaughan resident is proud of his signature achievement that saw the Carpenters’ Union build a world-class apprenticeship program. He has also been involved with Build Toronto, the Good Shepherd Ministries, the Vitanova Foundation, Hospital for Sick Children, and the Children’s Aid Foundation.

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario David Onley handed out the honours at Queen’s Park last Thursday, Jan 26. The Lieutenant remarked, “We recognize the greatest minds, forward-thinkers, humanitarians, activists and pioneers in our province. These people change lives here and the world over.”

“What do I care about death in the cause of the redemption of Africa?…I could die anywhere in the cause of liberty: A real man dies but once; a coward dies a thousand times before his real death.

So we want you to realize that life is not worth its salt except you can live it for some purpose. And the noblest purpose for which to live is the emancipation of a race and the emancipation of posterity.”

- Marcus Garvey
August 17, 1887 – June 10, 1940

The importance of feeling fulfilled in your job

By Chellie Mejia, B.Sc.

A real conversation with a real friend as she enjoyed her early morning 40 minute commute to the office: “I hate my job!  I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!  And I hate meetings about nothing and I hate wearing nametags so that people that don’t know me can pretend that they know me and make small talk about things I care nothing about!  And I hate meeting food.  No one eats sandwiches that small, but there are only enough sandwiches for two per person, and then because they think they fed you lunch, they think they can keep you in a three-hour meeting even though your stomach has started to eat itself from the hunger pains and you might just pass out if it doesn’t end soon, but at least then the nametags will come in handy because the paramedics will know who you are.”

Okay, so my friend is a tad dramatic!  But I remember it like it was yesterday: climbing the corporate ladder in my power suit and stilettos and wanting desperately to jump off and run to the nearest amusement park or circus.  There’s nothing worse than feeling like your day to day life has become mundane, robotic, and has lost all meaning.

I don’t know about you, but if I can’t find a place within my daily role to showcase my creativity and enthusiasm for what it is that I do, I go running for the hills in search of something – anything – that will fulfill that part of my spirit.  It’s how I stumbled into being an entrepreneur, after all; looking for a place in the corporate spectrum that allowed me to spend more time doing work that I loved with people that I admired and respected, and less time in meetings regurgitating numbers with people who probably felt as anonymous as I did.  It’s been amazing to be able to grow my talents in an environment that has provided endless opportunities for that growth, and even the day to day tasks that would be mundane in a workplace that I hated are enjoyable when they’re to facilitate something that I love.

Now, I’m not saying to up and quit your job and run off into the sunset to start your own arts and crafts store (although if that’s what your heart desires, then I’m all support!), but what I am saying is that it is worth exploring what your needs are to be on a work path where you feel happier and healthier – physically, emotionally and spiritually.

It was a huge decision for me to make.  I mean, I didn’t hate my job per se, I had really gotten the whole business-casual look down pat, I had put a few pictures on my desk so that it felt a little homey, and let’s not forget that consistent pay cheque and those medical and dental benefits!

But the best career advice that I can offer to anyone is to work where you feel happy, fulfilled, and respected, whether it’s working for a huge corporation or working for yourself off of your kitchen table.  There is no dollar amount that can make up for these things and no reasoning that can justify their absence.

Okay, so you hate your job.  Now what?

thumbnail © Yuri Arcurs | Dreamstime.com

Chellie Mejia is a freelance writer, real estate developer and lifestyle coach. Follow Chellie on Twitter @chelliemejia. Visit her new website www.chelliemejia.com.

Madame C.J. Walker

By Sheldon Barrocks

In a time when personalities such as actors, sports figures and musicians dominate media attention, it’s easy to forget prominent pioneers of business who established themselves as pillars of financial success in the past century. The following profiles are of great men and women of African descent who, despite encountered setbacks and challenges early in life, strove to become successful entrepreneurs and as a result ended up being some of the greatest black business architects of all time.

During the early 1900’s no other African American woman made a bigger impact on the business world than Madam C.J. Walker. Born December 23, 1867 to former slaves and then becoming an orphan at age 7, Walker was determined to make the most of her life. In 1905, she launched a hair scalp conditioner line called “Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower”. She came up with the idea after losing some of her hair from a scalp ailment condition she suffered from. Not only was Walker a successful businesswoman, she was one of the most influential civil rights leaders of her time. Aside from training many other African American women across the country to sell and promote her product lines, Walker also encouraged her ‘agents’ to become actively involved in the civil rights movement taking place at that time. Achieving financial success with her hair care business allowed Walker to make large monetary donations to organizations such as NAACP and the “coloured” YMCA of Indianapolis.

Robert L. Johnson

One could only imagine the wild dreams Robert L. Johnson had while growing up in Freeport, Illinois. The second youngest of ten children in his family, Johnson would rise up to be the first African American billionaire ever. Seeing a need for afro-centric media for television, Johnson founded Black Entertainment Television (otherwise known as BET) in 1980. Over time Johnson experienced unprecedented success with the channel, as BET become the first black-controlled company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1991. Despite the success of BET, Johnson would wind up selling the station along with its 65 million viewers to Viacom, hence becoming an instant billionaire. After getting a taste of the entertainment world, in 2002 Johnson joined Michael Jordan (who needs no introduction) and formed the group that acquired the NBA expansion franchise Charlotte Bobcats. Upon launching the franchise, Johnson achieved another “first” becoming the first Black American to be principal owner of a North American major league sports franchise. Johnson eventually sold majority ownership to Jordan, and now owns and operates RLJ Companies, an asset holding firm he started after selling BET.

Michael Lee-Chin

Walking the streets of Toronto, Canada, you can’t help but notice a magnificent sight at the Royal Ontario Museum named The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. This extraordinary (and sometimes controversial) piece of architecture was only made possible by the generous $30 million donation from Jamaican born businessman and philanthropist, Michael Lee-Chin. Born to bi-racial parents (both mother and father were Black and Chinese Jamaican) in 1951, Lee-Chin went from his humble beginnings in Port Antonio, Jamaica to being named as one of Forbes Magazine’s top billionaires in 2008. His wealth was primarily built on investments he made in the early 1980’s. After taking out a $500,000 loan to purchase stock shares and experiencing a favourable return on it, instead of spending it Lee-Chin took his profits and acquired a small Ontario-based investment firm named AIC Limited. In 20 years, AIC grew to over $15 billion in assets. Today Lee-Chin continues to drive a strong investment philosophy through the company he founded, Portland Holdings.

Sheldon Barrocks is a Toronto-based freelance writer.

It is 8 o’clock on a Wednesday night in Toronto and seven degrees out– atypically “warm” for this time of year.  Any Torontonian knows that when the city is hit with these unusual temperatures, you savour the moment.  Chances are that the 20 dancers, musicians and vocalists who make up the Collective of Black Artists (COBA), haven’t had the chance to bask in the spring-like weather. For the last 12 hours, they’ve been working tirelessly–“a dry run”– to perfect their dance moves for this weekend’s Les Rythmes de la Forêt, the company’s first major production of the year.

“It’s been a long day for them,” says BaKari E. Lindsay, a dancer who cofounded the company 19 years ago with fellow dancers Junia Mason and Charmaine Headley.   COBA was formed in 1993 as a platform to create and perform dance that reflected African heritage and social realities.  “Our goal was to present the finest traditions in African culture,” says Lindsay, who laughingly recalls the early days of touring forty to sixty schools with “two feet of snow, drums and costumes on the subway.”

Fast-forward to two decades later, and Lindsay is clearly proud of the organization’s accomplishments. “It feels good to be here,” he says, referring to COBA’s longevity.  “Being a non-profit black company for 20 years is a huge feat.”

Les Rythmes de la Forêt, which loosely translated means “from the bush”, brings together the works of Lindsay , Charmaine Headley, and guest choreographer, Sister Robin Hibbert.   Inspired by the dance and rhythms of Sub-Saharan Africa, the production is part of Habourfront’s NextSteps dance series, which takes place from February 3-5 at the Fleck Dance Theatre.  “When you’re taking traditions and transporting them to a theatrical stage, it requires a lot of sensitivity and the rituals need to be handled with a lot of care,” says Lindsay, who also designed the costumes.

Les Rythmes de la Forêt promises to be an exhilarating event, incorporating traditional folkore and storytelling.  The production features dancers Sale Almirante Alberto, Nickeshia Garrick, Jasmine Griffith-Reid, Dammecia Hall, BaKari I. Lindsay, Mafa Makhubalo, Shelly-Ann McLeod, Julia Morris, Mikhail Morris and Collette Murray; musicians Richard Cumberbatch, N’dere Headley-Lindsay, Yohance Francis Parksons and Mikhal Parson; and vocalists Roger Gibbs ,Susan Grogan and Debbie Y.Nicholls-Skeritt.

Ticket prices range from $22 to $30 and $18- $25 for Seniors and Students.

For more information visit: www.cobainc.com

-Malcolm X
Founding Rally Speech, Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU)
June 28, 1964, Harlem, NY

By Darling Nicky

Soul Train creator dead at 75

“My heart remains heavy a full 24 hrs later. A man who entertained countless should not have died alone. May his “soul” rest in peace.” via @darlingnicky999 on Twitter

In the early hours of February 1^st, as I launched a number of social applications to wish everyone a warm start to Black History Month, my eager fingers were silenced by the shocking news that Don Cornelius, creator and long-time host of the popular black music TV show Soul Train was found dead at his home in Los Angeles at age 75.  Even more surprising were the unconfirmed (sadly however, now confirmed) reports that he died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

While every other news site and blog has [by now] paid tribute to this groundbreaking visionary by recounting his Soul Train journey, my thoughts are lingering in the aftermath of how his passing has played out as one of the most [literal] tragedies of our time.  It’s difficult to conceive what moves a man who had such tremendous influence on a generation (or two, or three) by popularizing Black Music, Black Culture and Black Pride on the heels of the Civil Rights Movement, to end his life so gruesomely.  It certainly is a very harsh reminder that even the most accomplished individuals are not immune to life’s personal challenges, be it in health, mind or spirit.  Former Soul Train host Shemar Moore has mentioned to the press that Cornelius may have been suffering from the early onset of Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

In spite of the circumstances surrounding his death, Don Cornelius will be remembered for ambitiously giving Soul music a platform to be heard in living rooms across a nation, at a time when black people needed outlets to express their pride in culture.  Soul Train can be attributed for pioneering the coolest dances, popularizing the Afro, and most importantly, taking us on “the hippest trip in America”.

“… and you can bet your last money, it’s all gonna be a stone gas, honey! I’m Don Cornelius, and as always in parting, we wish you love, peace and soul!”

#thatswhatSHEsaid  (actually, it’s what HE said!)

Honour Killing Verdict

“Honour has got to be one of the most abstract and subjective concepts ever.” via @darlingnicky999 on Twitter

The verdict came down in one of the most controversial murder trials of our time when three members of the polygamous Shafia family out of Montreal were found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder by a jury in Kingston, ON.  Mohammad Shafia, 58, his 2^nd wife Tooba Yahya Mohammed, 42, and son Hamed Shafia, 21, were each held to the same level of accountability in the heinous drowning deaths of daughters, Zainab, 19, Sahar, 17, and Geeti, 13, and first wife Rona Amir Mohammad, 52, whose bodies were found trapped in a Nissan Sentra submerged in a canal in Kingston, ON.  The prosecution argued that the three conspired to kill their family members as a consequence to having brought perceived shame to the family by embracing Western culture reflected in their behavior.  It was shown that the parent-son trio staged the deliberate drowning as an accident, although damage to the family’s other car more than corroborated the theory that the Nissan containing the four women had been pushed into the canal with the dead or unconscious women trapped inside.

The judge who read the verdicts in court referred to the motive as being “a twisted concept of honour”.

“It is difficult to conceive of a more heinous, more despicable, more honourless crime,” Ontario Superior Court Judge Robert Maranger said.

A case like this ignites an undercurrent of post 9/11 cultural misunderstandings that serve as a reminder that as cosmopolitan of a society as we boast here in this nation, that we are undeniably united in an expected adherence to the Criminal Code of Canada, and that it is simply not acceptable to deliberately take another person’s life regardless of any cultural justification.

Think about it, if “honour killings” were to hold any merit in our society, would that give scorned wives of cheating husbands the go-ahead to take out their spouses because they dishonoured their wedding vows?

“The Shafia’s may have had a twisted notion of honour, but the jury certainly had a clear notion of justice.” via @darlingnicky999 on Twitter

#thatswhatSHEsaid

Darling Nicky is an entertainment writer, blogger and publicist.  Check out her out at www.darlingnicky.ca

By Rochelle Hanson

Is there anything better than a big ole belly bursting blast of laughs?

Laughter is good, good medicine. Some say it’s the very best kind.

Dictionary.com defines a laugh as an action that is used to express mirth, pleasure, derision, or nervousness with an audible, vocal expulsion of air from the lungs that can range from a loud burst of sound to a series of quiet chuckles and is usually accompanied by characteristic facial and bodily movements.

But did you know that laughter is also good for your health? If you do it regularly, laughter can have positive long-term benefits.

I’ll list a few of the benefits for you below.

Laughter can:

Lower the stress hormones, cortisol and adrenalin
Lower your blood pressure
Improve your blood circulation
Boost your immune system
Improve memory retention
Boost creativity and learning potential
Provide an excellent workout for your abs, diaphragm, lower back, and facial muscles

In addition to all that, it’s fun and it feels good. Laughter releases endorphins, which are chemicals that regulate pain in your body. How much laughter have you had today?

Here. C’mon. Let’s practice.

Listen to this lady laughing.

That made you chuckle, didn’t it?

Now try this.

Listen to this guy laughing.

Play it back a few times in a row.

It’s a little bit contagious, now isn’t it?

But how does laughter work? Have you ever wondered why you automatically start laughing just because someone else is laughing too. Even when you don’t have a clue about what is actually funny, you still find yourself laughing along?

In situations like that, laughter is simply a mimic response. It’s a lot like yawning. We do it mostly because our brains are wired to copy each other; it enhances social bonding.

Now, if you’re reading this column at the office and you can’t afford to look like you’re having too much fun, instead of laughing out loud, try smiling a little bit. That works really well too.

Here, enjoy this video.

Have a healthy, happy day.

Rochelle Hanson is the author of the free ebook, Breaking Cravings. She is currently enrolled at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and is studying to become a Health Coach. Rochelle offers practical tips on natural health and wellness both in this column and on her blog Simply Natural Ideas. Write to rochelle@simplynaturalideas.com for a free health consultation or connect with her on Facebook.

photo © Vincent Giordano | Dreamstime.com

And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”

-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
“A Proper Sense of Priorities”
Febraury 6, 1968, Washington, DC

By Cecile Haynes

Black people, when will you stop hating yourself?
When will that hatred be turned where it rightfully belongs?  To injustice. To unrealized dreams.
Remember when you had a common goal?
You were fighting for your place in society.
To be educated like the others.
To eat where you wanted.  To get a drink of water where you thirsted.  You had a dream.
You looked to strong leaders who inspired you with their dreams.
You gathered together to fight for each other, to encourage each other knowing the consequences could be death.
You faced down racists in high places, the sharp teeth of dogs trained to intimidate you.
You defied family and friends who, too timid or scared to look to a brighter future, begged and pleaded with you to accept it as it was.

Black people, what became of you?
When did the dream wither and die within you?
When did it become acceptable for you to turn your anger on those who look just like you?
When did it become acceptable for those who overcame to say, “I’ve got mine, too bad for you”?
When did the dream become a nightmare?
Have you turned your back on education?  This was part of the dream to help lift you to the Promised Land.
Don’t for a minute think the Promised Land is where you go when you die after suffering here on earth.
The Promised Land is the safe neighbourhood where you raise and nourish your children without fear of a drive-by death.
The Promised Land is where your children respect their educators and absorb knowledge to prepare them for a future of endless possibilities.
The Promised Land is where you worship to grow spiritually, be a comfort and encouragement to each other not where you overflow the coffers of those who are supposedly leading you.

Black people, open your eyes and see what you have become.
You are more than entertainers.
You have a wonderful history, learn it and share it.
Do not let others define who you are.  You are more than grist for the prison mill, more than vendors of street pharmaceuticals, more that abandoners of families, more than fillers of bank accounts for undertakers.

Black people, you are givers of life.  Look around you.
Look at each other with new vision.  Turn your anger and hatred away from each other and focus it where it belongs. Identify the enemy and fight for your freedom.  Fight the oppression.  You have fought this battle before.  Now is the time to win the war.
It won’t be easy.  It never has been easy.

Black people, apathy is your enemy.  Pull empathy to your side.  Embrace education with a powerful grip; this will propel you to the Promised Land and can never be taken away from you.  Cast off dependencies of all kinds.  Become leaders.  Support those who are not as strong.  Work together in small groups to resolve issues and implement plans.  From small groups grow large organizations.  Keep your leaders honest.  Question them; question what you are told; no one person has all the answers.  Welcome all ideas and suggestions and use the best of them.  Look at all sides of an issue to arrive at how best to solve a problem.  There will be failure; learn from it to do better next time.  Celebrate your successes, loudly and with passion.

Black people love and cherish each other.  You are not the enemy.  You are the reflection of the hopes and dreams of each other.  Be proud.  The dream is not lost; it is just waiting to be realized.

Cecile Haynes is a self-professed political junkie, liberal, mother, cat lover. Check out her blog headsortailsblog.blogspot.com/ for more entries.