As a Black person and the Local Immigration Partnership (LIP) Coordinator with CCIS in Medicine Hat, my work is inseparable from my lived experience. I was displaced by conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and spent 26 years in a refugee camp in Rwanda, where I learned what it truly means to rebuild from the ground up.
With determination and purpose, I earned a BA in Communications and a master’s in Education. I served as a college guidance counsellor for refugee students and helped found the Tertiary Refugee Student Network, working to advance post-secondary pathways for refugees worldwide. Eventually, I arrived in Canada as a Government-Assisted Refugee. Like many newcomers, I navigated unfamiliar institutions, endured precarity, and negotiated ongoing belonging. Through education, community accompaniment, and perseverance, I found stability and purpose.
Today, I am privileged to support others on that same continuum — linking newcomers to services, convening cross-sector partnerships, and collaborating with employers and community leaders to strengthen inclusion, integration, and social cohesion. My journey allows me to meet people with both professional understanding and lived empathy.
For me, Black History Month is not merely commemorative; it is an ethical imperative for accountability and transformative action. Across different historical moments and contexts, Black communities have endured systemic injustice and structural exclusion, yet have continually generated cultural, scientific, civic, and intellectual contributions that shape human progress. Black history is a living archive of resilience, creativity, leadership, and hope.
We cannot honour the past while ignoring present realities. The most meaningful way to honour Black history is to pair narrative with practice — advancing inclusion, challenging harmful stereotypes, and building communities where equity is truly institutionalized.
Together, let us cultivate a future where safety and belonging are unconditional.
