Griot Community Newsletter - May 2024

Welcome to the Second Edition of the Griot Newsletter

Dear ACCA Family,

As President of the African Caribbean Cultural Association (ACCA), I am thrilled to welcome you to the second edition of our Griot Newsletter. This publication is not just a means of communication; it is a vibrant celebration of our community’s spirit, achievements, and aspirations. We hope that it will serve as a modern-day “Griot” that enriches, empowers, and connects our diverse and vibrant Black communities.

Youth Engagement and Education

We continue to empower our youth with the ACCA Diaspora Youth Development Recreational programs which have been a cornerstone of our efforts to educate young minds about their rich heritage and potential. We have expanded our program scope to include a critical focus on mental health, ensuring a well-rounded approach to personal and community development.

Exciting Collaborations

Our new partnership with MacEng introduces an engaging STEM initiative that promises to ignite a passion for science and technology in a way that resonates with our Black youth, providing them with the tools to succeed in increasingly tech-driven fields.

Community Events

The upcoming First Tee “Try Golf” event at the RBC Canadian Open is another fantastic opportunity for our children to learn new skills and enjoy a day filled with fun and learning, reflecting our mission to offer diverse experiences to our community.

Support for Our Elders

The ACCA Seniors Program has recently been successful in securing federal funding, allowing us to enhance our support for our seniors. This funding will expand our ability to deliver crucial services and create moments of joy and connection through events like the upcoming Mother’s Day Brunch.

Celebrating Our Leaders and Achievers

We are proud to feature local profiles including the President of the Nigerian Association of Hamilton, business owner Nika, and our own board member Angie Armstrong in this edition. We are thrilled to celebrate the remarkable stories of Black women in Hamilton with the new book “Standing Tall: Black Women’s Stories of Triumph in Hamilton”.

Each article, announcement, and profile within these pages is a testament to the dynamic and indefatigable spirit of our community. I encourage you to engage with our programs, participate in our events, and continue to support each other in every way possible.

Together, we are building a legacy of strength, unity, and cultural pride that will empower generations to come.

Warmest regards,

Evelyn Myrie
President
Afro-Canadian Caribbean Association.

The ACCA Senior’s Program recently received a two-year funding of $300,000 to deliver volunteer-based practical support services for low-income and otherwise vulnerable seniors at home. The ACCA will be able to expand its food program to home delivery of hot nutritious meals and support seniors with light house-cleaning, gardening, snow removal, and regular wellness checks for vulnerable and isolated seniors across the City of Hamilton.

“We are committed to helping our community members lead full lives. All of our programs are designed to increase each member’s social interactions and promote a sense of community”, says Evelyn Myrie, President of the ACCA. “We aim to reduce the feelings and effects of isolation and loneliness with events and various interactions targeting our aging community,” she continues.

Seniors Gathering

Through our ‘Senior’s Social Monthly Meeting’, our members can get out of their homes, have fun and socialize with other seniors while learning about interesting topics geared towards health and wellness. These meetings are held at the Faith United Church at 842 Main Street East from 11 AM – 1 PM every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month.

Some other events on the horizon to look out for are our:

• ACCA is hosting a senior’s ‘Mother’s Day Brunch’ on May 8, 2024. Look out for more information on this exciting activity!
• Also in May, we are preparing to start our Food Delivery Program where we provide a hot meal twice a month to assist low-income and otherwise vulnerable seniors.
• ‘Move together’ once the weather is warmer; we plan to organize field trips – taking in different scenic locations across Hamilton. We want to help our members get active and sustain healthy lives.

A fair amount of our program’s success is attributed to our volunteers. We would like to thank them for their diligent work and also request others to join our team and help us make a difference.

by Dr. Patricia Daenzer

Sandi Bell, Chloe Cooley, Dr. Juliet Daniel, Doreen Johnson, Tilly Johnson, Beatrice McLean, Wilma Morrison, Evelyn Myrie, Fleurette Osborne, Eleanor Rodney, and Nerene Virgin were and are outstanding female leaders who reshaped the way forward for today’s generation by enshrining pathways to social progress, political awareness and policy remediation in Hamilton’s civic relations. They are honoured and celebrated in this series because they stood Tall and gave us voices which we refuse to be silenced about their achievements.

These stories are also about the historical and political emergence of the City of Hamilton, an industrial town in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. But the work and lived experiences of our heroic women touched lives far beyond Southern Ontario. As members of the African Diaspora born in Canada and in the colonial West, their varied political and social expectations converged in action which challenged institutions and called into question archaic practices that tended to universally diminish Black lives.

When Doreen Johnson chose Hamilton as the place to make her North American economic contribution, she encountered a small town which rejected racial equality and had enshrined a negative social stratification of peoples. But unlike many, she stayed, challenged and educated toward more enlightened social practices. Similarly, Tilly Johnson would witness inequality of opportunity from her modest commercial niche in the private sector and take steps to highlight the importance of higher education through her scholarship endowment. Dr. Juliet Daniel charged through barriers toward becoming an accomplished scientist with focus and determination to lengthen the lives of all women.

We celebrate these women firstly because they are women. The accomplishments of women are often relegated to stereotypes of mothering and domestic obscurity. But these women parented with distinction, structured domestic lives with grace and ingenuity, and still stood out above others for their political vision, public determination, and social accomplishments. They defied the odds! They exemplified triumph! Eleanor Rodney, for example, rejected the popular 1970s narrative that Black learners were inherently deficient and needed special remediation simply to be intellectually average in outcome. She was an accomplished educator and then educational administrator. She educated educators and never grew tired of eradicating a legacy of blindfolded biases in teaching.

The political acuity of Evelyn Myrie, Fleurette Osborne, and Doreen Johnson continues to shape change for a broad public sector and thus locate Blacks as political priorities. Osborne in particular who completed graduate education during the period of political turmoil for Black university students would transform and grow Black women’s political organizing in the international community. The work she began in the 1970s would be carried on by Myrie and others. Myrie’s political determination has transformed relations in Hamilton and her name has become synonymous with change.

This series which heightens the visibility of Black Women’s triumphs in enriching lives holds immense importance for current generations of males and females across ethno-racial boundaries. In our Twenty-First Century, Black women are still under-assumed, disparaged and subject to lower expectations forged more than one century ago. Heralding their accomplishments is intended to remind those who need reminding that the determination of Black women who led and travelled the underground railroad to Canada has grown in intensity and numbers and is forever the way forward.

Dr. Patricia Daenzer is a retired McMaster Professor whose work examines how race, gender, and social status influence the pursuit of justice.

Help us make a difference!

Seniors Programs:

• Age Well at Home
• Lunch Program
• Bi-Monthly Social Event
• Mother’s Day Brunch

Sign up here or contact the program coordinator at salaccaseniors@gmail.com.

The Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre (HARRC), under the leadership of Executive Director Lyndon George, stands at the forefront of combating racism and promoting systemic change in Hamilton. Established to confront and dismantle racial inequalities, HARRC has become a crucial element in the city’s efforts to develop a just and equitable society.

Since its re-launch in 2021 with a new independent board, HARRC has been strategically located at the McMaster University Continuing Education Centre in downtown Hamilton. This central location serves as a hub for the vital work of tracking and collecting data on incidents of racism in Hamilton.

HARRC’s approach to addressing racism is through a multi-layered program – namely, education, advocacy, and direct support. An important aspect of this strategy is conducting educational programs aimed at increasing awareness about the history and roots of racism and the many ways that racism and the impact of racism are still being felt today. These programs are designed for diverse audiences including students in school, employers and their workspaces, community groups, and the general public.

“Our initiatives are not just about raising awareness but also about driving real change,” explains Lyndon George. “HARRC advocates for government policy changes at local, provincial, and federal levels to address systemic racism and discrimination.

George’s dedication to anti-racism work is rooted in his personal experience with racism that almost cost him his life and highlights the existence of discrimination in healthcare.

As a younger man in Ottawa, George faced a severe health scare involving blood clots in his leg which led to a heart attack. While being rushed to a hospital he endured excruciating pain. Shockingly, as he suffered, he was questioned about illicit drug use and was nearly sent home without proper care.

Years later, in Hamilton, George faced similar dismissiveness when he sought medical help for chest pains and shortness of breath. Remembering his previous ordeal, he took steps to be cautious about the image he presented at the hospital — unfortunately, it still took three weeks for him to receive the care he needed.

“These experiences force you to look at the world differently and challenge the systemic issues you face,” George reflects. With HARRC, he is determined to promote systemic change in Hamilton and to prevent such discriminatory encounters. “At HARRC, we provide a supportive space for individuals affected by racism to learn and seek accountability.”

Community engagement is another critical area of focus for HARRC. The centre organizes rallies, press conferences, and other forms of collective action to empower marginalized communities, build coalitions, and mobilize grassroots support for anti-racist initiatives. These activities have led to significant changes, including recent adjustments to the police service board and the Hamilton Board of Health.

Research, data collection and analysis are important to HARRC’s work and inform all of the organization’s targeted initiatives. By documenting incidents of racial disparities and monitoring discrimination trends and experiences, the centre seeks to identify necessary areas for intervention. One notable project includes the analysis of police use of force which provided essential insights into institutional behaviours and practices.

HARRC’s mission is clear: to eradicate racism, discrimination, and oppression in Hamilton through education, advocacy, and support. “The vision is to have a Hamilton where people are valued, respected, and treated equitably regardless of race. We strive for a community where diversity is respected, systemic barriers are dismantled and antiracist principles are the norm.”
says George.

This spring HARRC will be announcing their Spring 2024 series of community engagement sessions. These sessions are designed to identify concrete actions to further address the issues of racism in our community, ensuring that Hamilton is a place where all individuals are treated with respect and equity.

For the Chicken

3lb of chicken thighs
1/2tsp of Salt
1 Tsp Dark Soy Sauce/Browning
1teaspoon garlic powder
1teaspoon onion powder
1⁄2 tsp Cayenne/Paprika
1⁄2 tsp black pepper
1Tbsp Lemon Juice
1Tbsp Neutral Cooking Oil
1Tsp All-purpose seasoning

Instructions

Trim and discard excess fat from the chicken.
Let the chicken soak for 30min in (⅓ cup vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, 3 cups water). After 30 min, pour off the water and pat dry the chicken.

Mix seasonings in a small bowl until well blended; stir in lemon juice and oil to form a paste.
Rub evenly onto the chicken. Let it marinate for 1hr.
Place the chicken, skin side up, on the grill; cover the grill with a lid.

Grill 15 min.; turn over.
Brush with 1/4 cup of the Dragon Stout BBQ Sauce.
Grill an additional 15 min.; turn over.
Brush with remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce.
Continue grilling for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of 170°F or until juices run clear).

For the Sauce

1 bottle of Dragon Stout
1.5 cups Ketchup
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Molasses
1 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce/Liquid Smoke
2 tsp. Smoked Paprika
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper

Instructions

In a saucepan, add the Dragon Stout and bring it to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat slightly and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes. This reduces the amount of liquid, concentrates the flavor, and cooks off the alcohol.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and whisk in the ketchup, brown sugar, maple, syrup, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Then mix in the spices.

Whisk until it’s fully combined and allow it to simmer on low heat for an additional 10 minutes to reduce again thicken slightly. This sauce is a little thinner than regular BBQ sauces. However, you can simmer longer if you prefer it thicker. It will also thicken more as it cools.

Test taste and adjust salt as needed. Remove it from the heat and allow it to cool until it reaches room temperature.

On March 21, 2024, American author, professor, and activist Ibram X. Kendi was a guest speaker at the International Day for the Elimination of Racism forum organized by Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre(HARRC). More than 100 people attended the event held in downtown Hamilton.

Hamilton Urban Core Health Centre has recently moved to its new 26,000-square-foot space located at 430 Cannon Street East, where it will offer all its programming under one roof. Programs include theConsumption and Treatment Services, dental, chiropody, mental health counselling, addictions services, programs for youth, health promotion for seniors, nutrition programs (enhanced by a new, large industrial kitchen!), newcomer services, and access to primary care through physicians and nurse practitioners.

2023 Hate Crime Report Highlights Ongoing Issue of Anti-Black Racism
In its recently released Hate Crime Report, Hamilton police reported a 26% increase in hate incidents and crimes in 2023, with Black, 2SLGBTQIA+, and Jewish communities most targeted. Read the report here.