Toronto—I was recently invited by the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) to deliver the keynote presentation for their annual conference on anti-Black racism. The ETFO is an educators union, representing over 80,000 members in Ontario.

On Saturday, February 18th 2023, I held an author event for my new book #BlackInSchool at Indigo bookstore at the Yonge and Eglinton Centre in Toronto.

Lately, I have not been doing well. My mental health has taken a serious hit given the recent traumatic violence against black people in America and right at home, here in Canada.

I was saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Catherine Hamlin on March 18th 2020. Dr. Hamlin was a renowned obstetric fistula surgeon and a revolutionary human being who dedicated her life to giving marginalized women access to the maternal health services they deserve. She was also a great inspiration to my life.

TORONTO, In May, I was invited by the Ministry of Women and Gender Equality to speak on a panel hosted by Hon. Maryam Monsef, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality, about how public-private partnerships can advance gender equality in Canada.

HALIFAX—Tonight, I was honoured at the launch of the book, Making Waves: Stories of Second Generation Immigrants, produced by Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS). I am one of 23 second generation Canadians to be featured in the book. Thanks ISANS!

​ACCRA—In December, I travelled to Ghana with members of my team to visit obstetric fistula treatment centres and meet with organizations working to end fistula in the country. Upon exiting the chic, Kotoka International Airport, I was tickled by Accra’s warm, humid air, as cheerful chatter rang in my ear. We later drove off into an energetic night, characterized by Afrobeat music, high-rises, Shoprite, hawkers, and plantain chips. 

I am honoured that on February 20th 2019, Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE)—a federal government department—recognized me as an outstanding Black Canadian woman for my maternal health and advocacy work. Click here for the original tweet.

HALIFAX—The Girls of Meru is a groundbreaking new film by Andrea Dorfman that highlights the pursuit of justice for young girls in Meru, Kenya who are the victims of rape. Powerfully-rendered, The Girls of Meru, is a courageous and uplifting message for the urgent need to bring an end to sexual violence against girls globally.

In this video, I extend a huge congratulations to Dr. Denis Mukwege of Panzi Hospital, 🇨🇩Democratic Republic of Congo 🇨🇩, for his tireless work in treating and restoring the lives of women suffering from sexual violence. Dr. Mukwege is a 2018 recipient of the NOBEL PRIZE. I also urge all girls to get an education and use their skills to contribute to the infrastructural development of African countries.

TORONTO—On Saturday November 10th, I held another book talk for Yeshialem Learns About Fistula at A Different Booklist. It was a pleasure to have Amanda Parris, CBC Arts, share the stage as she led me in an interview about my inspiration for the book and my non-profit work on obstetric fistula.

We are living in one of, if not, the most technologically advanced and wealthy ages known to human kind. We have sent man to the moon, and it seems that rockets take off for outer space with the same frequency that commercial flights take off around the world. In 2016, the tourism industry generated a total global revenue of 8.3 trillion USD. Global military expenditure was at 1.7 trillion USD, while mining contributed over 600 billion USD to the global economy. Robots are now used to perform minimally-invasive surgeries and they have even become restaurant hosts!