Meet Our Spokes Persons
Tamara Steele
Tamara has spent the last 20+ years watching the population of Charlottetown grow and observing the concurrent growing need for community supports. Her work with BCSPEI led Tamara to be named by Chatelaine as one of “33 Black Canadians Making Change Now” in the magazine’s September 2020 issue.
Vanessa Fells
Vanessa Fells is the Director of Operations for ANSDPAD. The Coalition is an open group of individuals that serve African Nova Scotian people, communities, interests, needs and seeks a relationship where African Nova Scotians are engaged, included and listened to, at all levels of policy-shaping and decision-making within governments.
Sylvia Parris-Drummond
Sylvia has over 30 years of experience in public and private sector. Her involvement has gained a deep understanding for what it takes to conduct meaningful policy analysis, implement research-informed initiatives, strengthen community engagement, and develop relevant education, and capacity building projects.
About
An inaugural Black Policy Conference will occur Friday, October 15 – Saturday October 16 and will act as a precursor to the March 2022 Black Summit which will be hosted in Halifax. The conference represents a Black Community-led and informed policy agenda for Atlantic Canada’s Black communities that can be applicable to every government department and with specific areas of focus for organizations in the communities of all four Atlantic provinces. The conference will build community knowledge of what policy is, bridge between activism, advocacy to change by action through policy and most importantly have a Collective Voice.
“For too long Canada and provinces have ignored the experiences of members of the Black community when it comes to inclusive participation and engagement in economy and social good. Conversely, we are over-represented and pathologized in health and justice system with poorer educational and social outcomes as a result of anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination.” Said Vanessa Fells, “while much ground has been covered after the global racial uprising of 2020, we cannot slow down momentum and we are taking this opportunity to gather and start to answer the questions for Atlantic Canada’s Black communities: What is the (heterogeneous) Black policy agenda?”
Our Collective Voice is crucial as our communities have been neglected and ignored for far too long. By mobilizing across the region, we are setting the agenda and telling policy makers what we want, and not waiting to be told what we can have.
The virtual 1.5-day conference will gather together participants and speakers representing members of the Black community across Atlantic Canada. The conference planning committee currently comprises Vanessa Fells (ANSDPAD Coalition), Sylvia Parris-Drummond (DBDLI), Tamara Steele (the Black Cultural Society of PEI) as well as representatives from 902 Gamechangers, Atlantic Equity and Research Alliance (AEARA), TRIBE network and Inspiring Communities. These are partners who have been, or seek to be, involved in work to support the perspectives, lived experiences, realities and calls to action of Black communities in the region.
A ‘save the date’ for interested participants to make note of the dates for an Atlantic Canadian Black Policy conference was shared today. Speakers confirmed thus far are representative of all four Atlantic provinces. A complete agenda with fuller content will be shared once finalized.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
-African Proverb
Planning Committee
