Tropicana Community Services is now in its 40th year of serving the Black community in the Greater Toronto Region in multiple ways. However, with the emergence of Covid19, Tropicana has had to not only rethink how it celebrates this milestone but figure out new ways to continue its programming during the lockdown. Despite all the challenges that have come with this, the organization seems to have emerged even stronger and better. I spoke with Raymund Guiste, Tropicana’s Executive Director.

In December 2016, Dafonte Miller was assaulted by off-duty police officer Michael Theriault, and his civilian brother Christian. The altercation occurred over an alleged car break-in attempt. During the altercation, Miller was attacked with a metre-long metal pipe which led to him losing an eye. The Theriaults were charged with aggravated assault and attempted obstruction of justice. In June 2020, Constable Theriault was convicted of the lesser charge of assault, while his brother was acquitted.

(PHOTO CREDIT: Jackie Becky Media) Sandra Adjou is a passionate advocate of African culture and identity. A native of Benin, when Sandra left her homeland to study abroad in Casablanca then Paris, she was dismayed by the negative perceptions about Black people. Disturbed by what she observed, she made it her mission to change the negative narrative around the Black community by creating the African Identity Culture Centre (AICC). I spoke with Sandra about AICC and the need for a strong identity within the Black Canadian community.

Now that the Black Legal Action Centre (BLAC) has spent almost a year building its base, it is ready to reach out to the Black community. Ruth Goba, the executive director, says this is important because the legal clinic started from scratch with everything new -- space, bylaws, staff, board, and mandate.