Writer James Baldwin, for his vision, eloquence, dignity and bravery.
DEANNA BOWEN, visual artist, showing in CIA: The Centre For Incidental Activisms, Art Gallery of York U, to March 13, agyuisoutthere.org and as part of Listen As Desired: A Celebration of African Canadian Film, at TIFF Bell Lightbox, February 20.
Jean Augustine, Ontario’s Fairness Commissioner. A pioneering MP, and minister in Jean Chretien’s cabinet, she reached out to me as a friend and mentor. As a Caribbean woman and a mother, Jean worked hard, educated herself, raised her children and gave back to the community, never forgetting her roots. I’ve gained wisdom and insight from a contemporary who’s left an indelible mark.
MARGARETT R. BEST, Ontario Minister of Health Promotion and Sport
Dr. Martin Luther King.
MACEO PARKER, saxophonist, performing February 10 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Harriet Tubman is one of my all-time favourites. That chick was a serious badass. She led over 300 people to freedom, and for seven years she conducted her passengers along the Underground Railroad into St. Catharines, Ontario. Tubman’s home there should be a national treasure.
DJANET SEARS, Playwright, discussing her work Tuesday (February 8) at Palmerston Library
Paul Robeson. He was committed to global peace and justice for all, and was a fearless advocate for black people. As an artist, he refused to be co-opted by the racist and capitalist arts industry and used his art to highlight the oppression of distressed people. He paid a high price for his commitment: his passport was seized, his income went from $100,000 a year to $2,000. But his brilliance continued to shine.
AFUA COOPER, scholar, author and poet
Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King were some of the greatest statespersons in history. But if you are talking about this country, my father, Dr. Errol Falconer. He was one of two black Jamaicans who received a scholarship to McGill when it was not the norm. He married a white Jewish Holocaust survivor from Poland and lives and proves diversity. There is no better cure for prejudice than a multiplicity of backgrounds.
JULIAN FALCONER, human rights lawyer
Hands down, Paul Robeson. He was broader than Broadway, and speaks directly to my varied interests. He was equal parts academic, athlete, musician, labour movement activist, orator, lawyer, master thespian. And that was just on Tuesdays. He wasn’t afraid to call the kettle black or white (or blue, pink or beige for that matter). My aim was to be just like him.
DALTON HIGGINS, Author of Fatherhood 4.0 (Insomniac) and hip-hop shaman (as Daltpak Chopra)
