Nadia Murad was born into a farming family in Kojo, Iraq. She belongs to the Yazidi ethnic and religious minority. When she was 19 years old, the Islamic State attacked her village and killed 600 Yazidi men, including several of her family members.
Murad and other young women were taken prisoner and subjected to beatings and rape. She managed to escape, however, and make her way to a refugee camp. There she was offered the opportunity to move to Germany, where she now lives.
Nadia Murad
She was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2018 alongside Denis Mukwege for ”their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.”
On October 30, 2019, Nadia and Dennis set up a fund to provide reparations for survivors of wartime rape.
The Global Survivors Fund will provide tailored support to help people recover from the emotional and physical trauma they have experienced. This could be in the form of financial compensation, support to access healthcare services or return to education, or assistance with getting somewhere to live.
The fund will also support governments to set up their own reparation schemes.
Commenting on the development, Nadia said ”Reparations are a step toward restoring dignity to survivors who often do not have any means to seek justice for the pain and suffering they have endured.”
”A global fund is an innovative solution to providing survivors with a path towards healing, and it signals that our collective conscience acts in the name of humanity.”
Nadia’s Story
“Nadia Murad is herself a victim of war crimes. She refused to accept the social codes that require women to remain silent and ashamed of the abuses to which they have been subjected. She has shown uncommon courage in recounting her own sufferings and speaking up on behalf of other victims.
“Nadia Murad is a member of the Yazidi minority in northern Iraq, where she lived with her family in the remote village of Kocho. In August 2014 the Islamic State (IS) launched a brutal, systematic attack on the villages of the Sinjar district, aimed at exterminating the Yazidi population.
In Nadia Murad’s village, several hundred people were massacred. The younger women, including underage children, were abducted and held as sex slaves.
While a captive of the IS, Nadia Murad was repeatedly subjected to rape and other abuses. Her assaulters threatened to execute her if she did not convert to their hateful, inhuman version of Islam.
“Nadia Murad is just one of an estimated 3,000 Yazidi girls and women who were victims of rape and other abuses by the IS army. The abuses were systematic, and part of a military strategy. Thus they served as a weapon in the fight against Yazidis and other religious minorities.
“After a three-month nightmare Nadia Murad managed to flee. Following her escape, she chose to speak openly about what she had suffered. In 2016, at the age of just 23, she was named the UN’s first Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking.” writes.
Samira Sanusi has first-hand experience living with sickle cell disease, which took over most of her childhood and life. At age 15, she developed serious health complications due to the disease, and this sent her on a 7-year journey to fight for her life.
She eventually had a bone marrow transplant in the middle of it all, in 2004, which cured her of the disease.
Now, Samira has devoted her time and life to catering for warriors living with sickle cell anaemia. She founded the Samira Sanusi Sickle Cell Foundation to achieve this purpose.
Raising Funds For Sickle Cell Warriors
Samira’s bone marrow transplant didn’t come at a small cost and she recognizes that not everyone will get the opportunity to undergo the procedure. To this end, Samira’s SSSCF raises funds to cover the costs of care, basic medications and hospital treatments for people from low-income families living with sickle cell disease.
SSSCF also provides affordable routine checkups, blood count and health evaluation for patients; encourages patients to become advocates in their schools and communities; and encourages genotype tests in pre-marital screenings.
SSSCF is a fully unified team of members who share same values when it comes to sickle cell disease; volunteers who donate their time, expertise & resources towards executing the initiative’s agendas and student-based community development building.
Samira Sanusi’s Book
Samira is the author of two books, “S is for Survivor,” and “I Wrote This For You”. Samira recounts her experiences with sickle cell disease and her journey to the cure as well as her work in activism in S is for Survivor.
Samira’s books have won Marine Platform Prize for Writing in Northern Nigeria (2015); and Nigerian Writers Award – Advocacy Book of the Year (2017).
The Journey So Far
Samira has always been passionate about social responsibility – she was a volunteer at Sickle Cell Aid Foundation between 2012 and 2013; also in 2013, she served as a social worker with AlUmmah Foundation; and in 2014, co-founded Water for Sustainable Living Initiative which aims to provide safe and clean water to rural communities that lack access to it.
Samira is a 2018 nominee for The Future Awards Africa (TFAA)Prize for Advocacy.
We celebrate Samira for establishing a pillar of support for sickle cell warriors and their families.
Fly Fitness Factory recently partnered with Rubies Ink Initiative and Women of Rubies to empower women with basic skills. The women were trained online in different skills such as; Content Writing, Make-up and gele, and skincare.
Fly Fitness is one of the most popular fitness and wellness organizations in the ancient city of Ibadan. Their offerings includes but not limited to personalized training programs, wellness management, supportive community, group training sessions, nutritional guide, diet plans and lots more
Philanthropist and multi-award winner, Bolarinwa Kashif O who founded the company alongside his wife supported the women in a bid to strengthen their goal for wealth creation through poverty alleviation programmes.
Asides running his companies, the duo also give back to the society by supporting vulnerable persons, empowering the youths and organizing sensitizing workshops such as his; “School Is Not Scam” project.
An initiative aimed at fighting miseducation, and helping to reverse the trend that education isn’t ultimately profitable, especially amongst children of low-income homes, In a bid to restore hope, educational value and create a better Nigeria.
Their Fly Fitness Factory gym has become a safe haven for pregnant women, where they are assisted with stressless delivery through healthy exercise, the gym boasts of world-class equipment and it is one of the most visited in the ancient city of Ibadan.
Speaking on the why they supported the empowerment skills acquisition programme, the couple had this to say; “We love to see women excel in their chosen field, we believe that when these women are empowered, life becomes easier for them, we look forward to partnering with Rubies Ink and Women of Rubies for future projects beneficial to humanity”, they said.
Follow Fly fitness factory on social media to know more about their activities
Wendy Nwajiufor fondly called Chylove by friends is an award-winning Content creator, Director, Executive Director and Entrepreneur. A graduate of Computer Science with Masters in Human Capital Managemnt. She has a passion for helping people and seeing everyone succeed and this led her to venture into many initiatives geared towards the empowerment of women and professionals to become the best version of themselves.
Wendy’s Partnership with Youtube
Her passion for sharing important information including, healthy and family living led her to start a YouTube channel that originally focused on unique and delicious meal recipes inspiring people through her humble lifestyle as a Nigerian Immigrant in Canada with her family.
As the channel grew, many of her community members and subscribers wanted her to share more of her Canadian Journey and lifestyle – which led her to enter into a partnership with YouTube in 2020 to reach more audience and today the channel has grown to over eighteen thousand (18k) subscribers. Incredible and remarkable success stories have been shared by her subscribers regarding how helpful her content contributed to their migrating to Canada.
Passion For Tech
Wendy Nwajiufor is also a Brand influencer for companies and organizations some of which are Teddy Blake, Zinff Optical, Biocosmetics, Wraptucknmore and many others. She is also a Director with BlackTECH – an organization that focuses on empowering professional immigrants with capability-building tech skills to beat underemployment. Wendy is also the Executive Director of the NIPCA Women in Tech Working group as well as the Founder of Intentional Women Foundation – an organization focused on supporting black and racialized women to become economically empowered thereby contributing meaningfully to their families and society.
Her passion and work have seen her travel to 5 continents and several countries including Dubai, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and South Africa. She is very passionate about family upliftment and women empowerment especially racialized and black women to become all they have aspired to achieve.
Wendy Nwajiufor
Other Area Of Expertise
Wendy‘s Specialty includes Business Development, Planning and Coordination, Business Analysis, Agile Scrum Master, Strategy/transformation and Content Creation. She’s certified with multiple international certifications such as SAP ERP Certified Human Resources (HR), PSM1, Certified Scrum Master (CSM), and Certified Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). In her spare time, she loves having quality time with her family, shopping, Cooking, and listening to good music.
Captain Annabel Vundla and First Officer Refilwe Moreetsi are not just queens of the sky, they are history makers. The amazing pilots, who fly South African Airways planes, became the first black African female pilots to operate an SAA flight in its 88 years of existence.
Captain Annabel Vundla and First Officer Refilwe Moreetsi operated the flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town on Tuesday, 25 October 2022. The whole crew on Flight SA346 was female.
Captain Vundla made history for the second time. She is SAA’s first black African female captain. She is also a military flight instructor and a Presidential pilot.
Captain Vundla was born in 1980 and attended Kingsway Christian School for her primary education before moving to Mmabatho High School from 1991 to 1997.
Upon completing her Matric, Captain Vundla joined the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) for about two years. After serving in military training, she joined the South African Air Force in January 1999 and became a Presidential Pilot.
She has flown the Presidential Inkwazi BBJ1 (Boeing 737-700) jet, Falcon 50 and Citation II (C550) planes for 23 years.
In 2010, she joined South African Airways as a pilot., becoming the national carrier’s first black female captain.
Moreetsi attended Merensky High School from 2001 to 2005 before enrolling at Stellenbosch University. She attained a Higher Certificate in Military Studies and later a Bachelor of Military Science in Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science and Technology with distinction.
In 2006, she joined the South African Air Force as a pilot.
From 2008 to 2009, First Officer Moreetsi did a Pupil Pilot Course with the Central Flying School in Langebaanweg.
Despite achieving all these, First Captain Moreetsi felt this was not enough.
In 2010, she went to Starlight Aviation Group and got a Private Pilot’s Licence. The same year, she also went to the Helicopter Flying School.
From 2011 to 2013, while in the air force, Moreetsi was the Limpopo/Mpumalanga Branch Coordinator for the South African Women In Aviation.
The pilot then left the South African Air Force and joined South African Express Airways as First Officer from 2014 to 2016.
Captain Annabel Vundla and First Officer Refilwe Moreetsi
First Officer Moreetsi’s academic pursuits resumed in 2016 when she enrolled at the Da Vinci Institute. In 2020, she graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Business Management, specialising in Aviation Management.
From 2016 to date, she has been with South African Airways, where she was Senior First Officer and later promoted to Deputy Fatigue Risk Management Specialist.
In June 2022, First Officer Refilwe Moreetsi was promoted to Fatigue Risk Management Specialist.
She had words of inspiration to girls on the day of her historic flight with Captain Annabel Vundla this week:
“My message to young girls is that your dreams are valid. If this is a career you would like to follow, it is possible. Your gender and your race are not a barrier.”
Judge Rochelle Ivri is one of ten citizenship judges in Canada and a paralegal professor at Mohawk College in Hamilton. She has a degree in Criminology from the University of Windsor, a post-graduate certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution from York University and has co-authored the textbook, Tribunal Practice, and Procedure for Legal Professionals.
Career of Rochelle Ivri
Rochelle was the first Black person to be appointed as a board member on the Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library Board. She served for 8 years as a board member of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library Board. . She was also the first Black person to be appointed to the Council of the College of Midwives of Ontario, where she served for 8 years, 2 of which involved being on the Executive Board.
Additionally, Judge Rochelle was a member of the Discipline, Appeal, and Review Committee of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council. She currently sits on the board of Bravo Niagara!
She is the first and only Black woman to be appointed to the inaugural Niagara Region’s Women’s Advisory Committee. Judge Ivri is the co-founder and facilitator of a mentorship program for Black youth.
Passion For The Black Community
Judge Ivri is committed to enriching her community and ensuring that the voices of Black women are included and heard. During her eight years as the first and only Black woman appointed to the Council of College of Midwives of Ontario, she made certain that Black women’s experiences and perspectives were included in the development and implementation of policy affecting the regulation of maternal health in Ontario.
Award and Recognition
In 2019, she was awarded the Woman who Rocks Award for Hamilton. In 2020, she was a finalist nominee in the Education/Mentorship category for the YWCA Hamilton Women of Distinction Awards. She was awarded the Leading Women, leading Girls, Building Community Award for her work in Kitchener Centre.
Judge Ivri was awarded the Lincoln Alexander Award in 2021 by the Law Society of Ontario making her the first paralegal to ever receive this recognition in its nearly 20-year history.
Family of Judge Rochelle Ivri
Rochelle and her husband, Eldean, have 4 children. She is passionate about human rights, the Charter, and encouraging good citizenship and civic engagement in the diaspora.
Olunike Adeliyi is a Canadian actress, writer, and producer. She got her big break in the hit television series Flashpoint where she played Officer Leah Kerns. Since then, she has built an impressive resume and inspired other women to chase their dreams.
The Early Life of Olunike Adeliyi
Olunike Adeliyi was born in Toronto, Ontario to Sunny, a Nigerian salesman and Roxy, a Jamaican nurse. Raised in both Jamaica and Canada, the well-travelled actress ultimately earned a place at the highly coveted American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.
Education
Adeliyi had her primary education in Canada. She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts In Newyork. Reportedly, she used to visit Brooklyn, New York, for her acting career and returned to her home country.
Career
Her popularity gained momentum after her appearances in films and TV shows like SAW 3D, French Immersion, The Listener, Being Human, Republic of Doyle, Lost Girl, Christmas Horror Story, Killjoys, and The Girlfriend Experience. In 2012, Adeliyi was nominated for “Best Performance by a Female – Film” at the Canadian Comedy Awards for her performance in French Immersion and won the 2014 Black Canadian Award for “Best Actress.”
Some of Adeliyi’s critically acclaimed stage performances include Macbeth (Unit 102 Theatre), HER2 (Nightwood Theatre) and Bleeders (Summerworks).
In 2019, she starred in the horror feature She Never Died, which premiered at LA Screamfest, where she was nominated for best actress and at the Blood in The Snow Film Festival, where she won the award for best actress. Olunike has performed in theatres throughout Canada and the U.S. playing leading roles in many productions.
Recognition and Award of Olunike Adeliyi
Olunike was nominated for “Best Supporting Actress” at the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards for her role in Boost; “Best Performance by a Female – Film” at the 2014 Canadian Comedy Awards for her performance in French Immersion and won the 2011 Black Canadian Award for “Best Actress”.
She recently received the 2022 Rising Star Award from the Excellence Awards program of the Afroglobal Television channel in Toronto. Away from her awards, let’s take a look at Olunike’s journey into motherhood.
Motherhood
Olunike Adeliyi and her daughter, Alesha Bailey
The amazing thespian is a mother of a beautiful daughter named Alesha Bailey, an actress. However, the details regarding her baby papa are missing. Further, the actress shares a good relationship with her daughter, and the mother-daughter duo is often seen enjoying with each other on different media platforms.
We celebrate Olunike for her tenacity, passion for her craft, and for creating room for other women to thrive.
Google Doodle is celebrating Jollof rice today with Haneefah Adam’s art illustration , though the official day is August 22. According to Google; “jollof rice, a quintessential West African dish simmered in reduced tomatoes, onions, peppers and regional spices.”
Nigeria-based guest artist, Haneefah Adam made the beautiful live-action doodle of jollof rice, The beautiful part of the doodle is the way it ended. They showed the different side dishes like plantain and chicken you can eat jollof rice with.
The beautiful soundtrack featured in the doodle is by Senegalese Jazz musician, Herve Samb. It is safe to say Google created a balance of Jollof rice origin and the country where it is eaten the most.
Describing the doodle, Google writes that, “on this day each year, rice farmers plant and reap a bountiful harvest, and cooks across West Africa prepare to make fresh Jollof. Also known as benachin and thieboudienne’
They also elucidated the origin of jollof rice. It is believed to have first been prepared by the Wolof tribe in the 14th century. “The Wolof Empire, ruling parts of modern-day Senegal, The Gambia and Mauritania made Jollof rice popular.”
“Each country has added its spin to the recipe and West Africans engage in humorous banter over who makes the best Jollof. These friendly rivalries, known as the “Jollof Wars,” have become an African cultural phenomenon.” Google writes.
The most competitive countries are Nigerians and Ghanaians. Google elucidates the difference. “Nigerians use long-grain rice that absorbs more spices, while Ghanaians use basmati rice with a more aromatic flavour.”
In 2016, Haneefah won the #TechMeetsArtNG exhibition, sponsored by Samsung Nigeria and Rele Gallery. The competition was a culinary exhibition aimed at exploring the artistic presentation of some of Nigeria’s local meals.
It’s beautiful to see our food being celebrated, and the work of one of queens highlighted on a global platform.
Claudette McGowan is a global information technology leader with more than 18 years of success leading digital transformations, optimizing infrastructure and designing new approaches that improve service experiences.
She has worked in the technology industry for several organizations such as Deloitte, Metropolitan Police Services, North York General Hospital, Bank of Montreal and TD Bank.
Claudette began her career at BMO in 2000 and held multiple senior leadership roles including Chief Information Officer, Enterprise Technology Employee Experience. In 2020, she joined TD Bank as Global Executive Officer for Cyber Security.
In her spare time, Claudette writes books for children, builds robots and is the founder of the Black Arts & Innovation Expo. Claudette holds a Bachelor of Arts from Lakehead University and a Master of Business Administration from Athabasca University.
She is the recipient of several prestigious awards: In January 2020, she was selected as an honoree at the Jamaican Canadian Association’s 20th International Women’s Day event for her groundbreaking work in STEM. In 2019, Toronto Life recognized her as one of the city’s Top 50 Most Influential Torontonians, Women’s Executive Network recognized her as one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, AdWeek Magazine heralded Claudette as a Toronto Brand Star, and the Digital Finance Institute honoured her as one of the Top 50 Canadian Women in FinTech.
In September 2019, Claudette also had the honour of moderating what is being hailed as ‘the most insightful one-on-one conversation’ with Former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, in front of a sold-out crowd of 3,000-plus at Elevate, Canada’s largest technology festival.
Claudette was recently honored by Afroglobal TV as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Canadian , she also received the Science and Technology Excellence Awards
On Saturday, October 29, 2022, Afroglobal TV honoured 16 Individuals, that make profound difference in the lives of people and the black community in Canada. Olunike Wendy Adeliyi, Caludette Mcgowan, Shola Alabi, Hon. Wanda Thomas Bernard, Dianne Clemons, Joan Jekinson, Dr. Roz Roach and Grace Carter-Henry Lyons were recognized at the epoch making event.
These women have used their work and Influence in the society to help Black Canadian women realize their potential and encouraged them to chase their dreams fearlessly. They Inspire Black girls and women by showcasing examples of the many contributions Black women have and continue to make in the Canadian society.
Olunike Adeliyi is a Canadian actress, writer, and producer. She got her big break in the hit television series Flashpoint where she played Officer Leah Kerns. Since then, she has built an impressive resume that includes shows such as Republic of Doyle, American Gods and Little Dog. Olunike has been nominated for “Best Supporting Actress” at the 2018 Canadian Screen Awards for her role in Boost; “Best Performance by a Female – Film” at the 2014 Canadian Comedy Awards for her performance in French Immersion and won the 2011 Black Canadian Award for “Best Actress”.
In 2019, she starred in the horror feature She Never Died, which premiered at LA Screamfest, where she was nominated for best actress and at the Blood in The Snow Film Festival, where she won the award for best actress. Recognised with 2021 Canadian Screen Award nomination for her performance in BET and CBC drama series Coroner, Olunike has performed in theatres throughout Canada and the U.S. playing leading roles in many productions. She received the 2022 Rising Star Award from the Excellence Awards program of the Afroglobal Television channel.
Claudette Mcgowan- Science & Technology Award
Claudette McGowan is a global information technology leader with over 20 years of success in leading digital transformation to improve service and cybersecurity. She has worked at Deloitte, Metropolitan Police Services, Bank of Montreal and TD Bank. Claudette is the Founder and CEO of Protexxa, an cybersecurity company. She has co-led Phoenix Fire & The Firehood, a multi-million-dollar women-focused angel investment fund and network for women in technology. She its on the boards of MaRS, SickKids, Black North, Elevate and First Book Canada.
Claudette has been named Toronto Life Top 50 Most Influential Torontonians, Digital Finance Institute Top 50 Canadian Women in FinTech, IT World Canada Top 20 Canadian Women in Cybersecurity, and the Women’s Executive Network recognized her as one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada. She has been named one of the 100 Most Influential Black Canadians, she received the 2022 Science & Technology Award from the Excellence Awards program of the Afroglobal Television channel.
HON. WANDA THOMAS BERNARD, Lifetime Achievement Award
Wanda Thomas Bernard
The Honourable Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard is the first African Nova Scotian woman to be appointed to the Senate of Canada, representing the province of Nova Scotia and her hometown of East Preston. She was awarded the Order of Canada in 2005, and the Order of Nova Scotia in 2014. Senator Bernard served as a professor at the Dalhousie School of Social Work, where she held the position of Director for 10 years. During her time at Dalhousie, she developed a curriculum for the ‘Africentric Social Work’ course.
Senator Bernard was honoured with the Frank McKenna Award for Leadership in Public Policy in 2021. She is the Vice Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights and sits on the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. Senator Bernard has been named one of the 100 Most Influential Black Canadians. Television.
Diane Clemons, Global Impact Award
Diane founded The Pinball Clemons Foundation with her husband, Michael, an organization that provides marginalized youth with educational resources and options to integrate into mainstream of society. The goal is to see youth enter the workforce, and be gainfully employed. Since its inception in 2007, the foundation has been responsible for the construction of a hospital in Uganda, over 200 schools in developing countries, two orphanages in Haiti, and locally awarded more than 200 scholarships.
Diane Lee Clemons is a Singer/Songwriter. She has hosted Vibe Gospel Awards and appeared in ‘The Rev’ on CTS Network, as well as on ‘Train 48′.
Joan Jekinson – Media Award
Joan Jekinson
Joan Jenkinson is a highly accomplished media executive and an influential member of the Canadian screen industry. She is Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Black Screen Office, where she works to empower Black Canadians working within the screen industries to thrive and share their stories. Joan was Vice President of Independent Productions for VisionTV, where she commissioned, developed, and executive produced hundreds of hours of award-winning content in all genres.
A recipient of the Reelworld Tony Stoltz Memorial Visionary Award, Joan spearheaded VisionTV’s DiverseTV/NSI initiative. She is the co-owner of Artemis Pictures. She served as Executive Director of Women in Film and Television, Toronto for five years. She sits on the boards of Hot Docs and the Reelworld Film Festival. She is been named one of the 100 Most Influential Black Canadians, and receives the 2022 Media Award from the Excellence Awards program of the Afroglobal Television channel.
Shola Alabi – Nelson Mandela Humanitarian Award
Shola Alabi
Shola Alabi is a founding members of Africa Missions Canada (AMCA), a chapter of the Africa Missions Global. She served as Vice President from 2004 until 2013, when she became President. Under her leadership, AMCA has built water wells in Kenya, instituted two schools and Empowerment Centres in Uganda, and through the Rwanda Cow project, many have seen their status change, become financially independent, and grown in their Christian faith.
Shola is also the Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities, working with communities, NGOs, and government agencies. Shola holds a Bachelor of Science in Administration from Providence College, Rhode Island, USA; a postgraduate certificate in Psychosocial Rehabilitation in Mental Health at Humber College; and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Windsor.
Dr. Roz Roach – Community Development Award
Dr. Roz Roach
Dr. Roz Roach holds a Nursing Degree, Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Social Science, a Master’s Degree in Trans-Cultural Psychiatry, and a Doctorate in Health and Human Sciences. A certified Psychotherapist, Psychoanalyst, Raw Food Scientist, and Acupuncturist, she is the Founder and Executive Director of Dr. Roz’s Healing Place, a Centre for Empowerment and Healing for women and children survivors of domestic violence. Dr. Roz Roach negotiated with three levels of government to raise 5 Million dollars to change lives.
An athlete, mountain climber and marathoner, she completed a 120-kilometre walk from Collingwood to Owen Sound in 2022, and a 462-KM climb across seven cities in China, to raise awareness of violence against women in 2008. An artist, vocalist, songwriter, producer, playwright and designer, Dr. Roz is a mentor with the Scotiabank Women Initiative. She receives the 2022 Community Development Award from Afroglobal Television’s Excellence Awards program.
Grace Carter-Henry Lyons – Heritage Award
Grace Carter-Henry Lyons is Founder and Musical Director of Heritage Singers (Canada). The group is a reflection of the Canadian mosaic, and their repertoire ranges from sacred to secular, work songs, lullabies, seasonal ditties and perennial ballards. They have performed world-wide, including Holland, Germany, Taiwan, Mexico and Venezuela. Grace studied piano in Jamaica through The Royal School of Music London, England.
She served for 15 years in the banking industry, including Management at CitiBank Canada. A Real Estate professional for 35 years, Grace is in the Re/Max Hall of Fame. She has received the BBPA Harry Jerome Award for Business Excellence, the Women of Excellence Award from the Congress of Black Women, and was recognized in the Who’s Who of Black Canada. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Community Folk Arts Council of Metropolitan Toronto. She receives the 2022 Heritage Award from the Excellence Awards program of Afroglobal Television.
We celebrate these women for making a difference in the community, touching lives and being a source of inspiration to young girls and women across the globe.
Photos from the Afro Global Excellence Awards…
CoFounder, Afroglobal TV, Patricia Mawa and Esther Ijewere, Editor- Women of Rubies
Actress, Olunike Wendy Adeliyi, and Esther Ijewere
Esther Ijewere and Grace Carter-Henry Lyons
Afroglobal TV Patricia Mawa and Esther Ijewere
Afroglobal Television is a global super channel that caters to the of people of African heritage worldwide. It showcases the best of Africa and the Diaspora through programs that inspire, educate and entertains.
About the Writer
Esther ijewere Is a multi-award winning Social Activist, Journalist, Writer, Best-selling Author, Host of the Youtube syndicated show; #GettalkingwithEsther and a certified PR expert with over 10 years of experience. Esther has spotlighted over 1000 women across the globe, Interviewed First ladies, A-list celebrities and giants of different industries. She is the Editor-In-Chief of Women of Rubies, and other development initiatives recognized globally. Follow her on Linkedin, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
