True Daley is a journalist, community organizer, mental health and adoption advocate, founder of TRACIE App, and co-founder of the parent-led volunteer organization – Black Student Success Committee.
About TRACIE App
TRACIE (Tracking Racism and Collecting Information in Education) is an innovative tool to support Black students facing racist bullying.
TRACIE is the brainchild of advocate and media professional True Daley and the soft launch is part of the Black To The Future event being held in Toronto on February 14th, 21st and 26th, featuring influencers LaToya Jane and Michael Carlon. The TRACIE Team is a grassroots organization which has received funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation with support from charitable organization the Delta Family Resource Centre to develop the one-stop, user-friendly method for Black children, youth and their families.
True believes the app will curb racism, bullying and injustice in the education sector and states the official launch will be in the fall of 2024
True’s Career Path
True Daley’s creative career began in the late 80’s ( then known as Royal T) as one of Montreal’s first female emcee which evolved to include spoken word, soul and folk music. The award-winning artist is also an actor, filmmaker and journalist.
- Her contribution to the Canadian music scene has been captured in the anthology We Still Here : Hip Hop North of the 49th Parallel by Charity Marsh and Mark V. Campbell published in 2020.
True’s work has been featured in ByBlacks.com and CBC Parents. She has worked with youth in conflict with the law in Rexdale and the Jane and Finch neighborhoods for over a decade. She is an award-winning creative in film, music and technology.
She is also a strong advocate for mental health awareness in the Black Community and a strong believer in holistic practices that are accessible and affordable for our most vulnerable communities.
Her Momentum
True became a household name in Toronto’s Urban Music scene in the 90s, recognized as the golden era of Hip-Hop.
She has appeared at Manifesto, NXNE, Toronto Urban Music Festival, Honey Jam, When Sisters Speak, The Urban Music Awards, MuchMusic, CBC, HBO and the Reelworld Film Festival.
The Honey Jam alumni’s first single “Comin In’ was featured on Universal Music Canada’s first all-female compilation “Honey Drops”. The single and video garnered UMAC (Urban Music Association of Canada) and VideoFact Awards among others. She then released an EP on her indie label Jahmecca Recordings entitled ‘Stranger Than Fiction” and her single” Pain and Confusion “was featured on the CHRY’s compilation “Message In A Bottle”.
She relocated to Taiwan, the Republic of China between 2004-2008 where she worked in music, media and theatre. She was featured in the Taipei Times and the China Post for her tribute to Miriam Makeba while performing for the President.
As a news anchor for the country’s only English radio station, she interviewed the late Bishop Desmond Tutu. As the frontwoman of hip-hop group Jahmecca Soundcrew she opened for Missy Elliott at the Taipei World Trade Centre.
She has also taken her talents of writing from the stage to the page and has been a senior writer for music and lifestyle publications for over 20 years including Peace!, Sway, The Toronto Star, ByBlacks.com, CBC Parents and more.
As an actor, True was able to hone her theatre skills with B Current under the creative direction of founder ahdri zhina mandiela and stage director Weyni Mengesha.
She is an ACTRA member who has appeared in independent films such as The Shift by Wandering Eye Productions and has also performed original spoken word on the first African-American drama series Soul Food.
True is also a community worker and arts educator. As the co-founder of the landmark D.I.V.A. (Diversity in Visual and Audio Arts) Program she provided media literacy and arts programing to BIPOC youth in high-needs communities between 2008-2011. The program was run in partnership with the City of Toronto’s Parks and Recreation Department.
True Daley as a Multi-talented Creative
This multi-disciplinary artist has recently delved into storytelling behind the camera as an emerging director and screenwriter. Her first short, Love Underground was selected for the 2016 Toronto Urban Film Festival, which screened on subway platforms throughout the city reaching over 1 million daily commuters.
2020 proved to be a breakout year for True. She was one of 8 emerging screenwriters chosen by BIPOC TV & Film to participate in a TV Comedy Writing workshop with creator, actor and playwright Ins Choi of the ground-breaking CBC sitcom – Kim’s Convenience. Later that year BIPOC TV & Film also selected True for their Kids TV Bootcamp.
She was also shortlisted for the CBC Creative Relief Fund as a first-time documentary filmmaker. Her treatment for BOSSLADYSK8 stood out amongst 9000 submissions.
Her hybrid feature-length film BOSSLADYSK8 co-directed and co-produced with Suzan Armstrong is set to premiere in 2024. A scene from the highly anticipated film was shot at Netflix Studios in Toronto in partnership with Higher Hire & Black Women Film! Canada as part of a training opportunity for Black filmmakers, with funding from the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts and Charles Street Video.
BOSSLADYSK8’s Canadian premiere will be in 2024
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