The 2023-2024 Emerson Douyon Multiculturalism Award was bestowed upon the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC)- Ontario Region’s Black Social History (BSH) group during the Change of Command Ceremony held on October 23, 2024 in Toronto. Dr. Emerson Douyon (1929 – 2016) was a Quebec based criminal psychologist, whose body of work on human rights, racial profiling and discrimination helped to influence CSC services and interventions for the successful reintegration of ethnocultural offenders into the community.
The BSH group are comprised of current or former members of USJE Local 00079. The award recipients are: Lori-Anne Beckford, Karen Grant, Vonetta McGhie, Donovan Blair, Sheriff Giwa and Joe Brathwaite (USJE National Equity Committee Member).
“I am honoured to have been recognized for our longstanding efforts in attempting to make progress in addressing greater cultural context and understanding of how systemic racial barriers affect those Black people who are federally incarcerated. It is my hope however, that this is just one of the much-needed initiatives that is prioritized, actively employed and meaningfully resourced to aid in addressing the various concerns of Black men and women under CSC custody and care that have been long underserved over the last 30 years.” – Lori-Anne Beckford
“Honored to have received this award/recognition as it validates our collective efforts to challenge systemic barriers, create meaningful change and influence the organization’s culture. I am most proud of being part of a group that was able to take an idea and a grassroots initiative and see it evolve into something that was adopted as best practice by Central Ontario District senior management team (Scott Tempest and Sherri Rousell) early on, eventually being recognized regionally and nationally. It’s a real sense of accomplishment, especially within the slow-moving machinery of government, to see such a significant impact come from something that started small”. – Sheriff Giwa
“I would be remiss to not acknowledge the foundational work of the late President of Local 00079, Tanisha Pascal who along with former USJE member Sheri-Lynn Fraser were the catalysts for the BSH initiative origins in 2016. The USJE national office staff have also been instrumental in brokering labour-management consults along the way. Thanks to all.” – Joe Brathwaite