Editor
Good morning folks
Shame on you, Donald Trump for dragging the US election campaign into the gutter! Most of us here in Canada had hoped and prayed that once the election was over, you would crawl back into the hole you had come out of. But no! And shame on you FBI Director James Comey, who aided and abetted Trump, hijacking the election with his last minute e-mail scam! And double shame on all those bigots and misogynists, who connived in foisting this arrogant, loud-mouthed, obnoxious low-life on the USA and the rest of the world, by casting their precious Presidential votes for him!
And now that I have got this off my chest, I can now focus on telling our dear readers about the December edition of Black Ottawa Scene. Our Top Story is the fund-raiser hosted by Rev. Joseph Kiirya at the River Jordan Ministries for CWET, a charity that provides scholarships and other financial support for underprivileged children in Tanzania. On the social front, we report on the annual national celebration by the St. Vincent and Grenadines Association, the Jounen Kwéyò gala by the St. Lucian community and Mike Adibe‘s 80th birthday. On the political front, there is a report on the demonstration by local Ethiopian activists on the repression of the Oromo people in their homeland. Speaking of politics, veteran journalist and writer Ewart Walters takes readers on a journey to explore and analyse the impact and significance of Donald Trump’s stunning and stomach-churning victory in the recent US presidential election. In addition, we share with you the perspective from African-Americans though the eyes of the pre-eminent news magazine Ebony. Ottawa artist Hamid Ayoub takes pride of place as he continues to impress his growing follower-ship with his solo exhibition at the Shenkman Centre. We also take you to the conference on combating racism, organised by the Racially Visible Action Committee. More on conferences with Toni Francis‘ piece on SisterTalk, “a celebration of sisterhood hood” held in Toronto.
Our interview this month is with Professional Chartered accountant Marlene Grant. Our readers are reminded that racism is very much alive here in Canada, through our report on the racist graffiti painted (for the second time!) at the Parkdale United Church and other faith buildings in Ottawa. Continuing on this sombre note, we report on the stabbing death of Nigerian student Solomon Odekunle, a sad reminder that Black Lives Matter is not all about violence by Police on people of colour.
Here is the result of the November poll:
With a record 52 shootings and 14 homicides so far this year, do you consider Ottawa a safe place to live in?
Yes 100%
No 0%
Thank you to all who took part in the survey. And don’t forget to vote in the new poll:
Do you think that with Donald Trump as President, the relationship between the United Sates and the rest of the world would deteriorate?
All these and more in the December edition. Enjoy!
Godwin Ifedi
Editor