The last few weeks have been truly exciting, with the inaugural edition of Black Ottawa Scene. The response from you, our readers, has been totally overwhelming in the most positive way! Thank you to all for your kind words, filled as they were with praise for my first foray into photo-journalism. All the anxiety around filling the enormous shoes left by the Spectrum newspaper, vanished with the first mail that arrived in our in-box. For November, we are spreading our wings, in a manner of speaking. Mindful of our goal to connect with as many ethnic and national groups in the capital region, our coverage this month includes events by the Tanzanian, Ugandan, Kenyan and Sudanese communities. Our coverage of the United Nations International Day of Non-Violence, honouring civil rights icons, Martin Luther King Jnr and Mahatma Ghandi, plus the Canadian Memorial service for police and peace officers who gave up their lives in the line of duty, demonstrates that African Canadians continue to play a pivotal role in the larger Canadian community. At the memorial service, I was particularly pleased to meet and chat with Black officers, including Deputy Chief Mark Saunders of the Toronto Police Service.
Thank you too to those who have provided photos for the inaugural edition, especially Sarah Onyango, who remains our biggest fan to date. And thanks too to those who have volunteered to write columns such as book reviews for us. We ask that you be patient with us as we continue to take our first baby steps in the field of journalism. The future certainly looks good for Black Ottawa Scene. Our plan is to retain the current format for the first three months, that is, up to and including the December edition. After that, we will evaluate our situation based on your feedback and suggestions, and decide on next steps for the new year. Do keep the letters and comments coming; be assured that we will consider all your suggestions as we move forward. And finally, my utmost gratitude and thanks to our web designer Elom Tsiagbey. You are simply awesome!
Yours in brotherhood
Godwin Ifedi
Editor