Monday, January 20, 2025
Distinguished guests, community leaders, award recipients, and fellow advocates for justice: Good afternoon. As Ottawa’s Council Liaison for Antiracism and Ethnocultural Relations, it is my profound honor to address you at this milestone celebration – the 20th annual DreamKEEPERS Award Ceremony for Racial Harmony and Human Rights. But before I begin, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge that the peoples of the Algonquin Anishinabe Nation have lived on this territory for millennia. Their culture and
presence have nurtured and continue to nurture this land. The City of Ottawa honours the peoples and land of the Algonquin Anishinabe Nation. The City of Ottawa honours all First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples and their valuable past and present contributions to this land. I also want to acknowledge Daniel Stringer, whose visionary leadership has made this celebration possible for two decades. Your unwavering dedication to social justice has created a legacy that continues to inspire and transform our community.
As we gather here today, we stand in the long shadow cast by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream – a dream that remains both a beacon of hope and an urgent call to action. The impactful work of Dr. King remains as vital and relevant today as it was during his lifetime. This year, the United States commemorates the 30th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. MLK Day was the first federal holiday to honor a national figure who wasn’t a president. It’s also the only federal holiday established by the United States Congress as a National Day of Service, inspiring individuals across the United States to honor his legacy by volunteering and actively working to improve their communities.
MLK Day is always a day to reflect and act for the betterment of all people. This day is a profound reminder of the journey of diversity, equity, and inclusion Dr. King wanted to usher in a society rooted in dignity and equality. Today is a call to action. We must all work to build bridges, call out disrespect and discrimination, correct false narratives, commit to allyship, and advocate for all people. Since the 61 years when he gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial there has been some progress made in America and around the world on social equity, but Dr. King’s pursuit of equal rights and opportunities for all people continues to be mostly unrealized. But we need to remember that Dr. King’s vision went far beyond the elimination of racial segregation. His vision of a “Beloved Community” was a practical blueprint for a society built upon the twin foundations of
economic and racial justice. Dr. King’s famous declaration that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” wasn’t just a slogan – it was a profound moral commitment that compelled him to speak out for all who faced oppression. He understood
that true freedom could only be achieved through both social and economic justice, recognizing that the ability to sit at an integrated lunch counter meant little if people couldn’t afford to eat there. Here in Ottawa, we see the contemporary
echoes of these challenges. While we pride ourselves on being a diverse and inclusive city, we continue to grapple with disparities in
housing, employment, education, and healthcare access. The impact of these inequities falls disproportionately on our racialized communities, much as they did in Dr. King’s time. But today, we also celebrate progress. In terms of the City in 2022 we established an Anti Racism Strategy to proactively identify and remove systemic barriers in City policies, programs and services. This strategy proposes an action plan with several areas of focus in employment equity, economic development and improving health and youth outcomes by way of 28 recommendations and 132 specific actions. Through its Anti-Racism Strategy, the City is working to develop and implement sustainable initiatives to support the ongoing, long-term effort to eliminate systemic racism and promote racial equity in our community. Achieving racial equity and prioritizing the Anti-Racism Strategy continues to be critical for the City to develop and deliver programs and services that respond to the diverse needs of Ottawa residents and create an equitable and inclusive workplace.
In 2024, the City approved its first comprehensive Poverty Reduction Strategy in a decade. Through extensive consultations with
over 350 participants from more than 70 organizations, the City has developed a framework that will work to address the root
causes of poverty through five essential pillars, including food security, employment, financial security, economic development and integrated social service pathways. The strategy includes several concrete actions that will begin making a difference quickly:
- Increased funding for mentorship programs for Indigenous, Black and racialized youth
- Improved coordination of food security initiatives, and
- Enhanced coordination of tax clinics to help low-income residents access benefits
The creation and implementation of these policies is only achieved through the hard work
and contributions of individual community members.
Community members are the heartbeat of social change and the driving force behind meaningful progress toward racial and social equity. When individuals from all walks of life step forward to advocate for justice, challenge discriminatory systems, and support their neighbors, they create ripples that transform into waves of positive change. From organizing grassroots initiatives and mentoring youth to participating in local government and fostering inclusive spaces, community members demonstrate that the path to equity is paved by countless small acts of courage and commitment. Their daily choices to
stand up against discrimination, amplify marginalized voices, and bridge divides between different groups help weave a stronger social fabric that benefits everyone. Moreover, the power of community action lies in its ability to address inequity at its roots, where systemic changes begin. When community members come together to share resources, knowledge, and support, they create sustainable solutions that reflect the real needs and experiences of those most affected by discrimination. Their firsthand understanding of local challenges enables them to develop targeted approaches that governmental policies alone cannot achieve. Through volunteer work, mutual aid networks, and collaborative problem
solving, community members show that lasting change comes not just from top-down reforms, but from the ground up – from people who recognize that their individual actions, when united with others, can reshape society into one that truly honors the dignity and potential of all its members. It is therefore important to acknowledge and celebrate their contributions. That is why I want to commend each and every award recipient we are celebrating today. Each of our award recipients represents a living embodiment of Dr. King’s dream. Through their work, they demonstrate that positive change is
possible when we combine vision with action, courage with compassion, and determination with hope.
These “dream keepers” remind us that Dr. King’s vision was not just about dreaming – it was about doing. He saw himself, first and foremost, as someone called “to stand up for justice and truth.” This required not just words, but direct action and an
unwavering commitment to transforming systems of inequality. As we mark two decades of the DreamKEEPERS Awards, we must ask ourselves: What are we doing to build the “Beloved Community” that Dr. King envisioned? In our roles as community leaders, policy makers, and citizens, we must continue to push for meaningful change. This means: - Supporting initiatives that create pathways to economic opportunity for marginalized communities.
- Advocating for affordable housing and equitable urban development.
- Working to eliminate systemic barriers in our institutions and workplaces.
- Building bridges between communities to foster understanding and cooperation. The power of Dr. King’s words and methods continues to inspire movements for justice worldwide. His dream was never just about racial harmony – it was about creating a society where everyone has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Economic justice and social justice are two sides of the same coin. We cannot have one without the other.
As Ottawa’s Council Liaison for Antiracism and Ethnocultural Relations, I am committed to advancing this holistic vision of justice. But this work belongs to all of us. Each person in this room has the power to be a “dream keeper” – to carry forward Dr. King’s legacy in your own sphere of influence. To our award recipients: Your work embodies the spirit of Dr. King’s dream. You show us that while the arc of the moral universe may be long, it bends toward justice because people like you put their hands on that arc and pull it toward justice.
To everyone here today: let us leave this celebration renewed in our commitment to economic and social justice. Let us continue to work together to build a city – and a world – where Dr. King’s “Beloved Community” becomes reality for all people. As Dr. King reminded us: “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Let us honor his legacy not just through our words, but through our actions, our policies, and our unwavering commitment to justice.
Thank you, and congratulations again to all of
today’s honorees.