by Sarah Onyango
7 September 2020
Impact Black Global, a Black youth-based organization, was launched in Ottawa on a cloudy Monday, Sept. 7, 2020, in a fenced-in section of Mooney’s Bay park. The rain held off until the end of the program. There were police officers and security present to ensure order. The number of patrons was restricted so there was no crowding inside the enclosure. Food was handled very carefully and patrons followed instructions. Hand sanitizers were made available and everyone wore masks.
Among the speakers were councillors Riley Brockington and Rawlson King. The keynote speaker was educator and radio host Adrienne Coddett. Black History Ottawa was duly acknowledged as one of the sponsors by Impact Black Global founder and event organizer Sisi Akigbe. Medin Admasu represented the Boys and Girls Club. The program was good overall and the young people were engaged and enthusiastic. The event was filmed and broadcast by Rogers TV-22. Sisi secured some great media interviews to promote the event (CBC, CTV). It was clear the organizers worked hard on this event.
Impact Black Global aims to connect Black youth to the people and resources around them by using social media and community platforms in order to mobilize them in pursuit of their goals. The new group was borne out of Akhigbe’s viral success at another event supporting Ottawa’s Black community earlier this year, the Black Lives Matter/No Peace Until Justice march in the nation’s capital. For more information, e-mail to: [email protected].
