Sunday, March 12, 2023
Leading Ladies Canada celebrate Black Excellence at City Hall
by Ruth Aman
On Sunday, March 12, 2023, hundreds of women gathered at Ottawa’s City Hall to celebrate International Women’s Day. The event was hosted by Leading Ladies Canada and many notable guests were in attendance.
Established during the pandemic, Leading Ladies Canada has supported women throughout the number through a variety of initiatives. Founder Marie-Ange Ahinful created the organization in 2019 with the hopes of empowering black women and youth within the National Capital Region. Since 2019, Leading Ladies Canada has provided support, resources, mentorship and workshops for women to achieve success and excel in their respective fields. This event was their first time hosting an event for International Womens Day.
Around the venue were different booths run by women entrepreneurs, realtors, and educators. They had all come to promote their businesses and resources. Many of the booths also sold items such as traditional African clothing, handmade jewelry, paintings, books, and natural health products. Guests went from table to table as a mix of Afro-beats and hip-hop tunes played in the background with DJ Prosper in the booth.
The event began with the MC, Angie, welcoming everyone and asking them to take their seats. In the crowd were esteemed government officials such as City Councillors, Rawlson King and Stéphanie Plante, member of Parliament Greg Fergus and City of Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.
Marie-Ange Ahinful had the opportunity to speak on behalf of the organization and the purpose of the gathering. She explained that her goal is to see a world where difference is valued and celebrated. As a woman of Congolese background, she hopes to connect with women of all backgrounds and cultures and celebrate leaders through the organization’s work. As she noted how people from Gatineau, Ottawa, and beyond were present, this event was the first step in achieving full inclusion and unity.
Mayor Sutcliffe also added to Ahinful’s remarks by stating that we must think about the world we want for our children and future grandchildren because if we want them to live in an exceptional world, we must work towards breaking the many barriers. He congratulated Leading Ladies Canada on hosting such a great event and reminded all to continue to work hard and celebrate the leadership of great women.
Councillor King spoke on the many changes made within the City of Ottawa to embrace equity, as “Embracing Equity” is this year’s theme. An important step was the creation of the anti-racism office within the City of Ottawa that pushes forth a gender equity strategy. Funding towards this office has increased by thousands over the three years of the office’s establishment. As this is great progress, he notes that this is just the beginning.
Many distinguished guests were then invited to speak such as MP Marie-France Lalonde, the Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo to Canada Yemba Lohaka, MP Greg Fergus and so on.
In attendance was also MPP Goldie Ghamari and MPP Patrice Barnes, who made history as Ontario’s first black woman deputy speaker. They gave their reassurance to furthering and supporting the lives of all women from their positions of power and they presented Ahinful a certificate on behalf of the Ontario government.
The event’s keynote speaker was Provincial Minister Audrey Gordon from Manitoba, who came with greetings from Heather Stevenson, the first women premier of the province. Honourable Gordon began her remarks by speaking about her background and her pathway toward becoming the Minister of Health. One thing she impressed upon was the fact that each woman who desires to make a change and break glass ceilings must be willing to be misunderstood.
Since she took office in January 2021, she has accomplished much within the healthcare system. She has worked on compliance acts and done much to reduce streamlines and barriers that disqualify women from being the best they need to be. Not only does she care for those in positions in health care, but also those who are receiving medical attention. Therefore, she seeks to change the system to benefit all those who contribute to it.
She concluded by giving advice to the black leaders in the room. She charged them to never give up, develop a brand, identify mentors, keep their word, be on time, and study the achievements of black women’s success to reach for greater.
Following the speeches were numerous acts and musical performances. Maeesha B., an up-and-coming R&B singer sang two original songs. Other performances consisted of traditional dancing and drumming done by the Indashyikirwa Rwanda dance group and the Remesha Sacred Burundian Drummers.
The final part of the event was the panel discussion led by Councillor Rawlson King and Ahinful. Other speakers were Gatineau municipal councillor of Bettyna Bélizaire; Gwen Madiba, founder of Equal Chance; community leader Sissy Mundala, and President of Elevate International Solange Tuiyishime. They had a great discussion on womanhood, influence, and their hopes for women in the future.
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Ruth Aman is a Project Officer with Black History Ottawa. She holds a Bachelor of Global and International Studies (Honors) degree, with a specialization in Law and Social Justice from Carleton University.