Monday 3 June 2024
Black History Ottawa President receives prestigious award from University of Ottawa Alumni Association
2024 Meritas-Tabaret Award – June Girvan (BEd ’85)
June Girvan, O. Ont. is a leading social justice activist, philanthropist and gratitude practitioner in Ottawa. Her community building work began in service to her children. She has served as a mother, educator, and supervisory officer with the Ontario Ministry of Education. Of African, European, and Jewish descent in Jamaica, she hones her humanity in relation with the humanity of all children of the maple leaf, children of all human colours of the sun. She founded the J’Nikira Dinqinesh Education Centre – Every Child is Sacred, named for her children. She serves as president of Black History Ottawa, under the theme of Our Canadian Story: Legacy Worth Preserving and having the UN Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2014) adopted throughout the municipality, to advance Ottawa. She co-founded Ubuntu Collective Ottawa to engage community in our shared history, humanity and legacies, and the mathematics of ubuntu.
Source: U Ottawa
Below from Sarah Onyango on Facebook
Tonight I joined uOttawa alumni and faculty as well as BHO board members to honour Ottawa’s Champion of Ubuntu, the inimitable Elder June Girvan!! What a wonderful evening celebrating the careers and philanthropic gifts of a group of inspiring individuals from entrepreneurs to researchers to artists to academics….Many thanks to the uOttawa Alumni Association for organizing this wonderful gathering!
Source: Facebook
Warmest congrtulations to June who has worked indefatigably to increase awareness of the black presence i and to ensure that it is given its rightful place from the struggle to abolish Slavery to the right to receive an education as a free citizen.