Black History 365

Making Change is a local organization whose goal is to spark broad community interest and foster conversations around inclusion and diversity. We have a specific focus on raising awareness and educating and exposing people to the Black community, Black culture, issues around anti-Black racism. We are building community inclusion and togetherness through activities, allyship, participation and discussion. We also provide support, financial and administrative, to local organizations aligned with supporting the Black community, and those doing diversity and inclusion work. 

Through their initiatives centred around Black History Month, Making Change embraces the community values that connect us as people, bring us closer together, and encourage us to support each other.

Keliah Casey (she/her), is an ambitious activist in the making, who has a passion for the success of her community. She strives to use her talents in a way that will help to make a difference, be an inspiration, and help pave the way for generations to come. 

As the youngest child, she has grown up seeing the struggles her siblings have faced and is dedicated to making positive change within the cycle that has caused her community to be dormant in relation to the fight for racial equality. She has been recognized in her school community as someone who is devoted to bringing awareness, teaching, and exposing the bonds of racism. Volunteering with Making Change is another way she gives back to her community.

As a loyal activist, she is always trying to find new opportunities to expand her knowledge as well as educate and connect with others who are as passionate about making change as she is. 

Shondra Durrant (she/her) is a young activist, who strives to better her community in terms of ending racial inequality, and the intersectionality it can hold. With a creative and outgoing approach, she is always trying to further educate herself and her peers. She has been recognized throughout her school and her community as not only a positive influencer but a change-maker.

With two younger siblings, Shondra strives to make her community a safer and more inclusive place for them as they grow up. She has been recognized for her art from the MacLaren Art Centre, involving the Youth Social Media Project: Change, in early June of 2020. Furthermore, she is known around her school for being a dedicated community builder, sharing her education, passion, and irrepressibility with her peers in a positive manner. 

As a dedicated activist, she is always trying to make connections with others who harbour the passion to make real change. Thus leading her to become a Youth Ambassador and future Board Director with Making Change.

Amber believes social disconnection is the biggest threat to our society and is not afraid to proclaim it. On a mission to eradicate loneliness and division in our communities, she focuses on giving others the confidence to take initiative in interactions, make deeper connections and create a friendlier world. 

She is the lead instructor at The Hello Code, debate adjudicator, and former Area Director for Toastmasters. Leveraging her degree in medical science and past lives as an educator at various school boards worldwide, a 911 call-taker, and a conversation cafe host in Japan, she has a natural way of asking questions and putting the people around her at ease. 

Amber has led multiple community forums on public safety and policing and has also created an online collective for citizens of Barrie to share experiences, knowledge, and ideas for the future. She is also an official ‘Ask Deep Questions’ facilitator and recommends we all spend more time in conversation, connecting, and listening to each other’s stories.

Alasoba (Lala) Kelsy- Braide came to Orillia as an International student from Nigeria and has made Orillia her home. As a Child and Youth Care student at Georgian College, she was part of the student executive council (Georgian college student association) as VP Community Engagement. She was actively involved in planning and executing many events at Georgian College, some of which include the initiating, plan and coordination of a week-long Black History Month celebration;  and the yearly Santa Claus parade; and mental health awareness.

Alasoba also worked hand in hand with the County of Simcoe through the Community Impact Project in Georgian College Orillia to implement a project called  WIN-WIN (What I need, When I need it). The project creates educational awareness to reduce the stigma related to transitional housing for youth, through workshops in alternative schools in Simcoe County. She also did her field placement at Simcoe Shore School and volunteered at the Calvary Pentecostal Tabernacle Orillia. Currently, Alasoba works at Apple Blossom Village as a Youth support worker for youth with special needs and mental health issues.

Alasoba strongly believes that inclusivity and diversity are important tools to create a safe community where everyone thrives regardless of their age, race, gender, and sexual orientation.

UPlift Black is a social service agency working to UPlift the complete wellbeing of Black people who live in Simcoe Muskoka. Their work is culturally based and anchored in 2SLGBTQPNIA+ inclusivity striving to achieve the ultimate goal of racial equity through a conscious community.

Roxann Whittingham is a trained Child and Youth Practitioner, graduating at the top of her class from Georgian College while working as the VP of Community Engagement for that institution.  She also holds a diploma in Education and has over ten years of teaching experience, working with elementary and high school students in Jamaica. She has a distinct passion for advocating for, empowering, motivating, and inspiring young people. Most of her Canadian work experience revolves around children and youth from marginalized groups, with various disabilities and mental health conditions. Her Caribbean upbringing and roots gave her the tenacity and resiliency skills needed to support this dynamic group. Roxann does everything with ‘heart and soul’, an imperative ingredient needed for the vulnerable sector in which she practices.

Roxann is a change-maker and backs up her values and beliefs with action. She is the proud founder of the Black Education Empowerment (Scholarship) Fund, (B.E.E.F), instituted to encourage and support black students applying to Georgian College while stimulating diversity. She is the owner of ‘Ms. Hotty Hotty’, a company that produces authentic Jamaican Jerk Marinade, a published author of three books, a proud member of the OACYC, South Simcoe Startup, UPlift Black, Georgian Changemaker et al, and a mother of two handsome boys, Akeem and Joshua.

Gwyn Beaver is a native of Texas and has lived in Canada since 2004. Gwyn holds a Master’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Oklahoma. She is the owner of A Taste of Soul! which features the cuisine of the southern United States. Gwyn has been a featured artist with the Montréal Jubilation Choir and has worked with various jazz artists based in Montréal. In addition to singing jazz, Gwyn continues to present concerts in the classical/operatic genre. She has performed with the l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Jongleur Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Cimarron Circuit Opera and was an apprentice with the Houston Ebony Opera. Gwyn’s theatre credits include Quarter Century Theatre, Newmarket National Play Festival, as well as community theatres in Texas, Oklahoma and Québec. On camera, credits include work with E LD Films, Les Enfants Production and Montréal Casting. She is an apprentice with the Union des Artistes and is represented by The Casting Solution.