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4 Neil Armstrong/Gleaner Writer TORONTO: T HE LATEwell-known feminist Dr Glenda Simms was celebrated for her advocacy for women at a Kwanzaa event inToronto, just days before she passed away in Ottawa on the last day of 2021. At ‘Kujichagulia – Ring Your Bell For bell hooks – A tribute to bell hooks’, or- ganised by a Different Booklist Cultural Centre: The People’s Residence, on December 27, Jean Augustine – the first African-Canadian woman to be elected to Canada’s House of Commons as a member of parliament – spoke of Simms being ill and the importance of her work. Akua Benjamin, a retired profes- sor, former director of the School of Social Work at Ryerson, and activist, said Simms was among the vanguard of black women advocating for so- cial justice in Canada and should be honoured. These accolades were shared at the virtual event held to celebrate bell hooks, African American author, pro- fessor, feminist and social activist who passed away on December 15 in Berea, Kentucky, in the United States. Simms was the president of the Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women, 1990 -1996, and upon her return to Jamaica became the executive director of the country’s Bureau of Women’s Affairs from 1996- 2005. She was also the CEO of Simms Consulting in Jamaica. However, before that she broke new ground in the fight for gender equality and social justice in Canada. “As a former national president of the CBW (Congress of BlackWomen), I mourn the passing of our sister Glenda Simms. As a past national president, she showed leadership which guided the formation of the CBW as a truly national organisation. She was an en- ergetic and formidable advocate for the issues affecting black women and their families,” says Augustine. Augustine says she witnessed Simms’ advocacy as she pushed to ensure that the voices of women fromnon-govern- mental organisations were included at the tables of the 1985 UN Conference on the Status of Women in Nairobi, Kenya. “Dr Glenda Simms was a formida- ble presence in Canada and Jamaica. I remember hearing her speak on many occasions, including a confer- ence hosted by the National Council of Jamaicans, and was blown away by her passion, boldness and commitment to giving voice to black women and so many others,” says Adaoma Patterson, president of the Jamaican Canadian Association. “She inspired me and other young black people to own our space, not be afraid to speak out against injus- tice, and work together to make things better for our community. I remember her telling many of us she hoped one day we will become prime minister. Dr Simms has left a remarkable legacy that must not be forgotten and needs to be shared with current and future activists. The Jamaican Canadian Association extends our sincere condolences to her family.” Simms emigrated to Canada in 1966 to take up a teaching job in Fort Chipewyan, northern Alberta, an iso- lated area where children had never seen a black person and did not speak English. She knew very little about the culture of Indigenous peoples, but as someone who grew up in Malvern, St Elizabeth, she could relate to their eco- nomic circumstances. A graduate of Bethlehem Teachers’ College, Dr Simms became an associate professor in the Faculty of Education at Nippising University College of North Bay, Ontario. In 1972, she received her BEd and in 1976 her MEd from the University of Alberta. Between 1977 and 1980, she was assistant professor at the University of Lethbridge, teach- ing educational psychology and native education. For five years, she was head of the Indian Education Department at the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College of the University of Regina. From 1982 to 1987, she was the president of the Congress of Black Women. A founding member of the Afro-Caribbean Association, she was also a member of the Women’s Advisory Committee on Affirmative Action to the Treasury Board of Canada; a member of Phi Delta Kappa; a board member of the National Organization of Immigrants and Visible Minority Women; and a member of the Psychologists Association of Alberta, among others. Dr Simms was the recipient of several awards, including the Black Achievement Award for her contri- bution to public policy, and was the holder of honorary doctorates from the University of Alberta, Queen’s University, and the University of Manitoba. In 2014, she received the Order of Distinction from the Government of Jamaica for outstandingwork in gender development. Dr Glenda Simms remembered for her work in Canada Dr. Glenda Simms. FILE George Ruddock/Gleaner Writer LONDON: PROFESSOR KEVIN Fenton, the London Regional Director for Public Health England, has been honoured as a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by the Queen. He was among a list of over one thousand persons to be awarded by the monarch when the New Year Honours list was announced on December 31. Jamaican-educated Professor Fenton is recognised for his role in orchestrating the London Region response to the COVID-19 pandemic after he was appointed PHE Regional director in April 2020. He helped to deliver the region’s successful programmes of COVID testing, contract tracing and the vaccine roll out. In responding to news of the Queen’s honour, Professor Fenton said: “I am honoured and humbled to receive such a prestigious award alongside other outstanding individuals. “As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic response, I am continually inspired by the professionalism, resilience, and contributions of so many amazing colleagues who work relentlessly to keep us all safe and well. “I am accepting this award on behalf of all the incredible public health and NHS teams I amprivileged to lead and work with in London and around the nation who are committed to improving health, tackling health inequalities, building resilient communities, and providing high-quality health and care services to all. “They exemplify the best of public health and should be proud of all they have achieved.” Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Professor Fenton spent 15 years in Jamaica between the 1970s and ‘80s before he returned to England and became a senior lecturer on HIV, epidemiology, and honorary consultant epidemiologist at the NHS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre. He was the lead researcher on the second National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Li festyles in 2001, and in 2002, he became director of the Centre’s Health Protection Agency HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections Department. He later moved on to join the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States in 2005 as director of the National Centre for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, where he encouraged HIV-prevention work among African- American organisations. After returning to the UK in 2012, he joined Public Health England, where he guided several policies, including combatting tobacco use and obesity and promoting mental- and sexual-health issues. He was appointed PHE’s London’s regional director in April 2020 at the peak of the coronavirus crisis. In addition to this main role, he was also tasked with looking into why the COVID-19 pandemic was disproportionately affecting people from black and Asian minority backgrounds in Britain. LEFT BEHIND In an interview with The Weekly Gleaner in November 2020 on the subject, Professor Fenton said that one the findings from the first wave of the pandemic was that many communities felt left behind, and it was these issues that had to be addressed. He said: “We were moving so fast at the time that people felt they were not getting the messages that resonated with them. Some of the pillars of the community, faith leaders, and community organisations felt that they were not being engaged to help transmit the safeguardmessages to the communities. “The key finding of the PHE work was that we needed to do better to ensure, as we exit the various waves of the pandemic, we do amuch better job of engaging and bring people along with us, both in terms of how we can deliver our programmes for COVID testing, contact tracing, and also how we do research to ensure communities are a part of it because that’s howwe will get positive results.” This is not the first accolade for Professor Fenton since he has been at the forefront of the COVID-19 crisis in London. He has been featured twice oN the annual Powerlist as one the most influential black persons in the UK. In 2020, he placed second behind formula one multitime champion Lewis Hamilton, and last year, he was voted fifth in the top ten. Professor Fenton on Queen’s New Year Honours List Professor Kevin Fenton CBE, Public Health England’s London regional director. CONTRIBUTED REV DR Maxine Osbourne Foster is the new president of the Atlanta Jamaican Association, Inc (AJA) for 2022, the association has announced. An experienced business leader, Osbourne Foster was elected at AJA’s recent annual general meeting to as- sume responsibilities on January 1. She succeeds Mrs Casmel Williams. “I am honoured to have the oppor- tunity to lead the Atlanta Jamaican Association,” she says. “The AJA is poised to expand its mission and build on the tremendous momentum of the past four decades. I look forward to being a part of the effort to take AJA to the next level, making a positive dif- ference for evenmore persons living in the Atlanta area, in Jamaica, and the Jamaican diaspora at large.” The board of directors for 2022 in- cludes Althea Fatuga, vice-president; Evette Taylor-Reynolds, secretary; Tonia Jackson, assistant secretary; Nadine Ellis, treasurer; Leighton Salmon, as- sistant treasurer; and KarleneWilliams Sears, parliamentarian. The president will also appoint two trustees to the board, subject to confirmation by the members at the AJA’s quarterly meet- ing in January. FOCUS Osbourne Foster and the new AJA board of directors will focus on com- munity building, increasing member- ship, and community empowerment through systemic development in areas of education, culture, and economic advancement. An ordained minister and licensed clinical pastoral counsellor, Foster is also actively engaged in providing counselling services to those in need, with a special focus on family, marriage, and crisis, and abuse therapy. Osbourne Foster spent the last eight years in healthcare management. Before that, she spent over 30 years in business and financial services. The new president is a former AJA trustee and current member of the AJA Education Committee. She is the founder/president of TransforMe, LLC, president of the D. Terrence Foster Foundation Inc, board director and Scholarship chair of the Morant Bay High School Alumni Association, Atlanta Chapter, and a board member at her local church. As well, Osbourne Foster holds an MBA in finance from Montclair State University, and a PhD in clinical Christian counselling fromCornerstone University. She is married to painman- agement and stress consultant, the bestselling author D. Terrence Foster, MD. Atlanta Jamaican Association elects new president and board THE WEEKLY GLEANER | JANUARY 6 - 31, 2022 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | NEWS