Black History Month: Meet Senator Wanda Bernard
Black History Month recognizes the important contributions black Canadians have made to Canadian Society.
Senator Wanda Bernard follows the Nova Scotian tradition of observing African Heritage Month.
Who is someone of African Canadian descent (historical figure or present day person) who exemplifies courage and strength to you? Why?
There are so many people of African Canadian descent who exemplify courage and strength to me — too numerous to mention all of them — so I will begin by saying that every day I acknowledge that I stand on the shoulders of many ancestors who fought for rights in this country, against the odds. From our very beginning, to now, African Canadians have fought with dignity, courage and strength and this gives me such hope for the future and the present. It also gives me the courage and the resilience I need to continue the journey.
One of the most courageous people that I know is my mother, who was widowed at the age of 39, with 10 children, and two grandchildren, the youngest of whom was only 18 months old. My mother died about 11 years ago, shortly after I was awarded the Order of Canada for my work on social justice. It was only after her death that I truly appreciated the enormity of what she did for our family. She found the strength and courage to keep us together, despite the odds, and she exemplified the power of resilience and bravery, in the face of adversity. She worked in service all of her life, because of the ways in which racism and sexism impacted her, but she worked hard every single day, did the best that she could every day and taught all of us the value of hard work, dignity and perseverance.
Finally, another person that exemplifies courage and strength would be retired Senator Don Oliver. His work to address issues of diversity, employment equity and racism in Canada, as a Canadian Senator, is exemplary and was revolutionary. That torch has been passed on to me.
What are the best lessons you learned growing up? What words of wisdom can you share with young Canadians?
Some of the lessons learned are noted above as I talked about my dear mother. Another lesson was learning the value of education and recognizing that when opportunities are presented to us, we need to be prepared to take advantage of them. This is one of the things that I would like to share with young Canadians. We have more opportunities now than we have ever had before, so we need young people to be prepared, through education and community engagement, to take advantage of those opportunities and to give back to their communities. I encourage them to do as bell hooks suggests: Lift as you Climb.
Name an artist/author/musician/performer whose work inspires you. Why? Can you suggest a book/song/dance/film/painting that more Canadians should know about?
I am inspired by so many folks from the arts and cultural sectors, but most significant are Lawrence Hill and George Elliott Clarke, both of whom are brilliant writers. Their works are inspirational.
Also, in terms of literature, every Canadian must read the Book of Negroes and The Illegal.
With regard to other arts, I have been inspired by the music of a young African Nova Scotian artist — Reeny Smith — who sings gospel and soul music. She has a bright future ahead of her.
My husband, George Bernard Junior, is an artist who made his living as a wedding and portrait photographer, but now as a retired person, is exploring artistic photography which I find truly inspiring. I am especially inspired because he faced two life threatening illnesses, fought to regain his strength, and now is allowing his creativity to be reborn.
As a Canadian of African descent, what does it mean to you to be a Senator? What kind of impact would you like to have in Canada's Parliament this session? Name one key policy issue that matters to you and explain why?
As an African Canadian, I am pleased to have been selected to be a senator through the new merit based process. Every day I hear from Canadians of all walks of life that my appointment itself is an inspiration because it represents critical hope to people, it represents change and it represents a deep commitment to social justice. I quote from one email that I received:
"Dear Dr Bernard,
As a black young female and Dal grad student I'm writing to congratulate you on your appointment as a Senator! Even though, I have not met you personally, I feel so proud and inspired by your accomplishments, as I'm sure so many young black women across Nova Scotia and Canada would be. In this achievement, you've shown us that whatever goals we set in our personal or professional lives are attainable, in spite of the numerous barriers we may face.
I currently just started my Masters [...] and plan on going on to do a PhD, and I cannot count, neither do I want to focus on the number of times I've faced racism- albeit covert, however there is no denying the sting and pain of it. Apart from that, there are other challenges returning to school (after completing my undergrad 5 years ago) brings. And to be honest, sometimes I wonder if this was a good idea. But I know it is, as there is nothing wrong in seeking to be enlightened and advancing your mind as an individual. And then yesterday to read the news on your appointment, happening right here in our communities, brings me so much joy, strength, encouragement, determination to just keep pressing on!
Thank you so much for achieving this, thank you for choosing to represent your community and people across Nova Scotia, thank you for being an inspiration to the many black youth across the country, and thank you for all you've done to bring social justice, diversity and inclusiveness in the past, and for what you will seek to continue doing in the future.
With much sincerity I am cheering you on this new path, and I know you will use this platform to accomplish even more!"
So, my presence in the Senate signals great hope, especially to Canadians of African descent.
Now, what kind of impact would I like to have in Canada's Parliament this session?
I will bring a social justice lens to all of my work in the Senate, including committee work. I don't have grand expectations in terms of impact but hope that the perspective that I bring will help my colleagues in their discussions and deliberations of all of the matters that come before us this session.
As a member of the Senate Committee on Human Rights, I am looking forward to the focus of our work this year on the rights of the incarcerated, especially those marginalized by mental health, disabilities, race and their Indigenous status. It builds on work that I have previously done regarding Ethnocultural offenders and the experiences of black men in the criminal justice system, who are the fastest growing prison population. Getting to better understandings of the root causes will be an important part of this work as well.
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Black History Month: Meet Senator Wanda Bernard
Black History Month recognizes the important contributions black Canadians have made to Canadian Society.
Senator Wanda Bernard follows the Nova Scotian tradition of observing African Heritage Month.
Who is someone of African Canadian descent (historical figure or present day person) who exemplifies courage and strength to you? Why?
There are so many people of African Canadian descent who exemplify courage and strength to me — too numerous to mention all of them — so I will begin by saying that every day I acknowledge that I stand on the shoulders of many ancestors who fought for rights in this country, against the odds. From our very beginning, to now, African Canadians have fought with dignity, courage and strength and this gives me such hope for the future and the present. It also gives me the courage and the resilience I need to continue the journey.
One of the most courageous people that I know is my mother, who was widowed at the age of 39, with 10 children, and two grandchildren, the youngest of whom was only 18 months old. My mother died about 11 years ago, shortly after I was awarded the Order of Canada for my work on social justice. It was only after her death that I truly appreciated the enormity of what she did for our family. She found the strength and courage to keep us together, despite the odds, and she exemplified the power of resilience and bravery, in the face of adversity. She worked in service all of her life, because of the ways in which racism and sexism impacted her, but she worked hard every single day, did the best that she could every day and taught all of us the value of hard work, dignity and perseverance.
Finally, another person that exemplifies courage and strength would be retired Senator Don Oliver. His work to address issues of diversity, employment equity and racism in Canada, as a Canadian Senator, is exemplary and was revolutionary. That torch has been passed on to me.
What are the best lessons you learned growing up? What words of wisdom can you share with young Canadians?
Some of the lessons learned are noted above as I talked about my dear mother. Another lesson was learning the value of education and recognizing that when opportunities are presented to us, we need to be prepared to take advantage of them. This is one of the things that I would like to share with young Canadians. We have more opportunities now than we have ever had before, so we need young people to be prepared, through education and community engagement, to take advantage of those opportunities and to give back to their communities. I encourage them to do as bell hooks suggests: Lift as you Climb.
Name an artist/author/musician/performer whose work inspires you. Why? Can you suggest a book/song/dance/film/painting that more Canadians should know about?
I am inspired by so many folks from the arts and cultural sectors, but most significant are Lawrence Hill and George Elliott Clarke, both of whom are brilliant writers. Their works are inspirational.
Also, in terms of literature, every Canadian must read the Book of Negroes and The Illegal.
With regard to other arts, I have been inspired by the music of a young African Nova Scotian artist — Reeny Smith — who sings gospel and soul music. She has a bright future ahead of her.
My husband, George Bernard Junior, is an artist who made his living as a wedding and portrait photographer, but now as a retired person, is exploring artistic photography which I find truly inspiring. I am especially inspired because he faced two life threatening illnesses, fought to regain his strength, and now is allowing his creativity to be reborn.
As a Canadian of African descent, what does it mean to you to be a Senator? What kind of impact would you like to have in Canada's Parliament this session? Name one key policy issue that matters to you and explain why?
As an African Canadian, I am pleased to have been selected to be a senator through the new merit based process. Every day I hear from Canadians of all walks of life that my appointment itself is an inspiration because it represents critical hope to people, it represents change and it represents a deep commitment to social justice. I quote from one email that I received:
"Dear Dr Bernard,
As a black young female and Dal grad student I'm writing to congratulate you on your appointment as a Senator! Even though, I have not met you personally, I feel so proud and inspired by your accomplishments, as I'm sure so many young black women across Nova Scotia and Canada would be. In this achievement, you've shown us that whatever goals we set in our personal or professional lives are attainable, in spite of the numerous barriers we may face.
I currently just started my Masters [...] and plan on going on to do a PhD, and I cannot count, neither do I want to focus on the number of times I've faced racism- albeit covert, however there is no denying the sting and pain of it. Apart from that, there are other challenges returning to school (after completing my undergrad 5 years ago) brings. And to be honest, sometimes I wonder if this was a good idea. But I know it is, as there is nothing wrong in seeking to be enlightened and advancing your mind as an individual. And then yesterday to read the news on your appointment, happening right here in our communities, brings me so much joy, strength, encouragement, determination to just keep pressing on!
Thank you so much for achieving this, thank you for choosing to represent your community and people across Nova Scotia, thank you for being an inspiration to the many black youth across the country, and thank you for all you've done to bring social justice, diversity and inclusiveness in the past, and for what you will seek to continue doing in the future.
With much sincerity I am cheering you on this new path, and I know you will use this platform to accomplish even more!"
So, my presence in the Senate signals great hope, especially to Canadians of African descent.
Now, what kind of impact would I like to have in Canada's Parliament this session?
I will bring a social justice lens to all of my work in the Senate, including committee work. I don't have grand expectations in terms of impact but hope that the perspective that I bring will help my colleagues in their discussions and deliberations of all of the matters that come before us this session.
As a member of the Senate Committee on Human Rights, I am looking forward to the focus of our work this year on the rights of the incarcerated, especially those marginalized by mental health, disabilities, race and their Indigenous status. It builds on work that I have previously done regarding Ethnocultural offenders and the experiences of black men in the criminal justice system, who are the fastest growing prison population. Getting to better understandings of the root causes will be an important part of this work as well.