Tiffany Ford entered politics to make change in her own neighbourhood. Tired of the way local politicians and the media depicted the community of Jane and Finch, she began knocking on doors to become a school board trustee. Can you do politics without parties? What does political success look like if you don’t want to pick a team? And how do you stand up for your community in the face of overt racism?
For Tiffany, political life was not about political parties, it was about serving her community. In this episode, host Nana aba Duncan visits Tiffany at her current role, still working in her home community.
This episode features:
Tiffany Ford
Toronto School Board Trustee (2014-2018) and candidate for City Council (2018)
Jean Augustine
Member of Parliament (1993-2006) and Minister of State (2002-2004)
Zanana Akande
Member of Ontario’s Provincial Parliament (1990-1994) and Minister of Community and Social Services (1990-1991)
This episode includes audio clips from Rebel Media.
Resources for this episode:
Read the research that supports this podcast:
New report on being Black in Canadian politics
On Black Canadians’ political participation:
Social, political and economic participation, by race
On diversity on municipal councils in Canada:
Resources for running:
OBVC’s “A Seat at the Table” toolkit
To support the important work being done by Operation Black Vote Canada, consider making a donation.
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