A Reflection on the 2022 Human Rights Awards
Written by: Jessica Kinsella
(Human Rights Award Recipients 2022)
From left to right: Dicky Dikamba, Patricia Paradis, Ganiyat Sadiq, Deborah Dobbins
The John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights hosted the 14th Annual Human Rights Awards at Government House on Wednesday, October 5, 2022. It was a beautiful evening of celebrating the human rights champions making a difference in community and working to build a future of peace and equality.
There were several moments that stood out during that evening, but one of the most notable was the diversity and generations that were within the audience. Mentors, artists, philosophers, leaders, advocates, peace-builders all joining together in conversation, collaboration and celebration. Older generations who have worked for decades to advance human rights, and younger generations beginning to lead the charge; building upon the foundations and advocating for more change.
Deborah Dobbins speaking after receiving her Human Rights Champion Award.
You could see this within this year’s award recipients. Deborah Dobbins, a third generation African American Albertan and president and CEO of Shiloh Centre for Multicultural Roots which is grounded in honouring, advocating for and celebrating the Black Community. Her work has spanned decades and passion and strength shone through in her words. Ganiyat Sadiq, another recipient, is an emerging force within the Black and Muslim community as the co-president and co-founder of the Black Inclusion Association, a nonprofit created to address systemic inequality faced by Black Calgarians. Ganiyat also founded the @IAMXMovement, a social community that seeks to raise awareness of the injustices faced by Black, Indigenous and Racialized individuals. Dicky Dikamba, another recipient, continues to inspire through mentoring and building the capacity of community through leadership and volunteerism. His work with CANAVUA has led to them heading the first Black-led low income housing project in Edmonton. All of them doing such amazing work, mentoring and inspiring whole generations and communities.
So many have helped shape the world we live in. Pat Paradis was the recipient of the Gerald L. Gall Award, which honours Gerald. L. Gall, one of the founders of JHC. Her long career spanning more than four decades as a lawyer, mediator and educator has put her at the forefront of important cases around human rights; notably in the 1990s this included access to abortion and other reproductive services, discrimination, hate speech, and advocacy. That work has formed the society and rights we have today. The journey has been hard and there is still so much work to be done, or new calls for action as those rights that were hard fought for are now being threatened.
It was an honour to see so many of our community leaders, both young and older, join us for this celebration. Both have so much to share and stories to tell. It was also good for our community to come together and remember that while sometimes the work can feel overwhelming, there is so much support out there in the community. It was such a great chance for JHC volunteers and staff to network and see the impacts of our collective work and relationships. Relationships and volunteers contributed so much to the success of this evening. Our thanks to the Lieutenant Governor’s office for allowing us to be in the space at Government House, to the amazing volunteers who ensured the event went smoothly, and to JHC Board Member, Kevin, who emceed the event so well. To be part of this evening and around such inspiration ignites passion and ensures the work continues.
Left: Gurcharan Bhatia, one of the co-founders of JHC, stood beside the Honourable Lieutenant Governor Salma Lakhani to present the recipients with their awards.
Right: JHC Board Member, Kevin Zentner, did a fantastic job as Emcee of the awards ceremony.
There were many beautiful and powerful moments during this evening, but one that stood out was the opening performance by Sissy Thiessen of Wase Saba Experiences. As her words and voice reached us through song and spoken word, many of us reflected on how much work there still is to do on the path of reconciliation, honouring treaty relations, and healing.
At the Human Rights Awards, JHC announced an important event that we will be heavily involved in. 2023 marks an important year for JHC and for the international community as we mark the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Seventy five years ago, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights came into force as an international framework for human rights at the United Nations’ following the atrocities of the second world war. Our namesake, John Peters Humphrey, worked with representatives from around the world to draft and bring forward this important document and work to enshrine human rights into international law. Coming into the 75th Anniversary, we see there are many struggles that continue to confront our local and global communities. The rates of hate and intolerance are growing, poverty is deepening, climate change is having deep impacts on the health of our world, and Canadians are only now beginning to reckon with our deep history of genocide.
In Building Momentum towards the 75th Anniversary, JHC is collaborating with Canadians for a Civil Society, along with other partners, to plan an international conference from December 1-10, 2023, hosting a series of online and in-person events to bring together civil society, academics, advocates and decision makers in dialogue, learning and action on human rights. Our hope is that all will walk away with a strengthened commitment, confidence and capacity for a movement of action towards the advancement of dignity, justice, peace and freedom for this and the generations to come within Canada and across the world.