Former Whitby, Ont. MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes is spending the month speaking about Black history.
That includes her personal experiences and how she felt discriminated against during her time in office.
Caesar-Chavannes and her family have travelled all over the world, and throughout her career, she’s had the chance to meet some inspiring people, she says.
“My parents came to Canada with $100 in their pocket,” said Caesar-Chavannes, who moved from Grenada at a young age.
Growing up in Brampton, she says she didn’t feel defined by the colour of her skin.
“People used to call me all sorts of things, like ‘chocolate’ or ‘brown-noser,’ but I just thought those were observations. Yes, my skin does look like chocolate and my nose is brown,” said Caesar-Chavannes.
While her two daughters are her heroes today, when she was younger, Celina was a exposed to a number of Black idols.
“I had books by Ben Carson, who was the first Black pediatric neurosurgeon that separated conjoined twins,” Cesar Chavannes recalled.
“I was reading books by Shirley Chisholm, first Black female to run in a presidential election.”
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