As Black History Month wraps up, Cheraldean Duhaney is reflecting on what it means to not only be the first woman elected to Bradford West Gwillimbury’s town council in 12 years, but the first Black woman to sit on council after being elected in Ward 1 in the fall.
Since being elected, Duhaney has had people throughout the community reach out to her voicing how inspiring it is to see her representing the town.
“I’m honoured and I’m grateful to the people who voted me in,” she said. “To be the first Black woman on council gives a lot of hope to individuals in our community, especially minorities. I’ve gotten emails and messages that a lot of people are inspired, and not just Black people, but women are inspired. Women want to take on that leadership and a lot of them are inspired by this win.”
Duhaney, who was born in Jamaica and now resides in Bradford with her husband and children, wanted to help create positive change in the community with her leadership, while also showing council should reflect the diversity of the residents who live in the town.
“Having diversity on council is very important because when people see a representative, it gives them a voice,” she said. “That diversity allows you to learn different perspectives from different representatives, and that’s why it’s so important to have different faces on any leadership board. Adding that diversity on council is important to the development of our community.”
Throughout February, Black History Month is an opportunity to learn about and celebrate the accomplishments of Black citizens in North America, something Duhaney is passionate about promoting.
“We celebrate Black history to highlight and uplift the contributions of Black Canadians in our communities and to Canada’s history and culture,” she said.
Duhaney was a founding member of Rise Up BWG, a group that aims to unite people. It held a Black History Month event Feb. 25 at the Bradford and District Community Centre.
“It’s important to come out and learn about different cultures and celebrate the diverse community we live in,” she said.
As Bradford grows and diversifies, Duhaney says it’s paramount to have different perspectives among decision makers.
“Number one, representation helps with development,” she said. “It helps with the growth of our community. I’m now on the diversity, equity and inclusion committee and I’m super-excited about it and I’m looking forward to connecting with the community and different diverse community groups while working together.”
Last month, Duhaney hosted her first Community Access Networking (CAN) meeting, an initiative established by council that gives residents the opportunity to learn about the direction council is leading the town, and ask questions, raise issues, and share ideas.
“We want Ward 1 and the community of Bradford to know their voice matters,” she said. “The CAN meeting gave the residents of Ward 1 the opportunity to come and voice and share their concerns and priorities. We want to make sure we create an environment where everyone feels safe and feels that they are heard.”
Duhaney felt the meeting was a great opportunity for the residents to get to know her better, while also expressing what they’d like to see done in the community.
“There’s just a few little facelifts that we have to get done in Ward 1,” said Duhaney. “For example, a priority that came forward was the entrance at Grand Central; they want it to look a little more attractive and make sure people are mindful of their neighbours when it comes to cleanliness with garbage. Speeding was another big one, which comes into safety, and community safety was atop the list at the meeting. Just having community meetings like this was encouraged, too. They want more of these.”
The meeting also allowed for Duhaney, Mayor James Leduc and Deputy Mayor Raj Sandhu to go through resources available to residents, including the myBWG app.
“It was a good time to educate them as well about the resources that are accessible to them,” she said. “Educating them on the app was important because it’s a quicker way for them to get in touch and for us to hear those concerns and improve and develop our community.”
After a few months of representing Ward 1, Duhaney feels the strong support of the community behind her as a trailblazer and she is thrilled she has the opportunity to be the voice of her constituents.
“It’s the people who voted me in and it’s my responsibility to make sure they actually have this space to come and share because I’m the advocate,” she said.
“I need to be their resource who takes all their concerns and priorities and advocates for them and takes it to council to get things done. It’s my obligation to create this space to give myself the opportunity to listen to them and bring the residents’ thoughts to town council to get things done in our ward.”
