3 Black leaders in Sask. share their brushes with racism and how they're fighting against it
CBC
From the abolition of slavery to the modern civil rights and Black Lives Matter movements, Black leaders have long fought against systemic injustice.
The 2025 theme for Black History Month is Black legacy and leadership. CBC Saskatchewan is profiling local leaders whose work not only honours the legacy of past Black activists, but also reinvents the spirit of resistance for a new generation.
When Jayna Amadasun came to Canada more than a decade ago, her path to employment was strewn with challenges.
Amadasun did her nursing degree in the Bahamas, starting her career as a registered nurse, but went on to earn further degrees, including a doctor of medicine degree in the Dominican Republic and a master's in medical law and ethics in Scotland.
But when she arrived in Canada, those qualifications didn't seem to matter.
"Coming to Canada 11 years ago, doors were constantly closing," she said. "There were people you'd meet who were driving taxis, with medical degrees."
She took an entry level administrative job, thinking she'd build her career from the ground up, but was surprised to find herself dealing with derogatory comments and inappropriate emails from her co-workers.
"Racism and discrimination in the workplace will break you down emotionally," she said.
She resigned from that job and began looking to transition into a new career. She's since become an author and a business coach, and took on volunteer roles, including chair of Black Canadian Women in Action, the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan, and the Rotary Club of Regina Eastview.
She said it's important for her to speak up for people in industries like health care who are subject to discrimination, but feel they can't advocate for themselves.
"It's being a voice for someone who, at that moment, may not have the knowledge, education or courage to speak up for themselves," she explains.
Regina and Saskatchewan are home to her now. She said it's important she uses her skills and knowledge to encourage people to push past barriers like racism and discrimination that threatens to hold them back.
"It doesn't have to be us against them, or them against us. We're here to build a community."
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