This community paper connects and empowers Black Montrealers

CBC Quebec is highlighting people from the province's Black communities who are giving back, inspiring others and helping to shape our future. These are the Black Changemakers.

Gemma Raeburn-Baynes says if you only pay attention to what is in the mainstream media, you would be hard-pressed to believe anything good ever happens in Montreal's Black community.

"It's always negative!" says Raeburn-Baynes, who is originally from Grenada. "We have so many positive stories in our community that [are] not told."

Raeburn-Baynes, a community activist who spearheads the annual Spice Island Cultural Festival and many other events in Montreal's fashion and food scene, has been writing part-time for The Montreal Community Contact for 25 years.

The Contact, a biweekly newspaper and online resource, is a place where Black Montrealers can go to read positive, uplifting stories about what is happening in their community, Raeburn-Baynes said.

It is also a place where the accomplishments of Black youths are showcased.

"It makes everybody feel wonderful to see young Black people in the community that are doing great things," said Raeburn-Baynes.

The Contact has been reporting on issues relevant to Montreal's Black and Caribbean community since its launch in 1992.

Board member and columnist Yvonne Sam has been writing on policy and immigration for the Contact for 20 years. Asked what the paper had done for the Black community, Sam replies, "What has it not done?"

"Without it, we would be adrift," she said.

The newspaper helps Black anglophones keep on top of policy matters relevant to the community, she said. Sam, who is Guyanese-Canadian, has written about feeling unwelcome in Quebec due to her skin colour. But she said she has long found a sense of belonging at The Contact.

The newspaper has amassed a dedicated following over the years, she said.

"Our papers are distributed right across Montreal," said Sam. "People look forward to it."

It is free, paid for mainly by advertising. Corporations often take out full-page ads because they know it is a sure-fire way to reach the Black community, said Raeburn-Baynes.