Cathedral High School students worked together to grow geraniums, which were then donated for neighbourhood beautification projects funded by HCF small grants.

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Igniting the will to reach beyond

Holland awards honour black youth

By Sharon Boase
The Hamilton Spectator(Feb 4, 2006)

The teen was doing badly at school, probably because she wasn't really trying. So her teacher took her to the annual John C. Holland Awards Gala last year where a parade of phenomenal achievers took to the podium to bask in the recognition of their peers.

This year, the teenager is enrolled at the University of Toronto.

"She said she wanted to be like one of them, standing there receiving an award herself," said Evelyn Myrie, chair of the city's Black History Committee and a chief organizer of the gala.

"She was so inspired, it turned her around," Myrie said of the annual awards night, which marks its 10th anniversary tonight.

Named for the late Rev. John C. Holland, a noted pastor and humanitarian who was the son of a runaway slave, the awards are a way for Hamilton's black community to celebrate its achievements and provide powerful role models.

"There are so many negative things in the news media and not just for black youth but for all youth," Myrie said.

"This is a chance to say, 'Wow, you're smart.'"

Past winners prove that a John C. Holland Award on the shelf is much more than a feather in one's cap.

"It was an absolutely huge deal for me because of what it signifies in our community," said Lisamarie Bristol (nee Perrotte), who received a youth achievement award before finishing high school in 2001.

"It was a big deal to be recognized by the adults in the community so positively."
While at Cathedral Secondary School, she was a youth mentor, sang in her church choir, was a youth adviser to the Hamilton Community Foundation and volunteered at Good Shepherd Centres, the Hamilton Public Library and St. Joseph's Hospital.

"The award really kind of propelled me to stay involved when I went away to university," said Bristol, 24. While earning an honours degree in psychology at York -- and a spot on the Dean's honour roll -- she volunteered as a middle school tutor and became involved with three student government committees.

During this same period, she worked 30 hours weekly for campus security.

Today, Bristol is interning with the District Attorney's office in Atlanta, Ga. where her husband recently landed a job. She was a month away from starting law school before they moved from New York.

"It's actually probably better than being in school because I'm in court four days a week, I get to work on cases from beginning to end and it's been phenomenal working with attorneys," said Bristol.

"Now I'm interested in criminal law. Prosecution work has changed my opinion a lot."

When Leon Robinson won a Holland award in 2000 for his work in the city's arts and culture scene, the accomplished young man was spurred on to do more. Now 32, Robinson is an artist, a musician, a businessman and a dad.

"When you're recognized by your peers and elders, it made me feel that all the work I was doing was being appreciated," said Robinson, who runs The Boom Spot, a high-end hip-hop clothing, music and paraphernalia shop in the downtown core, and the Ground Up Gallery.

"That kind of recognition made me want to push forward and do more."

During his spare time, Robinson DJs a Saturday morning show on McMaster Radio and paints using everything from watercolour to spray paint. His song, Island Girl, is getting play on MuchMusic and he's working on an album.

"I remember thinking I didn't have a chance of winning," said Kimahli Powell, who received a youth achievement award in 1997. In Grade 12 at St. Thomas More, Powell was active in track and field, dance and public speaking.

Fluent in English and Swahili, he tutored younger African-Canadians in heritage language classes and was a volunteer counsellor.

Now, he's a producer for three Toronto theatre companies and lobbies to bring more arts and culture to the city.

"It was a wonderful surprise and a wonderful achievement for me and a wonderful confidence booster," said Powell. "It gave me the drive to go out there and accomplish what I wanted to do."