Evelyn Myrie (born 1959) is a community activist, particularly in the area of anti-Black racism, in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

. She is known for her community leadership, activism,

anti-racism Anti-racism encompasses a range of ideas and political actions which are meant to counter racial prejudice, systemic racism, and the oppression of specific racial groups. Anti-racism is usually structured around conscious efforts and deliberate a ...

work. The Evelyn Myrie Award for Political Action was created in her honour. Myrie has received numerous awards and distinctions in recognition of her important contributions to equity work in Hamilton and in Canada, including the

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Award, Government of Canada, Queen Elizabeth II

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Award, Government of Canada, the Woman of the Year Public Affairs Award from the City of Hamilton, and was the inaugural inductee into the City of Hamilton's Order of Hamilton award.

Life and work

Evelyn Myrie was born 1959 in Jamaica. She emigrated to Canada in 1974 with her five sisters to live with their mother in Windsor, Ontario. Myrie has held numerous leadership roles in government, the non-profit and private sector. She is known for her community leadership, activism, anti-racism work and as a freelance columnist. Myrie has been called an "anti-discrimination trailblazer" and is featured in ''100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women'', a book which celebrates achievements of the women and their paths to success. Myrie notes that her interest in working on social justice and equality began after university when she worked at the Windsor Women Working for Immigrant Women. The organization exposed her to the unfortunate realities and limited rights facing live-in domestic foreign workers. In 1989 she moved to Hamilton to take a position with the

Status of Women Canada Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE; french: Femmes et Égalité des genres Canada (FEGC)), known as Status of Women Canada from 1976 to 2018, is a department of the Government of Canada. Previously an agency under the Department of Canadian H ...

. Since that time Myrie has been an active figure in the community, participating in committees and leading organizations. Myrie co-founded the John C. Holland Awards with Marlene Thomas in 1996. The awards "celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the community with particular focus on the contributions of African Canadians to the social economic, and cultural life of our entire city". In 2015 she founded the Women Who Rock Awards to celebrate

Women's History Month Women's History Month is an annual declared month that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with ...

. Currently the president of the

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Afro-Canadian Caribbean Association and CEO of the EMpower Strategy Group, Myrie was announced in the fall of 2020 to lead the creation of an advisory panel that would guide the restarting of the Hamilton Anti-Racism Resource Centre, the final report and proposal for revamped operations was presented and accepted by

Hamilton City Council Hamilton City Council is the governing body of the City of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Since 21 November 1960, Council has met at Hamilton City Hall at 71 Main Street West. The current council consists of the mayor In many countries, a mayor i ...

on February 18, 2021. Myrie ran for the office of Ward 1 councillor in the

1994 Hamilton, Ontario Municipal Election The 1994 Hamilton municipal election was a municipal election held on November 14, 1994,Poling, Jim. "Five in race for top job; If Bob Morrow is successful, he'll become the longest serving mayor in the city's 148-year history," ''The Hamilton S ...

, capturing 13.6% of the vote and losing to newcomer Marvin Caplan. In 2003, she sought the nomination for Provincial

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nomination in Hamilton West. In 2016 the John C. Holland Awards created the Evelyn Myrie Award for Political Action in her honour and the bursary is given to an individual who has shown leadership in political action within the community. Along with her political activism and social justice work, Myrie ran Eman Fine Art Prints & Tings, a gallery of African art and the art of those of African descent, it operated online and had a storefront on Locke Street. She started the gallery because of notable lack of stores that reflected diverse culture in Hamilton. Myrie is an avid long-distance runner and has participated in numerous marathons throughout the years.

Career and volunteer work

* Program Director at

* Founding Director of Peel Newcomer Strategy Group * Executive Director of the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion * Freelance columnist

The Hamilton Spectator ''The Hamilton Spectator'', founded in 1846, is a newspaper published weekdays and Saturdays in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One of the largest Canadian newspapers by circulation,''The Hamilton Spectator'' is owned by Torstar. History ''The Hami ...

* Founder and Principal EmPower Strategy Group * Host of television show Singing Her Praises on Cable 14 Hamilton * Past-Chair African Canadian Legal Clinic Toronto * Founding member and chairperson Hamilton Black History Committee * Organizer TEDxKingStreetWomen * Honorary Board Member 2021 - South Asian Heritage Association of Hamilton Region * SETSI Advisory Group Member - Social Economy through Social Inclusion

Honours, decorations, awards and distinctions

* 10 Year Volunteer Award (for Black History Committee), Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, Ontario *

Award, Government of Canada * Queen Elizabeth II

Award, Government of Canada * Portrait of Success Award,

* Woman of the Year Public Affairs Award, City of Hamilton * Inductee Hamiltons Gallery of Distinction 2011 * 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women 2016 * Order of Hamilton 2019 Inaugural Inductee

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Myrie, Evelyn Canadian women activists Canadian activists Canadian people of Caribbean descent Living people 1959 births