Jean Augustine was born on September 9, 1937 in Happy Hill, Saint George, Grenada.In Grenada, during this time it was still under the British colonial empire. During childhood, her family suffered the great loss of Augustine’s father - in which he contracted tetanus after visiting the dentist. Her father was a sugarcane-plantation worker, and his fueled Augustine’s dedication to her studies. Augustine also received much encouragement to pursue her education from an older woman she lived with named “Granny”. “Granny” was well off and owned a decent amount of property when taking in Augustine’s family. These types of charitable arrangements were typical in Grenada at this time. Augustine earned a scholarship as she was a straight A student in her studies as a child,allowing her to attend a Roman Catholic school. Furthermore, Augustine created an all girl band during her highschool years and even generated a youth program at a radio station, as it was one of her great interests. Overall, her hard work paid off and she was able to graduate a year early. She was then able to learn what it meant to give back through public service. After graduating, Augustine worked as a school teacher in Grenada and spent her weekends writing letters for citizens who wanted to contact their families but were unable to write or read themself. Augustine recognized that her efforts were not being compensated the way she deserved and soon after learned about opportunities overseas. Once immigrating to Canada, Augustine applied to become a nanny because at the time nannies were high in demand. This specific program was called the West Indian Domestic Scheme and she worked in this program for one year in order to acquire her Canadian immigrant status.
Augustine then moved onto acquiring her Ontario Teaching Certificate at the Toronto Teachers College, which she completed in 1963. She spent many years teaching elementary students at the Metropolitan Separate School Board. During her time as a teacher, she was an advocate for interventions in drug abuse, poverty, and violence against women and immigrants through volunteering efforts.
After serving as an elementary school principal, Augustine found herself working within politics. She was the founder and the national president of the Congress of Black Women of Canada in Toronto. During 1971, Augustine assisted with developing and launching Canada's official multiculturalism policy. In an interview, Augustine said, “Everyone knows what Toronto was like in 1960. There was no Charter of Rights and Freedom: no Section 15 or Human Rights Code. There was no Landlord and Tenant Act, no police-community relations, no school board trustees talking to parents. It was a different social setting with prejudice ingrained in the system. There were things that needed to be fixed.” As evident in Augustine’s work, she is truly dedicated to the issues she is most passionate about.
Augustine decided to further her education and attended the University of Toronto to earn a Honors Bachelor’s of Arts degree and her Master’s of Education in 1980. Augustine was then promoted to the vice principal role at the Toronto District Catholic School Board and was eventually promoted to the principal position where she worked until 1988.
By November 1988, Augustine was elected the chair of the Metro Toronto Housing Authority where she assisted residents in receiving income housing until 1993.
Augustine won a seat in the Canadian House of Commons as she received a nomination to be a Liberal candidate in Ontario, and this made her the first Black Woman elected to the House of Commons. At the time, the district had 65,000 voters in which approximately 700 were Black. Augustine was then re-elected four times and served until 2006. Whilst Augustine’s time in parliament, she made it her goal to uncover the discordances in society, understand them and find methods to the solutions in order to fix them. Augustine spent much time researching and seeking collaborations in her community.
Augustine delegated issues that she felt were essential to her riding, women, and overall Canadians. During the years of 1993 to 1996, she was appointed the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister of Canada. This position permitted Augustine to attend international meetings. She had her voice heard in the Parliament as well as any committees when the Prime Minister (Jean Chrétien) was absent. Augustine expressed to the Globe & Mail, “It says to others and ourselves that Blacks can be in every place in our society. It’s important that no one be able to say that Blacks can’t perform in every segment of Canadian society because we can.”
One of Augustine’s greatest achievements was being part of the proposal that Federally asserted that February in Canada was named Black History Month in 1995. She called on the Parliament stating “That this House take note of the important contribution of Black Canadians to the settlement, growth and development of Canada, the diversity of the Black community in Canada and its importance to the history of this country.” Furthermore, it was essential for Augustine to put forth this motion because from her experience as a teacher, there was little to none mentioned of African Canadians or Indigenous peoples. Augustine stated to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights that “Black Canadians were not part of the script and were not shown contributing to Canadian society.” This lack of representation was what motivated Augustine to establish Black History Month not solely for the Municipality or Provincially, but Federally.
In addition to her advocacy for Black History Month, Augustine was part of the committee that established the first Caribana festival in Toronto in 1967. Caribana is a Caribbean festival that occurs annually in Toronto, often consisting of events on varying days and having a large parade with hundreds of floats. This festival not only brings together Carribean individuals and families together, but it also brings Canadians together to watch dancers and singers with colorful costumes and Caribbean music. Accordingly, Augustine was part of the establishment of a tradition that many Canadians look forward to every year.
Augustine’s list of achievements did not end there. She was also appointed the first Black woman in Cabinet, specifically the Secretary of State on May 26, 2002 and by December 12, 2003, she was appointed Minister of State. Augustine also served as a member of the Queen’s Privy Council of Canada in 2002. She was chosen to serve as the Province of Ontario's first Fairness Commissioner, establishing new rules for transparency, clarity, and easier access to work opportunities for foreign-trained professionals in 2007. This position gave Augustine the ability to become an advocate for Canadians with foreign qualifications. Augustine spent eight years in this role before officially retiring in March 2015.
Augustine married Winston Augustine in 1968 and during this marriage the couple had two daughters. They later divorced in 1981.
Augustine acquired Honorary Doctorate degrees from the Universities of Toronto, York, McGill, Trent, Windsor, Toronto Metropolitan and Guelph. In addition, Augustine is a Senior Fellow at Massey College and a Fellow of Centennial College.
In addition, Augustine won the YWCA Women of Distinction Award, in which the recipient has shown a great impact, whether it be arts and culture, women's rights, education, health and wellness, business or public service. Augustine has not only demonstrated an impact locally, but also nationally. In addition, she has won the Ontario Volunteer Award, where the recipient has demonstrated an outstanding dedication to volunteering within the community. These places of volunteering include libraries, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and community centers. Overall, Augustine has showcased outstanding volunteer dedication with both her time and efforts within schools, on boards, and making a change to strengthen culture in the community. She was also appointed the Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her dedication to politics and education. Most recently, Augustine was appointed to the Order of Ontario which is the most prestigious honor in the Province of Ontario. She was awarded for her contributions to society and excellence in education.
Augustine is still contributing to her legacy as an involved community member and as the co-chair to the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women Recognition and database. She is currently funding three annual scholarships at George Brown College, Centennial College and Humber College. Her legacy also extends to places such as; Jean Augustine Park, Jean Augustine Girls Leadership Academy, Jean Augustine Secondary School and much more. The Jean Augustine Chair in Education at York University was created in 2008, in which this position holds the responsibility to research issues that affect education regarding immigration, cultural diversity and community involvement. Then in 2014, Jean Augustine Centre for Young Women’s Empowerment was opened to tackle nutrition, education and realistic job training. It is evident that Augustine’s legacy is carried on in a similar manner as she inspired Canadians years ago.
Why Did I Choose to Research Jean Augustine?
I chose to research Jean Augustine because she has been a role model for me since I was in highschool. She spoke to my school via zoom and she is also a University of Toronto alumni, where I currently study. The work she has done for Canada is exceptional and with her influence, I aim to continue to become a strong Black woman and an advocate for both women and racialized communities.
Works Cited
Centre for Young Women’s Empowerment . (n.d.). Hon. dr. Jean Augustine. Jean Augustine Centre. https://jeanaugustinecentre.ca/about/jean-augustine/
Encyclopedia.com. (2024, August 9). ." Contemporary black biography. . encyclopedia.com. 30 Jul. 2024 . Encyclopedia.com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/augustine-jean
McLeod, S. (2016, February 23). Jean Augustine. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/jean-augustine
Peralta, C. (2024, January 30). Canadian legend Jean Augustine helped create Black History month. University of Toronto Alumni. https://alumni.utoronto.ca/news/canadian-legend-jean-augustine-helped-create-black-history-month
Solutions , H. (2020). Biography. Jean Augustine. https://jeanaugustine.ca/jean-augustine-bio/
This article was published on 9/9/24