Speakers
- Lynn Jones
Dr Gladys Lynn Jones (who goes by Lynn) is an African-Canadian woman born and raised in Truro, Nova Scotia, later moving to Halifax to pursue higher education. She then pursued a long working career in the Federal Public of Canada. During this time, Lynn became an active trade union member and advocate, and the first Black person to join the executive ranks of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). She was also a National Vice-President of the Canadian Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU). As part of the CLC delegation, in 1994, Lynn traveled to South Africa as an election observer in the first free elections (which saw the election of Nelson Mandela). In 1993 Lynn became the first Canadian-born African Canadian women to run in a Canadian Federal Election, as the New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate in the Halifax riding.
Throughout her life, Lynn has been active in the pursuit of justice, working tireless for many causes and organizations that seek to eradicate racism, secure human rights, and achieve fair labour practices. She has been honoured with many awards including the Queen’s Medal, the Congress of Black Women of Canada’s Women of Excellence award, 100 Black women of Canada Award and the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour Human Rights Award. In 2016, she was recognized with an Honorary Doctorate from Acadia University. Since her retirement from Public Service in 2011, Lynn continues to be active.
Lynn donated over 50 years of materials she personally collected on the history of Black People in her family, her community and locally, nationally and internationally which is now housed at St Mary’s University in “The Lynn Jones African Canadian and Diaspora Heritage Collection” utilized by scholars, students and community from near and far. Lynn is currently the Chair of the Global African Congress (Nova Scotia Chapter), which seeks reparations for the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade and other injustices and whose organization published the ground breaking book authored by children they engaged called “R is for Reparations.”