Thandi O'Grady

Zorbit's by Carnegie Learning • 7th March 2022

8 Reasons Why Teachers Burnout

Teaching is a demanding career, yet many teachers say they feel drawn to the profession because they are passionate about the impact they can have on students' lives. Lately, however, the demands on teachers have grown and expectations have rapidly evolved. This has caused the weight that teachers once willingly and altruistically carried to become a burdensome load. Ultimately, this causes teachers to burnout and inevitably we see talented, impassioned, enthusiastic educators leaving the profession.

St. John's International Women's Film Festival • 1st October 2021

7 Black Filmmakers To Watch and Celebrate at SJIWFF32

With the 32nd annual St John’s International Women’s Film Festival almost here, we would love to help you create your watchlist. Our exciting lineup features diverse films made by women. More than half of these films are made by BIPOC filmmakers.

A well-documented gender imbalance continues to exist in the film and television industry with women; Black, Indigenous, and women of colour being significantly under-represented. With this reality, it’s important for our Festival to support and prom

St. John's International Women's Film Festival • 27th September 2021

Three Questions with Yasmine Mathurin

Witness as Haitian-Canadian award-winning writer, director and podcast producer Yasmine Mathurin delivers an honest portrayal of complicated family dynamics in One of Ours. A winner of the DGC Special Jury Prize for Canadian Features at the 2021 Hot Docs International Film Festival, the film boldly asks us to create space for non-linear paths to self-acceptance, while revealing the empowering experience of being accepted and loved by your community.

St. John's International Women's Film Festival • 23rd September 2021

Three Questions with Shelley Thompson

Thompson’s feature directorial debut follows a father and daughter as they cautiously rebuild their relationship and come to understand the mechanics of the heart. Dawn returns home to Nova Scotia to mourn the death of her mother and repair the estrangement with her father, John Andrew. An ancient tractor becomes the focus for the mechanically-minded Dawn, but her father’s long-simmering resentments heighten tensions. Watching his daughter work to restore the tractor, he realises that reclaiming

Refinery29 • 26th July 2021

What It's Like To Be A Black Woman Living In A City That Doesn't Care About Black Hair

My hair requires delicate care. From the front to the nape of my head, my 4C coily hair is soft, moisturized, and full of lustre, when treated properly. When it’s not, my hair becomes very dry, leading to tangling, breakage, and ultimately, damage. Frequent trips to the salon are not only necessary, they are also a joyful part of my hair upkeep.
But I live in St. John’s, N.L., a city where Black hair salons are hard to find.

St. John's International Women's Film Festival • 2nd June 2021

In Conversation with FANNY director Bobbi Jo Hart

In partnership with Lawnya Vawnya, we screened Hart's latest documentary Fanny: The Right To Rock. We welcomed her on a panel moderated by Jenina MacGillivray (local songwriter, performer and filmmaker) to discuss Fanny and the impact the band has had and continues to have in rock and roll music.

Fanny started in the 1960s by two Filipino-American sisters, June and Jean Millington. The self-formed band wrote their own music and played their own instruments. But they had to work really hard to p

ByBlacks • 17th May 2021

This New Streetwear Brand In Newfoundland Is Helping Students Make Money While Studying

Attending a full day of lectures, working a minimum wage job that has you on your feet for several hours, then having to complete assignments or study all in a single day can be very draining.

However, this is the reality for many university students.

Laughter Afolabi, an engineering student at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, is one of these students. She observed that even though she and her peers worked part-time, there was still an expectation to take part in extracurricul

Kicker • 9th April 2021

Newfoundlander modelling with a purpose

From dreaming of becoming a model in Grand Falls-Windsor to being featured in Vogue Italia, Karyn Inder is living out her dream as a model in Toronto.

Inder started modelling at the young age of nine. Her passion for modelling began the day her mom took her to see a fashion show that was held in a hockey stadium in Grand Falls-Windsor.

Kicker • 1st April 2021

People with mental illness in N.L. waiting up to two years for psychiatric care

According to the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association, the province has the country’s longest wait times for mental health care. This is causing patients to wait more than a year to receive psychiatric treatment.

Sarah Hillier spent a total of four years waiting for a psychiatrist. Submitted photo.

For individuals seeking mental health care, long wait times can create not only delay in the path to recovery but they can also worsen one’s condition.

It was a long and very difficult wai

ByBlacks • 29th March 2021

Black In Newfoundland: We're Small But We're Mighty

Being Black in St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador often means being the only Black person in any room I enter. This can feel like I have to carry the entire weight of my culture and community as if I represent all Black people.

I remember I was sitting in class a couple of semesters ago. The teacher was talking about business practices around the world and he mentioned an example about how in Nigeria there’s often a lot of corruption. After he finished making his point he looked right at me i