When Tiyahna Ridley-Padmore, BScSoc, and Merryl-Royce Ndema-Moussa, BSc, published their children鈥檚 book, , the 91精品黑料吃瓜 alumni brought to light 40 stories of Canada鈥檚 Black history that have for too long remained undertold.This February, we鈥檝e teamed up with Ridley-Padmore and Ndema-Moussa to celebrate Black History Month and create new portraits and poems of four Black 91精品黑料吃瓜 alumni who have made a significant mark on the University.
Meet Nathan Hall
Nathan鈥檚 roots are strong,
dating generations back.
His father is Jamaican,
and his mom is Nova Scotian Black.
But even though he knew his roots
a place of belonging was hard to find,
鈥檆ause Nathan grew up in spaces,
that weren鈥檛 designed with him in mind.
When he began his working life
this affected his self-esteem.
Nathan had to push much harder
to prove his value to the team.
At first, this ethic served him well,
but Nathan finally withdrew.
He had grown tired of not feeling worthy.
He needed something new.
So Nathan launched a business of his own.
It had a clear directive:
He鈥檇 strive to make employers
more inclusive and reflective.
From assessing and consulting,
to all the workshops that he鈥檚 run.
His aim is building workplaces
that work for everyone.
Nathan helps create the culture
he鈥檚 wanted for himself all along.
鈥檆ause everyone deserves to feel seen,
be celebrated, and belong.
Nathan Hall, BSocSc '07, has been chasing a feeling of belonging for as long as he can remember.
Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Hall learned early on that a personal sense of identity only goes so far when people make assumptions based on how you look or your family鈥檚 background. Hall鈥檚 father immigrated to Canada from Jamaica; his mother was born in the Maritimes and is of Afro Nova Scotian and Guyanese descent.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e born [in Canada] you hear you鈥檙e not really Jamaican, but you鈥檙e never considered Canadian, no matter how many generations you鈥檝e been here. I鈥檝e still been told to go back to where I came from,鈥 says Hall. 鈥淭his is the backdrop of my life that has driven my work.鈥
Graduating from 91精品黑料吃瓜 with a degree in sociology, our third trailblazer also faced questions of belonging in the workplace. Imposter syndrome and self-doubt ran rampant. Hall says he commonly found himself the only person of colour in the boardroom and felt the need to work twice as hard to prove himself. These personal experiences both prepared him for the uncertainty of entrepreneurship and fuelled his desire to create more inclusive work environments where everyone could belong.
Today, Hall lives in Ottawa and is an award-winning entrepreneur, educator, and self-proclaimed 鈥渇un parent鈥 to his four-year-old son. He鈥檚 also the CEO of two successful companies: a video marketing agency called , and .
Culture Check鈥檚 work is two-fold. For the 80% of racialized professionals who expect to experience racism on the job, the company supports them by validating their experience and helping to build their confidence and careers.
By collating their real-life experiences into case studies and insights, Culture Check provides training to organizations and leaders on how to recognize and shut down racism in their own work environments.
Clearly, the company鈥檚 mission is resonating: in 2021, Culture Check connected with 7,000 people through training and check-ins with racialized professionals.
鈥淓ach of those people is going to talk to someone else. They鈥檙e not just customers or clients, they鈥檙e people who are managing people, who are neighbours and community members,鈥 says Hall. 鈥淲e鈥檝e planted so many seeds, something鈥檚 gotta grow.鈥
For Hall, the real impact of Culture Check鈥檚 work is felt when he hears from other professionals of colour: 鈥淲hen they say, 鈥榯hank you so much, I鈥檝e never felt so seen at work before.鈥 [...] This is the ultimate end 鈥斺痬aking sure this population of people is experiencing that change.鈥