ACCANO president gets lifetime award for doing 'the right thing'

African Caribbean Canadian Association of Northern Ontario President Jane Omollo has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award from BlackNorth Initiative — a Toronto-based non-profit organization committed to the removal of anti-Black systemic barriers negatively affecting the lives of Black Canadians — for her work in making Sault Ste. Marie a more welcoming place for newcomers and the Black community at large. 

Omollo, who has served as manager of equity, diversity and inclusion at Algoma University since 2020, received the award during the BlackNorth Initiative Excellence Gala in Toronto Jan. 21.

The award is presented to an individual with at least ten years of documented accomplishments in championing the rights and freedoms of Black Canadians or who has significantly impacted many individuals and organizations.

“You know, when you’re out there doing service work, I don’t think anybody who is invested in serving their community ever stops to think that ‘I’m doing this because I want to be acknowledged’ — you do it because it’s the right thing to do,” said Omollo during an interview with SooToday. “However, when you get acknowledged and recognized for the work that you do, for me it was a very humbling moment because I do what I do passionately because I believe it’s the right thing to do.”

The African Caribbean Canadian Association of Northern Ontario — more widely known locally by its acronym, ACCANO — was born from Omollo wanting a safe space in the Sault for her four children, and the Black community, to call their own. 

“Being the social person that I am, every time I’d meet a family I would ask them, ‘would you mind if we could come together and get to know each other more?’ and so ACCANO was born from just a few members coming together, having a potluck, enjoying fellowship with one another, enjoying good food, supporting each other,” she said. 

The potlucks soon became too big to host at her house, and as the crowds grew, so did the venues for the rapidly growing get-togethers.

Those gatherings would evolve into ACCANO’s annual Black History Month celebration dinner. 

“Over the years ACCANO has become a community brand name. When we talk about our annual Black History Month [event], it’s something that members of the community can identify with because they’ve been there with us over the years, and it’s a space that brings people together to celebrate and reflect on the challenges that we, as Black people, also face,” said Omollo. “Over the years, we’ve managed to develop different programming that really catered to the needs of our community.”

From beach barbecues to water safety training, Omollo says the programming has also grown over the years. 

In 2020, ACCANO received $170,000 in provincial funding over two years to improve access to community services for Black newcomer parents, caregivers, and guardians living in Sault Ste. Marie and area, and ensure social integration is done in an informative, socially and culturally anchored safe space.

The program — which focused on learning through the sharing of lived experiences and personal narratives in a kitchen setting, while preparing cultural meals using local ingredients — primarily served newly-arrived ACCANO members, many of them refugees coming from different refugee camps from around the world. 

 “Just being able to create a very safe space where they can talk about their issues, their concerns, in their own language, and to have like-minded people who are more established, who have been here for a while, to respond and have a conversation around it, was very empowering,” Omollo said. 

Along with the recognition Omollo has received through BlackNorth Initiative’s lifetime achievement award, she also received a prize of $15,000 to donate to a registered charity or non-profit of her choice. 

Omollo didn’t have to give much thought to where that money was going. 

She donated it to the ACCANO Scholarship Fund at Algoma University, which will enable it to become an endowment fund for Black students at the institution. 

The fund was launched in 2021 with seed money generated through a fundraising Afro-Caribbean takeout dinner and the sale of Black Lives Matter shirts in partnership with The Breakfast Pig. 

“We have come a long way and we are dreaming big, because I honestly believe that if you have the opportunity to contribute to the community that you find yourself in, you do it — and you don’t do it small, you do it with bravery and with hope and with faith, because things work out,” Omollo said. 

The tireless advocate for the Sault’s Black community and newcomers to the city says she’s committed to making her home a welcoming community. 

“I really enjoy living in Sault Ste. Marie, and I really enjoy seeing the diverse cultures that are choosing to make Sault Ste. Marie home,” said Omollo. “My call to everyone is let’s do our fair share in making the community welcoming for all.”