The Black Experience Project: Five stories from the GTA
The Black Experience Project was created to make the first-ever comprehensive understanding of the diverse communities that make up the Toronto region’s Black population, through exploring the lived experiences and views that speak to individual and collective strengths, contributions, challenges, opportunities, capacity and resiliency.
The CBC is the media partner of the The Environics Institute, with Ryerson's Diversity Institute, the United Way of Greater Toronto, and the YMCA of Greater Toronto, to contribute to the project.
Here are some of the stories of the Black Experience Project.
Jordan Viera: Meet Jordan Viera - who's using his voice to build strength in his community.
Quincy Bullen: For 22-year-old Quincy Bullen - playing piano isn't just a passion - it's also a family tradition. He was recently honoured with the Youth Achievement Award at this year's African Canadian Achievement Awards, setting the stage for future accolades.
Stewart Goodyear: Meet Stewart Goodyear - a classical concert pianist whose love affair with music started at the age of 3. Here's a look at the life journey that passion has taken him on.
Issac Olowalafe: Issac Olowalafe Junior has made an imprint in the city as a real estate entrepreneur. He joined forces with his father to create Dream Maker Realty - a brokerage firm and investment company. It follows a model that focuses on creating generational wealth. Here's his story of giving back to his community.
Maya Laylor: She is a weightlifter with dreams of Olympic proportions. Through her sport, Maya Laylor has gained a sense of pride and a boost of confidence. Now the 19 year hold has her sight set on Gold at the PanAm Games in Toronto this summer and the 2016 Olympic games.
For more information on the Black Experience Project, read here.