By Lincoln Depradine
TTC driver Kyron Lewis wanted to do something to ensure non-White employees of the Toronto Transit Commission have a greater say in the organization, saying that “we’ve been working there but not in the leadership roles; not in the front office.”
That was five years ago and Lewis resolved to do something so he drafted a few ideas and set about talking to, and mobilizing, his TTC colleagues of Caribbean and African descent.
He shared his ideas with co-worker Yolanda Cole, who offered unflinching support to what eventually led to the formation of the TTC’s Black Transit Workers’ Association (BTWA).
Grenada-born Lewis is BTWA’s president and Cole, a Jamaican-Canadian, is vice-president.
The establishment and advocacy of the BTWA are credited with the TTC’s setting up a diversity and culture department in 2021 and also with the commission’s hosting, for the first time ever, a Black History Month (BHM) opening ceremony.
At the February 1 ceremony at Leslie Barns – a TTC streetcar maintenance and storage facility on Lakeshore Boulevard East – Cole was honoured with the presentation of the BTWA’s inaugural Award of Excellence.
“The idea of an association would have gone nowhere, without Yolanda,” Lewis told Share. “Without Yolanda, I do not know if the idea would have gotten any traction.”
Lewis, who has worked with TTC for two decades, credited Cole with transferring his ideas “into a reality”.
“Today, we are who we are, the Black Transit Workers’ Association, because she followed a dream,” said Lewis. “Throughout our advocacy at TTC, she’s been there with me. So, I don’t see anybody more deserving of being acknowledged than her.”
BTWA aims to be “a voice to highlight Black issues, celebrate Black accomplishments and advocate for Black rights within our workplace, within our industry”, said Lewis, who was the recipient of the 2022 CEO Award at the TTC.
The commission, in announcing the award to Lewis, said “he has always been an advocate for the Black community and brought together workers from across the TTC to give a voice to the frontline experience of Black TTC employees”.
Keisha Campbell, TTC’s chief of diversity and culture, said the Black History Month launch is “just one of the many ways that we’ll be moving forward towards improving the employee experience, employee engagement and community collaboration, as part of our journey to eradicate systemic racism and discrimination of all forms, and that includes anti-Black racism”.
Trinidad-born Campbell, who was the BHM event’s MC, said TTC is “committed to creating a work environment and a transit system that are inclusive for everyone; one that is free of racism and discrimination; one where Black excellence is celebrated and honoured all year round, not just in February”.
Diversity and inclusion, she said, “has become a top priority as we strive to become a leader in the industry on confronting existing issues and making meaningful changes to address them”.
