I am still overwhelmed and humbled by my experience last night (March 27) with the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA). Along with nine other men, I was given a “Distinguished Men of Honour” award in a ceremony at the Pantages Hotel.

It was a well-attended and well-organized night. The BBPA President Pauline Christian and the Chair of the Harry Jerome Awards Karlyn Percil, along with the rest of their team, did a great job welcoming us and presenting a classy event.

The other recipients were Kardinal Offishall, Al St. Louis, Mark Beckles, Marlon Reid, Nathan Downer, Lytton Barrett, Dwight Drummond, Julian Falconer, and Mark Cummings. It was nice to see that the work of these men has not gone unnoticed. It was something to feel proud of, knowing that even though at times our community is portrayed negatively (particular the men!), there I was standing amongst black Canadian leaders and legends and we all had a unique story to tell.

I spoke about my decision to leave Miami to return to Toronto, where I could serve my community for twelve months out of the year, rather than the three month’s time I’d been given when playing for teams in the U.S. I dedicated this particular award to my late brother Justin, because even though I was active in the community before his passing, it was after he left us that I found a stronger role for myself. I take the “role model” title as a challenge, and am always humbled by this accolade. This particular recognition from the BBPA is something that will stay with me for a long time.

While all of the men have an extensive body of work and activities over the span of their careers, there was a moment with Kardinal Offishall that struck a chord with me. At the end of the event I saw him speaking to a group of youngsters from the Jane/Finch area. I listened to the words he chose and observed how they were looking at him as he spoke. I could see the respect they had for him in their eyes, and that what he was saying was important to them. We are very much alike: we’re about the same age and come from similar life experiences, so when I heard Kardi’s words they reminded me of my own thoughts and well-wishes for the community. It is my hope that I can have the same effect when I speak, that I saw Kardi have on those kids last night.

Speaking of kids, there was a great group called the “Chitans” who were very inspiring as they performed the anthem at the ceremony! Amazing! And what an amazing honour to be considered a man of honour! With or without the award, I think it is extremely important for the men in our community to stand tall, stand proud, and make sure that we are all striving to do great things, to accomplish our goals, and to advance ourselves so that we can lead others in the community. We have to be leaders, and we have to follow the lead of those who have come before us, like the great Harry Jerome, for example, that the BBPA honours every year.

We need the men in our community to be to be solid! We need to be solid in our deeds, our words, our actions, and our ambitions. I thank the BBPA for recognizing the importance of strengthening the community, and I have been empowered to do my best and live up to their acknowledgement of my efforts as well.