Sharing important contributions to law enforcement
A celebration of Black Women Making a Difference in Canadian Law Enforcement taking place in the province this month
She felt the tug on her clothing and looked down into the face of an elementary student – one of less than a handful of black students at the school where she was giving a presentation.
He asked her a question, but it was his response, not hers, that resonated.
“You look just like me,” he told her.
“That, my friends, is the reason that I come out and do this. He identifies that there is someone in a position of authority that looks like him,” said Leanne (MacDonald) Sample, as she spoke at an event in Yarmouth County on Jan. 11.
The event was the first of five celebrations of ‘Black Women Making a Difference in Canadian Law Enforcement’ taking place in the province this month. Sample, who became the first black female RCMP member from Nova Scotia in 1992, was one of the women asked to tell her story at a gathering at the Greenville Community Centre.
RCMP Sgt. Craig Smith – also a notable author when it comes to highlighting black history and accomplishments – co-partnered with the Greenville Community Centre Association to create this event. Other, similar events will be held throughout the province.
Smith has also written a new book called ‘Her Story,’ which tells the story of 40 black women across Canada who have made differences and contributions to Canadian law enforcement. His book will be coming out this month.
In addition to Sample, other women recognized at the event included Cathy Thomas of Yarmouth, who works as a detachment assistant at the Yarmouth Town RCMP detachment and Carmelita (Cromwell) Johnson, who can trace her roots to Weymouth and Yarmouth and who served on the RCMP Commanding Officer's Black Advisory Committee.
A quilt created by Myla Borden of New Glasgow – depicting the continuing politics of race and power within large Canadian institutions – was displayed, and a painting by Letitia Fraser, a graduate of NSCAD, was unveiled. The painting features Rose Fortune (the first female police officer in Canada), along with other black women in law enforcement, including Insp. Sherley Goodgie (the first black female sergeant-major in the history of the RCMP), Const. Carline Fidele (an RCMP member in Quebec) and Const. Shelley Peters (who in 1982 became the first black female RCMP member in the country).
Music was also provided by Adina Fraser-Marsman, who gave a moving rendition of the Sam Cooke song A Change is Gonna Come.
Sample, whose first posting with the RCMP was in Shelburne, spoke at length about her career and postings with the RCMP. She noted how things did not always go smoothly.
When she attempted to apply with a regional police force the reception she received was lacking. Nearly 19 years old, she was told applications hadn’t come out yet. When she asked when they would, the response she got was, “I said it will come out in the paper. You can read, can’t you?”
That was all the information she needed to know that wasn’t the place for her. Eventually she became a member of the RCMP at the age of 22.
Throughout her career she worked throughout the country and received promotions. But sometimes, she said, her promotions were questioned by others: Was she promoted based on her ability, or was it because of her gender and the colour of her skin?
But she knew the truth. She had worked hard to get to where she was, was willing to be transferred and was capable of the work. She said she never wanted to be treated different because she was a black woman.
“I was brought up the same as everyone else and I wanted to be treated the same as everyone else.”
As the years passed and she worked her way up the ranks she was eventually promoted to an operations sergeant for the town of Windsor. It was pointed out to her she would be the first female to hold that position in the province.
“How is that possible?” she said she felt at the time. “Women were allowed in the force in 1974. This was 2011.”
Sample eventually retired from the RCMP. She is still involved in law enforcement, but in a different way. She went on to become deputy chief sheriff of the Nova Scotia Sheriff Services.
Smith says it is important for stories like Sample’s, and others, to be shared, which inspired him to create his latest book.
Asked what he hopes will be the biggest takeaways of the events being held in the province this month, he hopes it will be for people to have the chance to see and acknowledge the many ways that individuals can contribute to an organization like the RCMP and society as a whole. Even if their numbers are small.
“Although there are only about 60 black women who are regular members of the RCMP (in Canada), there are others working in a various capacities and along with some who volunteer their time on boards/committees to provide direction and guidance to the leadership of the organization,” he said. “It’s also an opportunity for the female youth to see someone who looks like them."
Smith said it was important to him to launch this initiative in Yarmouth, where he was once posted. He noted Yarmouth and this region makes up part of the history that he wants to share from throughout Canada.
“Yarmouth Town is somewhat of an anomaly to have had two black women RCMP members: Const. Linda Fequiere and Const. Janis Kelly,” he said. “This is a celebration of all of the women.”