The Power of Pride: Olivia Nuamah’s Story

Speaker: Olivia Nuamah, Executive Director, Pride Toronto

What does it take to be a strong leader? Olivia Nuamah, the Executive Director of Pride Toronto, knows first-hand the level of awareness and responsibility that is required of community leaders. In this episode of Live From The Podium, Olivia shares her compelling journey and explains the skills and experiences she gained throughout her life, which helped her to develop into one of Pride’s most instrumental leaders.

Minutes	Description
1:46	Back story: childhood, experiences growing up with a single mother
5:20	Moving to London, introduction to advocacy in her new community
7:30	Importance of learning how to develop language, and learning how to communicate without offending people
10:34	Concept of honour, learning to exist in a space that works to be as unbiased as possible
11:35	Becoming a community advocate in London
11:54	Story of a hate crime, grassroots organizing, campaigning
14:24	Addressing institutional issues, submitting an inquiry, creating a panel
17:38	Coining the phrase “institutional racism”
19:54	Leading change as a woman of colour, getting involved in government, moving into the nonprofit sector
27:53	Gun violence in Toronto and starting the Black Experience Project
31:19	Centreing blackness and gender in leadership
30:54	Starting at Pride Toronto
33:54	The learning process of acceptance
35:39	Recognizing differences and developing empathy, how encouraging people to talk about their pain and trauma can fuel change
38:24	Learning to be a leader that allows the community to do the talking to emphasize what people really think and feel, the importance of being inclusive as a community
41:09	Closing comments