Desmond Cole facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Desmond Cole
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Cole in 2017
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| Born | April 9, 1982 Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
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Desmond Cole (born April 9, 1982) is a Canadian journalist, activist, and author. He lives in Toronto, Ontario. He used to write for the Toronto Star newspaper. He has also written for many other magazines and websites.
Cole is well-known for his activism. He speaks out about important issues like police carding and racial discrimination. He works to fight systemic racism, which means unfair rules or practices built into society. In 2017, a TV show called The Skin We're In was made about him. He also hosted a radio show from 2015 to 2020. His first book, also called The Skin We're In, came out in 2020. It was the best-selling Canadian book that year.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Cole was born in Red Deer, Alberta. He grew up in Oshawa, Ontario, and went to high school in Whitby. He studied at Queen's University for two years. He then decided to leave, saying that university had become too focused on just job training.
After teaching French for two years, he moved to Toronto when he was 22. There, he started working with young people who needed help. In 2006, Cole entered a competition called City Idol in Toronto. He won for his area, Toronto-East York. The winners were helped to run for city council. Cole ran in the 2006 Toronto election and finished third in his ward. He was 24 years old at the time.
Career Highlights
His Famous Essay: "The Skin I'm In" (2015)
In 2015, Cole wrote an important essay for Toronto Life magazine. It was called "The Skin I'm In." This essay talked about anti-Black racism in Toronto and across Ontario. In the article, Cole shared that police had stopped him more than fifty times for "carding." This is when police stop people and ask for their information without a clear reason.
His essay became very popular. It was one of the most-read articles on Toronto Life for a decade. It also won three awards. Later, in 2017, the essay became the basis for a CBC Television documentary film. The film was also called The Skin We're In. From 2015 to 2020, Cole also hosted a weekend talk show on CFRB radio.
Writing for the Toronto Star (2015–2017)
Cole began writing a column for the Toronto Star in September 2015. He became well-known for writing about issues of race in Toronto.
Why He Left the Toronto Star
In May 2017, Cole decided to leave his column at the Toronto Star. He had protested at a meeting of the Toronto Police Services Board. He was protesting against the police practice of carding and racial profiling. The newspaper told him that protesting went against their rules for journalists.
Many people thought the Star's decision was unfair. They pointed out that the newspaper had a history of supporting columnists who were also activists. Michele Landsberg, a former Star columnist, said the newspaper made a mistake. She wrote that Cole felt he had to keep a promise to Black children he had spoken to. Landsberg compared it to how the Star had supported her own activism for women's rights when she worked there.
Continuing His Activism (2018–2019)
On December 14, 2017, PEN Canada gave Cole the Ken Filkow Prize. This award is for people who stand up for freedom of expression. Towards the end of 2017, some people thought Cole might run for mayor of Toronto. However, Cole later announced he would not run.
In July 2018, Cole spoke out against mayor of Toronto John Tory. The mayor had called two Black men "sewer rats" after they hurt children with gunfire. Cole pointed out that the mayor had not used animal terms for a white man who had recently caused the Toronto van attack. Cole said that using such language could lead to more racial discrimination. He also felt that calling people names made it harder for them to change for the better.
His Book: The Skin We're In (2020)
Cole's first book, The Skin We're In: A Year of Black Resistance and Power, was released on January 28, 2020. The book focuses on the year 2017. It tells the story of a year of fighting against racism in Canada. CBC Books put the book on its winter reading list for 2020. It quickly became the best-selling Canadian non-fiction book in early 2020.
The book's sales went up a lot in May and June 2020. This happened during the George Floyd protests across the United States and Canada. These protests were against anti-Black racism and police brutality. The book became the best-selling Canadian book of 2020. It was also named one of the ten best Canadian non-fiction books of the year. In 2021, the book was nominated for an important writing award, the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing.
After the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Cole argued that the Toronto Police should receive less money. He believed that this money should instead go to mental health services. He also wanted funds to help with poverty and to fight systemic racism. In July 2020, CBC Books named Cole one of their "Writers to Watch."
