Zanana Akande facts for kids

Zanana Lorraine Akande (born around 1937) is a Canadian politician from Ontario. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario (Ontario's parliament) from 1990 to 1994. She represented the downtown Toronto area of St. Andrew—St. Patrick.

Zanana Akande was a cabinet minister in the government led by Bob Rae. She made history as the first woman of African heritage elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. She was also the first Black woman to serve as a cabinet minister in Canada.

Her parents were immigrants from St. Lucia and Barbados. Before becoming a politician, she worked as a teacher and school principal in Toronto. After being elected in 1990, she became the Minister of Community and Social Services. She later resigned from this role, but a review found she had done nothing wrong. In 1992, she became a special assistant to Premier Bob Rae. She left politics in 1994 after a disagreement about how an investigation was handled.

As of 2009, Akande is retired. However, she still helps her community by volunteering on boards and committees. These include organizations like the YWCA and Centennial College. In 2024, she was honored with the Order of Ontario.

Early Life and Education

Zanana Akande was born in the Kensington Market area of downtown Toronto. Her parents came from St. Lucia and Barbados. They were both teachers in their home countries. However, they could not continue teaching in Canada at that time because of their heritage.

Zanana attended Harbord Collegiate Institute for high school. She then went on to the University of Toronto. There, she earned two degrees: a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Education. She also studied at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.

A Career in Education

Following her parents' path, Zanana Akande became a teacher. She later became a school principal for the Toronto District School Board. During her time in education, she created special programs for students who needed extra support. She was also a long-time member of the Federation of Women Teachers' Associations of Ontario.

Community Involvement Before Politics

Akande helped start Tiger Lily, a newspaper for women from diverse backgrounds. She also co-hosted a Toronto Arts Against Apartheid Festival. From a young age, she was interested in politics. She was a member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and later its new version, the New Democratic Party.

Zanana Akande was married to Isaac Akande, who passed away in 1991. They had three children: a son named David, and two daughters named Aderonke and Ajike.

Her Time in Politics

Zanana Akande was elected as a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the New Democratic Party in 1990. She won the election in the Toronto area called St. Andrew—St. Patrick. It was a close race against two other candidates. Her win was very important because she was the first Black woman to be elected as an Ontario MPP.

The New Democratic Party won enough seats to form the government. On October 1, 1990, Zanana Akande was chosen to be the Minister of Community and Social Services in Premier Bob Rae's first cabinet.

Helping the Community as Minister

As a minister, Akande worked to help people with lower incomes. She increased the amount of money people received for social assistance. She also increased the money given for shelter. She announced funding for food banks, even though her party usually didn't support them. She understood that food banks were needed at that time.

Resignation and Return to Government

In 1991, Akande resigned from her role as minister. This happened because of questions about some properties she owned. Premier Rae accepted her resignation. However, the accusations against her were later found to be untrue in 1993.

After this, on May 4, 1992, there were some disturbances in Toronto. Premier Rae then appointed Akande as his special assistant. One of her achievements in this role was creating the jobsOntario Youth Program. This program helped young people find summer jobs between 1991 and 1994.

Akande continued as a special assistant until August 31, 1994. She then resigned from the Legislature. This was due to a disagreement with Premier Rae about how an investigation was handled. She felt that the government was not representing everyone in the province. After leaving politics, she went back to her job as a school principal.

After Her Political Career

Even after leaving politics, Zanana Akande continued to be active in her community.

In 2004, she received the Constance E. Hamilton Award. This award recognized her work in promoting fairness and equality in the community.

As of 2006, Akande was the president of Harbourfront Centre. She also served on the boards of the YWCA and Centennial College. She is also a member of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations. She was also a founding board member of Milestone Radio, which owned Canada's first urban music radio station, Flow 93.5 in Toronto.

During the 2014 Toronto mayoral election, Akande supported John Tory. In January 2018, she spoke at the 2018 Women's March in Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto. In May 2018, she was honored with the YWCA Toronto Women of Distinction Award. In October 2020, Akande supported Annamie Paul in a special election for Toronto Centre.

In 2024, Zanana Akande was made a Member of the Order of Ontario. This is a very high honor given to people who have shown outstanding achievement in Ontario.