Today@Dal

Kudos to School of Social Work Professor Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard, who in April received the Harry Jerome Award for community service at a ceremony in Toronto.
 
Presented by the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA), the Harry Jerome Awards are the most prestigious national awards gala in the African-Canadian community. They recognize accomplishment in various categories, including academics, media, athletics, leadership, public advocacy, diversity and more.
 
The awards are named after Harry Jerome, one of the premier athletes of his time who set world records in several track-and-field events. He overcame career-threatening injuries to represent Canada at the Olympics on three occasions. A vocal advocate for African Canadians, he challenged discrimination and celebrated the spirit of sport until his sudden death in 1982.
 
“I was very pleased to receive this award,” says Dr. Bernard. “What makes it extra special is Harry Jerome had a motto: ‘never give up.’ And that’s really the way I’ve tried to frame my life as well. No matter how difficult things become, I’m always of the belief you never give up. So it’s really an honour to be receiving an award named after such an incredible African Canadian.
 
Dr. Bernard, who has been a professor at the School of Social Work since 1990 and is also a past director of the School, was celebrated for her lifetime of community contributions. Her work with black men and the violence of racism, particularly in the criminal justice system, has impacted not only scholarship but agency and community-based practice. Dr. Bernard’s work links research, teaching, practice and community activism, such as in her work as team-leader for the CIHR funded Racism, Violence and Health study from 2002-2008. She is a founding member and also past president of the Association of Black Social Workers.
 
The Harry Jerome Award is one of many honours in Dr. Bernard's career, including her appointment to the Order of Canada in 2005 and to the Order of Nova Scotia in 2014. Last month she was named the first recipient of Dal’s new teaching award celebrating diversity in education.