Bay Roberts student wins Peace Medal for speeches about racism

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Grade 11 student from Bay Roberts who used her public speaking skills to tell others about her experience as a young Black Canadian has earned a YMCA Peace Medal.

Jasmine Edwards was born in Liberia, a country in West Africa. She was adopted as an infant by Terri Edwards of Conception Bay South. They keep in touch with Jasmine’s birth mother, exchanging letters and packages. One day they hope to visit Jasmine’s birth mother in Liberia.

“We always want to make sure she’s a part of her life, and that she knows that she’s very well looked after,” said Edwards’ Newfoundland mom.

At Ascension Collegiate several of her teachers noticed Jasmine’s communication skills and encouraged her to join the public speaking team. Jasmine was shown a list of topics for a Knights of Columbus public speaking event and saw one of them was racism in Canada. As a Black Canadian, Jasmine has experienced racism, including at school. She decided to write a speech on the topic, “Red, White, and Black Country.”

Mom Terri said Jasmine has been called the N-word, told she is ugly because she is Black and, once found a fellow student walking behind her on the staircase pretending to whip her.

“Newfoundland, whether people like it or not, it’s becoming more diversified by the day, and they have to understand that there are different cultures,” said Terri. “When I heard her speech, I bawled. I cried my heart out because she’s human just like anybody else, and to know that in this day and age she’s facing these obstacles because she is Black, it doesn’t make any sense to me. She’s smart, she’s a good child, she doesn’t get in trouble, she goes to school. Why would people stereotype you because you’re African?”

During a Lions Club speak-off, Jasmine was asked what she would recommend to combat racism and prejudice. She responded by arguing it should be done through education and the school system, with teachers intervening when bigotry happens.

Celebrating diversity in schools is important, said mom, noting the significance of February, which is Black History Month. Terri said she sent schools reminders to acknowledged Black History Month.

Jasmine has won four public speaking competitions with her speech. She was awarded the YMCA Peace Medal at Ascension Collegiate on November 26.

Jasmine’s talents extend beyond public speaking. She can speak French, practices karate, writes songs, sings, and plays guitar, ukulele, and mandolin. She competed as a solo musician in last year’s Kiwanis Music Festival with a mandolin performance. Jasmine’s hopes to eventually study engineering and become a civil engineer. But she intends to continue speaking up about social issues.

“I don’t stop writing,” Jasmine said. “And usually, when I do write, it’s about issues.”