2004 Young Women Of Distinction recipient Michelle Dagnino

Michelle Dagnino

calling hip hop on its misogyny

young woman of distinction, 2004

At only 23, Michelle Dagnino has already earned an uncommon degree of respect for her accomplishments. She is distinguished by her considerable achievements as a leader in both her community and internationally, for her work with women, children and all people of colour. She is the 2004 YWCA Young Woman of Distinction.

Ms. Dagnino is a recent graduate of York University with a Masters of Arts degree focused on women, politics and worker's rights worldwide. She is currently a first-year law student at Osgoode Hall Law School and plans to work in the field of women's health law and labour rights.

This is not the first time Ms. Dagnino has been singled out for her exceptional abilities. In 1998, she was honored with the Weston Award, a national scholarship granted by the Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation whose winners are selected for their qualities of leadership and character, their record of service to the community as well as their academic promise.

From an early age, Ms. Dagnino has been involved with the fight for women's and children's rights, along with anti-racism work, particularly with youth. While still in high school, Ms. Dagnino founded Aspire, a mentorship group for young women that pairs them with community leaders to provide positive role models of women. In 2002, it was Ms. Dagnino's efforts that brought Ruckus!, an anti-racism conference for youth of color, to fruition. Conceived by a group of youth activists in 1998, the event was held again in 2003, with a new coordinator under her mentorship, participation doubled, with a promise to make it an annual event.

One of Ms. Dagnino's most recent projects is: Where is the Love? The Commodification of Women in Hip Hop, a training program that highlights anti-woman images and messages that young women experience in the popular media, especially in hip-hop music. Michelle Dagnino created it out of frustration with how women of color were being portrayed by mainstream media.

As the Child Labour Campaign Coordinator of the ICFTU in 2001, the world's largest trade union representing body with over 170 million members worldwide based in Brussels, Ms. Dagnino traveled around the world to speak to governments, NGOS, local communities and trade unions to assist them in the fight against use of child labour. A tireless advocate of children's rights, she went on to be a delegate at the United Nations Special Session on the Child.

It is rare to find a person of her age who combines confidence and ethical force with a demeanor that reflects a dynamic commitment to the betterment of society and the well-being of others. The women and girls of Toronto have had their lives improved by the visionary initiatives of Michelle Dagnino.