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Angela Robertson

2009 YWCA Toronto woman of distinction, social change

Angela Robertson is a strategic thinker, an innovator and a woman who is widely respected for implementing life transforming programs for women in the city of Toronto. Angela’s extensive career and commitment to battling the feminization of poverty speaks loud with conviction. Angela Robertson is the 2009 YWCA Toronto Woman of Distinction for Social Change.

Angela is the Executive Director of Sistering - A Woman’s Place, an organization that offers practical and emotional support to homeless, under housed and low income women in Toronto. Over 2,000 of Toronto’s most marginalized women use their services annually, to drop in for meals, for employment support, to have a shower, a mailing address, or counselling. During her tenure at Sistering, she has doubled the agency budget, facilitated the expansion of Sistering’s space at College Street, and spearheaded a new development on Bloor Street West, while securing funding and community partnerships for two buildings designated as permanent and secure housing for women.

Angela's work does not stop at meeting immediate need, but extends to changing the social conditions that endanger women’s welfare. Angela Robertson has influenced policy and systemic change in the health and social services sector. She is the leader behind the Women and Homeless Bulletin which was released in 2008, and Common Occurrence: The Impacts of Homelessness on the video Back Talk: Women Speak Out About Poverty in their Lives.

As an Honours student at York University, she explored feminist issues, founded the group Black Women at York and was a member of the Black Women’s Collective of Toronto. In those groups she was key in mobilizing campaigns for social justice on issues such as violence against women, rights for racialized workers, racism and police violence and reproductive choice. Over time, her commitment to challenging social inequalities would expand to issues of poverty, housing, rights of citizenship, anti-racism, anti-oppression, voices of Aboriginal women, HIV/AIDS, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender issues and the arts.

Angela has made a thoughtful contribution to the black queer community as a community organizer. She is a founding member of Blockorama, a celebration of black PRIDE – and anyone who has been to the event can attest to the fiercely positive vibe. In its eleventh year, it is a safe, celebratory space that features performances and an all day dance party during Toronto PRIDE for the queer community from the African Diaspora.

Angela is a force in service to the community. She is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention. She is a past Board Member at Second Harvest, Central Neighbourhood House and the Board Chair of the Nightwood Theatre, Canada’s feminist theatre company.

Angela was an editorial collective member of "Our Lives" Canada’s first Black Women’s Newspaper produced by The Black Women’s Collective. Angela served as the Managing Editor (1988-1992) at Women’s Educational Press, where she gave racialized and queer identified women representation in the arts and politics by publishing Canada’s first oral history of Chinese and African Canadian Women. She later co-edited "Scratching the Surface: Canadian Anti-Racist Feminist Thought," through Women’s Educational Press.

Angela is a passionate advocate for the most vulnerable in our city and for this she has been recognized often. She received the Linden School Nancy Ruth Award for women making a difference, University of Toronto Social Work Alumni Association’s Walking the Talk Award, NOW Magazine’s Award for Community Activism, the Rubena Willis Award for work on violence against women, and the Urban Alliance on Race Relations Award for work on equality and social justice issues.

Angela Robertson is an icon to young queer black women, to social workers and to the thousands of women that have benefited from her vision and compassion. She has a joyous energy of spirit that is at once inspiring and motivating.

>> media downloads:

	Angela Robertson - 2009 Woman of Distinction, Social Change - bio (pdf)
	Angela Robertson - bio + low resolution photo (160 Kb .zip)
	Angela Robertson - bio + high resolution photo (10.7 Mb .zip)
	February 12, 2009 media release
	all 2009 YWCA Women of Distinction bios (.pdf)
	all 2009 YWCA Women of Distinction photos: lo-resolution (.zip)

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