Contributions to the tribute of Keren Sophia Brathwaite

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In Memory of

Keren Sophia Brathwaite

1940 - 2023

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Saturday

July

Visitation

10:00 am - 11:00 am

Saturday, July 8, 2023

Revivaltime Tabernacle

4340 Dufferin St.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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Saturday

July

Funeral Service

11:00 am

Saturday, July 8, 2023

Revivaltime Tabernacle

4340 Dufferin St.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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Burial

York Cemetery

160 Beecroft Rd.

North York, Ontario, Canada

(416)221-3404

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Verlyn Francis posted a condolence

Friday, July 14, 2023

To the family, friends and colleagues of Keren Brathwaite, please accept my sincere condolences on the passing of this bright light. Before Keren gained accolades in Canada, she was a legendary Head Girl of the Antigua Girls' High School (AGHS). AGHS was known throughout the Caribbean for its scholastic rigor and Keren Williams (as she then was) was one of its brightest. It was not enough for High School girls to be "bright", we were expected to give back to community, and Keren exemplified that in her life in the Caribbean and here in Canada where she eventually settled. Given that nurturing we had at AGHS, it did not surprise me to see and hear of the amazing work that Keren took on when she came to Canada. She mentored many, was friend to hundreds, and through the Pathways Program, made a way for Black students to enter and succeed at the University of Toronto. On behalf of many who did not get the opportunity to do so personally, thank you! Rest in Peace, my friend and guide! Verlyn Francis, J.D., LL.M. Isiko Dispute Resolution Consultants Inc.

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Paul Inniss posted a condolence

Saturday, July 8, 2023

To my dear sister in law & auntie Keren, You will be missed. Always welcoming and kind to us as family. Lots of Love Irma, nieces and nephew (Pamela, Andrea, Paul & Ashleigh) and the late Basil Inniss (Inniss Family, UK)

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Erene Anthony Posted Jul 9, 2023 at 10:55 PM

Dear Wendy, Eddy and family, I extend condolences to you at this time. Your Mom was a dear friend and an inspiring AGHS classmate. May you be comforted in knowing how much her life's work and legacy is appreciated. I will treasure the last conversations and correspondence we shared just a short while before her passing.. For a life well lived, may her soul now rest in eternal peeace. Erene Anthony

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Josephine Kavanagh posted a condolence

Saturday, July 8, 2023

Condolences to Karen's family and friends on her death. She was an inspiring teacher and mentor to me and many others at TYP. She was truly a class act. Thank you Karen- may your gentle soul Rest in Peace. Josephine Kavanagh

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Agi Lukacs posted a condolence

Friday, July 7, 2023

I think everyone has already said it. Keren was an inspiring colleague, both as the co-founder of the Transitional Year Programme, and a teacher for many years there. I learned a lot from her about teaching. But I also learned much about the relationship of community to what would--with some exceptions due to other fighters too--otherwise be a rather inaccessible Ivory Tower. Her last bit of teaching---in relation to me--changed my last years at TYP, and beyond. She asked me to come to her literature (and society!) class when she assigned an autobiographical article by a Jewish Holocaust survivor. I am a child of two such survivors. Later on, after considerable efforts by her also-amazing teaching assistant, Roslyn Thomas-Long, Roslyn and I ended up teaching a sociological/historical unit on "Genocide and Resistance". It changed my life to keep learning about the Holocaust in a way that allowed me to teach it. If--and I believe that this was true--she had a similar effect on many other racialized, working-class and/or otherwise minoritized persons both in formal education and community sites, the ripples have been spreading out ever since. Rest in power, Keren.

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Lauriann Wade uploaded photo(s)

Friday, July 7, 2023

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Keren was more than a teacher; she was a mentor, a guide, and a beacon of hope. Keren's passion for learning and her tireless efforts to challenge societal norms have paved the way for future generations. I will forever cherish the memories, lessons, and wisdom that she shared with me. With deep sympathy, Lauriann Wade

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The family of Keren Sophia Brathwaite uploaded a photo

Friday, July 7, 2023

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Angela T. Alleyne lit a candle

Friday, July 7, 2023

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To Wendy, Eddy and Family, In loving memory of your mom, a gentle spirit, and lovely sister-in-law who was loved by all. May she rest in peace. From Farley and Angela

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Sada Niang posted a condolence

Thursday, July 6, 2023

Keren was a sister, a mentor, a friend. She was a soul committed to the well-being of all, whatever their age, origin, or background. She was always compassionate yet straightforward and kind. I send my deepest sympathies to her family.

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Thomas Mathien posted a condolence

Wednesday, July 5, 2023

I remember Keren as an Educator of the first order. She was in on the foundation of note than one institution to advance the education of African Canadians, and extended at least one, the Transitional Year Programme (TYP), to many groups excluded by barriers of race, class, indigineity, refugee status, differential ability, sexual orientation, and gender identification. She designed curricula to support the preparation of all TYP students for the difficult transition to a university culture often forgetful of what such students need and of what they can contribute. I have also watched her serve as an advocate for Black students underserved by Ontario's education system, while serving as a model for teachers and scholars who have pressed for, and to a degree, changed that system. She was the recipient of the University of Toronto's Ludwig and Estelle Jus Award for Social Justice, and of an honorary doctorate, an honour not often given to retired faculty members. Those who have heard her speak will recall the she was a brilliant orator. She delivered beautifully constructed speeches with an air of quiet firmness that showed her engagement in her topic and drew others into similar commitments. Students thrived in her courses , and many took her a a mentor afterwards. She helped initiate the summer program that was the antecedent of TYP in the summer of 1968, and fought vigorously to preserve it in the mid-1970s. She helped launch Ontario Parents of Black Children around the same time. Her legacy is a lasting one. Tom Mathien

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George Dei [Nana] posted a condolence

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Sista Keren was a soul, one of a kind. Quiet, unassuming and always looking out for our welfare as a people. She will be missed heavily not only for her influence on all of us, but her powerful voice on matters of Black and minority education. I will never forget when we first met and she invited me to the Organization of Parents of Black Children after I was hired at OISE in July 1991. She was there for everyone because everyone mattered. She stood alongside when our lives were threatened for what we stood for. In this time of deep mourning and sorrow, let us resolved to carry the torch that she lit and be unafraid ‘to speak up and speak out’. We must shed our intellectual cowardice. She taught me that resistance in our ontological register, our DNA as Black folks. The Ancestors have gained at our expense. Rest and Rise in Power, my dear sista. George Dei [Nana]

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Beverly Smith posted a condolence

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

My condolence to Ms Braithwaite family. Karen was my English teacher at University of Toronto. I found her to be caring and helpful to her students. She was a beautiful, educated and humble. I am sad. Rest peacefully you have done your share of work. Beverly Smith, Amherstburg, Ontario

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Minerva D Gabriel posted a condolence

Sunday, July 2, 2023

Karen Braithwaite was wonderful human being. She mentored me in my TYP first year. A great role model for anyone. Condolences to children and family. Always will be remembered. RIP beautiful soul.

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William Doyle-Marshall lit a candle

Saturday, July 1, 2023

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I join the many Torontonians who share Ms Brathwaite's departure. She was more than a friend of my family. Her advocacy in the field of education as well as the African Canadian community as a whole is legendary. Everything she touched became miraculous. Her outstanding contribution to Canadian society with respect to our children becoming involved in higher education has been quite remarkable. Ms. Brathwaite's sincere efforts of encouraging our children and even some adults to pursue higher education have been a major plus for Toronto and Canada as a whole. The organization known as the Parents of Black Children served as a pivot for many who would not get involved in our education system.

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Barbara Stewart-Fischer Posted Jul 7, 2023 at 11:52 AM

It makes me sad to learn of her passing, She was a mentor a friend ,and a understanding kind soul. I met her when I entered the T Y P program ,seems like so long ago She was caring and kind to me during those years and helped me through the difficult times though till I graduated. I will be forever grateful to her .My heart is sadden, I wish her children and grand children blessings gone but I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU,KAREN ,YOUR SMILES WORDS OF WISDOM THAT SUPPORTED ME THROUGH TRYING TIMES.

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