Saron Gebresellassi
| Saron Gebresellassi | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Canadian |
| 🏫 Education | University of Ottawa Faculty of Law University of Toronto Ryerson University |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Known for | Human rights |
Saron Gebresellassi (born November 6, 1986) is a Canadian lawyer. She is known for her work as a defense counsel in many criminal trials and human rights cases.[1][2][3] In 2018 she was a mayoral candidate for the City of Toronto.[4]
Early life[edit]
Gebresellassi was a U.N. convention refugee fleeing a civil war with her family.[5] She arrived in Canada as a child, and grew up in west Toronto. She later became a prominent multilingual community organizer advocating rights for marginalized communities.[6]
At 15 years old, Gebresellassi produced radio when she joined Chickspeak- a feminist radio show on CIUT 89.5 FM, and later joined CKLN 88.1 F.M. to host and produce another show discussing international affairs and youth issues.[7][8][9]She was the youngest member of an African-Canadian delegation to meet with Prime Minister Paul Martin in 2005 to call for a community-based gun violence eradication strategy.[10]
Education[edit]
Gebresellassi completed her B.A., Radio and Television Arts School of Media, in 2008 from Ryerson University. In 2009, she received the Masters of Education degree from the University of Toronto. She was a Ph.D. candidate for Social and Political Thought at York University, but left that program after a year to attend law school. In 2013, she was conferred with the Juris Doctor degree from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law. She completed the law degree in both official languages.[11]
Career[edit]
Lawyer[edit]
Gebresellassi began her legal career with the "seven sisters" firm, McCarthy Tetrault LLP, on Bay Street. In 2014, she was called to the Bar and returned to her old neighborhood, where she opened her law firm. In 2016, the firm was incorporated and renamed to Saron Legal Specialist Business.
In 2010, Gebresellassi was among the four students selected to advance to the Nelligan O'Brien Payne Moot Court Competition championship round, appearing before a distinguished panel of judges from Ottawa, including the Supreme Court of Canada's Honorable Madame Justice Louise Charron[12]. She finished as a runner-up.[13]
Gebresellassi was chosen to collaborate with the United Nations Secretariat in New York. She was assigned to prepare a study for the United Nations Organs Repertoire of Practice in 2012. She made a research about the application and interpretation of Article 92 of the Charter of the United Nations.[14] Her legal work gained her recognition from the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Right Honorable Ban Ki-Moon, in his sixty-seventh report to the General Assembly.
In 2013, she was stationed at the L.A. Superior Court in Los Angeles, providing legal support to Hispanic and African-American families facing eviction.[15]
Some notable cases include "Montaque v. Toronto Police Service"[16], "Her Magesty the Queen vs. Agha"[17][18], "Delgado v. Children’s Aid Society of Toronto"[19], "Mishimagi v. Starbucks Coffee Canada Inc."[20][21], and "Brown v. Her Majesty the Queen In Right of Ontario."[22]
Political Career[edit]
Saron Gebresellassi ran for mayoral election for City of Toronto in 2018.[4][23] She finished a fourth place in the 35-way race.[24][25][26]
The policy gained attention in Parliament and cities throughout the country. Subsequently, in the nomination battle at the 43rd federal election, she registered over 400 new voters in the district of completed membership drive, who were ultimately excluded from the voting list, prompting more than 700 human rights cases to file.[27][28]
Election results[edit]
| 2018 Toronto mayoral election | ||
| Candidate | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| John Tory | 479,659 | 63.49 |
| Jennifer Keesmaat | 178,193 | 23.59 |
| Faith Goldy | 25,667 | 3.40 |
| Saron Gebresellasi | 15,222 | 2.01 |
| 64 other candidates | 56,752 | 7.51 |
| Total | 755,493 | 100.00 |
Personal life[edit]
Gebresellassi has beginner skills in Arabic, and she is fluent in American Sign Language (ASL), Spanish, French, German, Tigrinia, and English. She has advocated for language rights, including Francophone equality rights in the National Capital Region.[29]
She is a classical flute player and pianist. She was the recipient of the 2013 Ontario Arts Council Artists of Color Award.[30]
Awards[edit]
She has been awarded with Pearls Community Inc. Scholarship & BBPA Rose Family Law Scholarship, Eva Smith Community Activism Award, Dan Leckie City Toronto Award, Student Services Leadership Award, Jack Brown Award from the LIFE Institute, Canadian Association of Broadcasters Ruth Hancock Award, Citizenship Award from the Herbert Carnegie Future Aces Foundation, and Dennis Mock Award.[31][32]
- John Webb Graham Rogers Multicultural Award.[36]
- Award of Excellence – Black Youth United.[37]
- Recipient Of The 2013 Ontario Arts Council Artists Of Color Award.[38]
- YMCA Canada Peace Medal.[39]
- Selected As The National Youth Commissioner For Leaf.[40]
- Youngest Contributor To Learning Landscapes' Special Education.[45]
- 2020 Women of Inspiration Nominee.[46]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Startups and Entrepreneurs - Career Centre - Ryerson University". www.ryerson.ca.
- ↑ "How Saron Gebresellassi practises law and activism concurrently". Precedent. May 30, 2017.
- ↑ "Saron Gebresellassi Archives". NowMagazine. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Where are they now? Checking in with 2018 Toronto mayoral candidate Saron Gebresellassi". TVO.org. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
- ↑ "Fleeing a civil war as a refugee".
- ↑ "Lawyer Saron Gabresellassi goes from the courtroom to the political arena". Bay Street Bull. 2018-10-29. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
- ↑ Wire, Pan-african News (December 15, 2008). "Pan-African News Wire: Toronto Radio Program Hosted by Norman Otis Richmond, 'Diasporic Music', Featuring PANW Editor, Suspended".
- ↑ "Harmony Movement News".
- ↑ https://"Ryerson University Echo Review 2007-2008" (PDF).
- ↑ Getachew, Samuel. "A Refugee's Thoughts on the Eaton Centre Shooting". huffingtonpost.ca. Huff Post CA.
- ↑ "Educational background, 6th Paragraph".
- ↑ "Ottawa students for the Nelligan O'Brien Payne Moot Court competition".
- ↑ "2010 Nelligan O'Brien Payne First-Year Moot Court Competition". commonlaw.uottawa.ca. Retrieved May 5, 2005.
- ↑ "Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs — Codification Division Publications". legal.un.org.
- ↑ "Black Law Students' Association of Canada 22nd Annual National Conference" (PDF). Black Law Students’ Association of Canada.
- ↑ Stevenson, Verity. "Black Lives Matter deliver lawsuit to police for Toronto mother". The Star.
- ↑ Shah, Maryam. "Charges dropped against man arrested on Air Canada flight". Toronto Sun.
- ↑ Alamenciak, Tim. "Charges dropped against 22-year-old law student in plane scare at Pearson International". The Star.
- ↑ Monsebraaten, Laurie. "Toronto Children's Aid worker launches human rights case claiming on-the-job racism". The Star. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
- ↑ Fish, Daniel. "How Saron Gebresellassi practises law and activism at the same time". Precedent Magazine. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
- ↑ Mojtehedzadeh, Sara. "Starbucks facing $1M lawsuit after alleged assault". The Star. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
- ↑ Polewski, Lisa. "Inquest into death of disabled teen an 'absolute no-brainer': family's lawyer". Global News CA. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
- ↑ "Q&A: Saron Gebresellassi, the lawyer who wants to beat Tory and Keesmaat to the mayoralty". Toronto Life. 2018-10-22. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
- ↑ Kanji, Azeezah (2018-10-01). "Toronto Election 2018: The colour-coded race for mayor - NOW Magazine". NowMagazine. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
- ↑ DiMatteo, Enzo (2018-10-23). "Toronto Election 2018: Winners and losers - NOW Magazine". NowMagazine. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
- ↑ Marshall, Sean (2018-11-08). "Mapping the results of the 2018 election, Part I (updated)". Marshall's Musings. Retrieved 2020-07-09.
- ↑ "Free Transit is in Town, For Now - The Bullet". Socialist Project. April 23, 2020.
- ↑ "Ten (not at all) tough questions for Toronto's mayoral contenders". thestar.com. October 19, 2018.
- ↑ "OPSEU Franchophone Equality Rights" (PDF).
- ↑ "March Professional Spotlight: Saron Gebresellassi | Eritrean Diaspora Network".
- ↑ Armstrong, Byron. "Two Candidates Have The Chance To Unseat John Tory - They're Both Black And Brilliant". byblacks.com. By Blacks.
- ↑ "Saron G. Scholarships and Academic Awards" (PDF).
- ↑ Canada, Employment and Social Development (April 24, 2010). "PM participates in the 28th annual BBPA Harry Jerome Awards". gcnws.
- ↑ "Saron Gebresellassi Harry Jerome Award".
- ↑ "Stephen Harper honours Harry Jerome Award winners". thestar.com. April 24, 2010.
- ↑ "John Webb Graham Rogers Multicultural Award" (PDF).
- ↑ https://www.crrf-fcrr.ca/images/stories/annual_report/annRep2006.pdf
- ↑ "March Professional Spotlight: Saron Gebresellassi | Eritrean Diaspora Network".
- ↑ "Mentioning of YWCA Canada Peace Medal".
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 "National Youth Commission to Engage Canada's Youth on Equality Issues". April 15, 2010.
- ↑ "Award winners reflect on their past". thestar.com. March 12, 2007.
- ↑ "Blog". www.ywcatoronto.org.
- ↑ https://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/fcad/dl/news-events/annual-publications/echoReview2006-2007.pdf
- ↑ https://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/fcad/dl/news-events/annual-publications/echoReview2007-2008.pdf
- ↑ "to enjoy the entire submission in - Learning Landscapes". yumpu.com.
- ↑ "2020 Women of Inspiration™ Awards - Nominations Open". Universal Womens Network™.
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