The Kingston community lost someone really special last week. Judith Brown was an educator, advocate and one of the warmest people I’ve ever met. You didn’t have to know her well to feel familiar with her. I didn’t know very well or for very long but I did get the privilege of interviewing her for my podcast, Kingston, The Black Experience, last year. She enthusiastically took the time to invite me into her home and have a conversation about the life she created in Kingston.

Our conversation left me feeling so inspired because of the way she approached her life – with incredible positivity and joy. She was both humble and proud. She was humble of all she has achieved and most prideful when discussing her long marriage and her four children.

I took so much for our conversation: how to advocate for my kids in the school system, how to acknowledge challenges but also count and celebrate the wins, to stay open and curious and mostly importantly to sit in gratitude as often as I can. When I reflect on Judith, I think about how she created a road map for celebrating, advocating and acknowledging blackness in Kingston.

Although she’s passed, her impact on Kingston runs so deep and the collective memory of her bright spirit and positive progress in our community lives on. You can read her full obituary here. Those wishing to make donations are encouraged to give to the Robert Sutherland Scholarship Fund at Queen’s University or Operation Smile.

I’ve shared our conversation below for anyone interested in learning more about Judith. Thank you for reading.