When Ingrid Berkeley-Brown began her career in law enforcement 30 years ago, she wanted to be the best that she could could be and leave above the rank of constable.
Today the Guyana-native has risen far above that rank On January 29, she made history when she was promoted to Superintendent in Peel County, Ontario, making her the highest-ranking Black female police officer in Canada.
Berkeley-Brown was one of only two Black female recruits in a class of about 300 at the Ontario Police College in 1986, and the only Black female officer in Peel County after graduation. Her career choice is not surprising since she followed in the footsteps of her father, Cardwell Pellew, (deceased) who was a member of the Guyana Police Force.
One of 11 children, Berkeley-Brown migrated from Guyana in 1974 and completed high school at Sir Sandford Fleming in Toronto, before volunteering as a probation and parole officer. While helping young people find community service placements, she met retired Toronto cop Sid Young who suggested she consider a policing career. Five years after applying to several police services in the Greater Toronto Area and the Ontario Provincial Police, Peel made the call. Over the years, she has worked in the child abuse & sexual assault, media relations, diversity, crime prevention and uniformed patrol & investigative units.
In March 2013, Berkeley-Brown became the only Black female Police Inspectors in Peel County. Now 3 years later, she is one of only three female Superintendents in Peel County, and the highest-ranking Black female police officer in Canada..
“This is a very significant milestone,” Berkeley-Brown said. “There are 11 children and I am the only one in policing,” “I have worked hard to get to where I am and I certainly think I deserve this promotion. It’s a proud moment for me and my family.”
Berkeley-Brown hopes her milestone promotion will inspire Blacks and other minority women to pursue a career in policing and aspire to be senior officers. She also believes that..
“The key is to do everything you can to make yourself the best candidate for a position and that includes hard work, pursuing higher education and community involvement.”
Superintendent Ingrid Berkeley-Brown being presented with her new badge on 1/129/16
Remarried since 1989 to St. Lucian-born constable Joseph Berkeley who works in Peel’s Forensic Identification Services, Berkeley-Brown holds a Master’s in Leadership from the University of Guelph.
The mother of two and recipient of the Police Exemplary Service Medal and the United Achievers Club of Brampton Community Award is also the past president and current secretary of the Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region and an avid soccer player and marathon runner.
In her new role, Berkeley-Brown is the officer in charge of 21 Division overseeing 300 members.
Cloyette Harris-Stoute is the founder of the Guyanese Girls Rock Movement, President/CEO of Guyanese Girls Rock Foundation, Inc. a 501(3)c non-profit organization and the Owner of Guyanese Girls Rock Apparels Brand.
London-based saxophonist and composer, Nubya Garcia, is one of the leading forces behind the resurgence of jazz-influenced sounds in the UK. Raised in a creative environment built by a set of Caribbean parents, her brand of afro-tinged Jazz has made her a key component in a string of new and established groups: from work with MOBO Award-winning drummer, Moses Boyd, legendary Jungle producer and toaster, Congo Natty, through to her own works as part of…
Afuwa Granger is a visual artist, writer, and poet who uses her work to construct a visual language around intersections of identity, particularly race and gender. She was born in Guyana to current President, David Granger and First Lady, Sandra Granger. Afuwa studied in Jamaica at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, and lives and creates her artwork in Vancouver, Canada. Afuwa’s art is based on her family photos and the idea of the immigrant…
In Nirmala’s Kitchen: Everyday World Cuisine ABOUT THE BOOK: Through her travels to such exotic locales as New Zealand, North Africa, India, and the Caribbean, to name a few, Nirmala Narine has scoured local markets and remote hillsides for herbs and spices to bring home to her own kitchen. In this collection of recipes and personal anecdotes, Nirmala includes a thorough glossary of herbs and spices to guide even the most inexperienced cook beyond table…
“The handicap of deafness is not in the ear; it is in the mind.” These are the words of actress, Marlee Matlin, and Marcia Shury is determined to live in this truth. “Silent Hearer” chronicles the story of Marcia S. Shury as her happy childhood was turned upside down due to the onset of a sudden partial hearing loss. The book details how she rose above the many obstacles and frustrations that she encountered in school, in…
Guyanese Maureen Walker, who is the Comptroller of the City of Mount Vernon, has recently announced that she is seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party in the up-coming primary elections to be held on Thursday, September 10, 2015 for the Office of Mayor of Mount Vernon. Maureen is a New York State Certified Public Accountant. The Plaisance native holds an MBA in Finance from the University of New Haven and a B.Sc. in Accounting (magna cum laude) from…
English Teacher, Shamayne Cumberbatch, was born in Guyana, South America and later moved to Irving, NJ. She first attended the local public school before enrolling at Kent Place for middle and high school. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and her master’s degree from Harvard in Education Policy and Management. Before working at the Pingry School, Ms. Cumberbatch participated in the Teach for America program, teaching eighth grade English classes at a charter…
As the Executive Director of the Guyanese & American Business & Professional Council (GABPC), Shanie Persaud works tirelessly to develop stronger ties between Guyana and the United States in an effort to forge a closer relationship between the business and professional communities of both nations. GABPC is the first and leading Guyanese-American business organization that provides a vast array of services aimed at promoting and advancing business relations between Guyanese and Americans. Persaud move to…
Born on January 16, 1982, Thara Natalie Prashad, musically known as Thara, is an American R&B singer/ songwriter/actress of Guyanese Heritage. Her father is Indo-Guyanese and her mother is part Irish and part African-American. While pursuing degrees in biology and acting at Fordham University, the sassy singer gave up her scholarship to pursue a music career. Thara impressed DJ Clue of Desert Storm Label with her audition and was offered a music contract in 2004….
The extraordinary life of Baroness Valerie Amos has taken her from the small island of Wakenaam at the mouth of the Essequibo River in Guyana to the House of Lords. It is a journey that includes time spent at the United Nations headquarters in New York and the British High Commission in Australia. She has now returned to London where she has become the first black director of a British University at the School of…
Supriya Singh-Bodden, C.C.H., is a native of Guyana and the Founder/Trustee of the Guyana Foundation. The Guyana Foundation was created by a group of highly dedicated men and women who see an urgent need to contribute meaningfully to the rebuilding of Guyana. Driven by the conviction that great change can be made by people who are encouraged and supported, the Foundation empowers local and international volunteers to transform the lives of individuals, families, and entire…
Allison Butters-Grant is the Chief Executive Officer of Global Seafood Distributors, an importing/exporting business that she jointly operates with her husband, Kerwin. The daughter of successful seafood entrepreneurs she opened her own Seafood Market in Guyana specializing in wild caught seafood sourced from Guyana with the mantra “straight from the sea to your plate.” Her business distributes seafood locally in Guyana and to the international markets, including the Caribbean and the US. In 2015, Guyana Chronicle…
Dr. Karen Ann King-Aribisala is a Guyanese-born novelist and short story writer who was raised in Nigeria. She is the daughter of the late Dr Kenneth, the former Minister of Economic Development, and Guyana’s Ambassador to the European Union, and Joyce Miller King. Dr. King-Aribisala left Guyana as a young child, moving with her parents to Nigeria. She received an international education in Guyana, Barbados, Italy and at the London Academy for the Dramatic Arts in…
Leona Lewis was born on April 3, 1985 in the London Borough of Islington , to Aural Josiah “Joe” Lewis, a youth worker from Guyana and Maria Lewis, a British social worker of Welsh, Italian and Irish descent. A multi-platinum selling artist and three-time Grammy Award nominee, Lewis’s most successful single, “Bleeding Love”, reached number one in over 30 countries around the world, and was the best-selling single worldwide in 2008. She was proclaimed ‘Top…
Guyanese designer, Keisha Edwards of Shasha Designs, on February 19 represented Guyana at the first-ever Commonwealth Fashion Exchange programme, which saw designers and artisans from 52 Commonwealth countries producing a fashion ‘look’ using principles of sustainable excellence. The design was unveiled at a special reception at Buckingham Palace for London Fashion Week. In an interview with The Pepperpot Magazine Keisha said that she feels excited, honoured and humbled to have been selected to participate in…
You may have recently seen Ebonee Noel staring as Kristen Chazal, a smart tech savvy analyst in the new CBS gripping 13-episode drama series, “FBI”. The Harlem-born actress is also known for her role in the ABC’s drama “Still Star-Crossed” as Livia Capulet. Other TV credits include “Wrecked,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Eye Candy” from Jason Blum, and a supporting role in the independent feature “Long Nights, Short Mornings.” Ebonee is the daughter of Guyanese parents, Cheryl E. Noel…
Thank you Cloyette Harris-Stoute YOU ROCK!!!
#blackhistory
Congratulations Ingrid! You rock!
Congratulations my dear , i am proud of you , and it’s an honour that we were childhood friends . God blessings P